SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, Pa. — Earlier this month, an idea was born, and it involves a bunch of vibrant colors and a lot of rocks
To spread that cheer and positivity during a difficult time, 9-year-old Abby Smith of Butler Township started painting rocks and placing them around her neighborhood in the Frackville area.
That way, when others go out for a stroll to get a breath of fresh air during the pandemic, they can come across something that'll brighten up their day and elicit a smile.
"That's a pink tree because my favorite color is pink," Abby said. "This is the cookie monster, and then we have his two cookies. This one is being operated on because the paint got washed away."
And Abby's idea has been picked up by other families in the neighborhood, including the Kowolanek's, who have also started showing off their artistic skills and putting rocks around the community.
"We've lost our ability to hug people. We've lost our ability to smile at people because we don't see them when we're out," Jennifer Kowolanek of Butler Township said. "We're going to point A and point B and getting there as quickly as possible. You don't have that opportunity to have a personal interaction with somebody, and this makes it personal because you know somebody put it out there, you know somebody's reading it. It makes the kids feel good; it makes the person who's finding it feel good, and it's just a way to connect."
So if you're in this part of Schuylkill County and you find one of the colorful rocks, you know where they came from and how the movement started.