'Kindness Rocks' Brings Smiles To Monrovia Community

MONROVIA, CA — A Monrovia family is spreading kindness across their community — one hand-painted rock at a time.

April Elliott was out walking with her daughters early in the pandemic when she came across “kindness rocks”: decorative rocks hand-painted with either a specific message or a design, according to KTLA. Elliott told the station that she liked the idea of the kindness rocks, and she began to paint her own with her daughters.

“We were off work and out of school and at home all the time, so the easiest thing in the world to do was to just go for a walk and leave out some kindness,” she said.

The family painted the rocks with whatever came to their minds, she said: a rainbow or just an inspiring message. It can take anywhere from one to four hours to paint a kindness rock.

Elliott and her daughters would go for walks and leave the rocks behind for community members to stumble upon.

Eventually, the rocks became so popular that neighbors began to grab the rocks within seconds of Elliott and her daughters leaving them behind. That prompted Elliott to start a Facebook group called "Monrovia Kindness Rocks," which now has more than 800 members. Group members can post about kindness rocks they find or ones they make themselves.

The kindness rocks have made Elliott new friends throughout the community, she said. She hopes the rocks continue to brighten a person’s day.

“It's the easiest thing in the world to do," she said. "You don't even have to talk to [someone]. Just watching what they do when they find a rock is just so fun.”