Holiday rocks delivered to nursing home residents

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 December 2017 at 1:33 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers

More than a hundred rocks, all decorated with Christmas messages and themes, were delivered today to residents of the Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center in Albion.

Volunteers painted the rocks. Residents have been painting “kindness rocks” for the past six months, leaving them around Albion, hoping to lift the spirits of people who find them. The finders are urged to post photos of the rocks on the Albion NY Rocks Facebook page and then rehide the rocks somewhere else in the community.

Rachel Hefner of Albion holds one of the 37 rocks she painted with a Christmas theme for nursing home residents. She said she has painted 150 rocks since the summer and given them all away.

“I wanted to see somebody smile because I knew it would brighten their day,” she said.

This group delivered kindness rocks and also Christmas cards to residents of The of Villages today. They include, from left: Eli and Carly Gminski. Back row: Renee Ebbs, Rachel Hefner, Faye Smith, Lori Laine, Patti Mitchell and Jenny Gminski.

Gminski and her two children brought 120 cards to give to residents. They have also left about 200 rocks in the Holley area.

Patti Mitchell of Kent estimates she has painted 500 of the rocks since the summer. She also hides many of the rock in the community for other people who paint them.

“I’m the official rock hider,” she said.

She painted about 40 of the Christmas rocks for nursing home residents.

“It’s such an easy thing to do and it makes people so happy,” she said.

One of the rocks included the Grinch.

Lori Laine pushes a stroller full of rocks. Laine has been the lead organizer of the rock-painting effort in Albion.

She wants to keep it going in the winter, and would like to deliver more rocks to nursing homes and the VA.

“I’m just loving this,” she said about the popularity of the kindness rocks.

She handed many of the rocks to nursing home residents today and wished the residents a Merry Christmas.

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