Kindness R O C K S
Southside Electric Cooperative
service territ ory
By Laura Emery, Field Editor
S
outhside Electric Cooperative (SEC)
member Mandy Martin has her
hands full.
She and her husband, Will, have four
energetic boys between the ages of 2 and
14. The younger boys are very outdoorsy,
but the older boys arent as much, the
Amelia Courthouse resident says. So when
Martin saw a friends post appear in her
Facebook feed back in May about a new
craze involving rock painting, hiding and
finding, she was intrigued.
It was about random acts of kindness
and I liked that, she explains. Rocks
(of all shapes and sizes) are painted with
varying themes sometimes including
words and expressions of encouragement;
sometimes just splashes of color done by
little hands; sometimes promoting
awareness of a specific cause, cancer or
condition; and sometimes intricate,
detailed works of art worthy of canvas.
These rocks are placed around the
community, in parks, playgrounds and in
popular, family-friendly spots in hopes of
LAURA EMERY PHOTOS
Mandy and Will Martin of Amelia County, along with two of their four boys Parker, 3, and
Easton, 2 enjoy an afternoon walk through the park highlighted by the finding of random
colorfully painted rocks.
24 | Cooperative Living | October 2017
brightening the days of strangers ... one
colorful rock at a time.
The hidden rocks are intended to spread
joy, encouragement and happiness, as the
finder is free to keep or re-hide the rock for
someone else to enjoy. We loved that. Its
a lesson my husband and I try to instill in
our boys. We randomly pay for meals for
people and have also taken our boys to
feed the homeless. So this whole rock
movement aligned with what we are trying
to teach them, Martin says.
But there was a problem. I have no
artistic ability at all, she admits with a
laugh. At first, Martin simply followed
her local rock groups Facebook page,
PACRocks, and watched from the
LTON ROCK
ANDREA BE
sidelines. As
hundreds of images
of colorful and
creative rocks
appeared daily in
her feed, Martin
decided to purchase a few books for some
ideas and tips.
In June, she and her boys were ready to
paint their first batch of rocks. My 3-year-
old painted random colors, and so did my
oldest. The baby painted himself, and I
painted the word Hope on a rock. I was
hoping the person who found it would
always have hope, she shares.
When it came time to go hide their
newly painted treasures and hunt for
others, Martin says the boys were extremely
excited. We have not kept any of the
rocks yet. We always find and then re-hide
them in the same park, she explains.
Soon, the family was hooked. I like
that it gets my children ages 14, 11,
3 and 2 out of the house and on the
move, she explains. The nice thing about
the rock movement is that it spans all
incomes, creeds. It costs very little and
makes a big impact. Its all-inclusive, so
no one feels left out.
The members are what its all about,
says Theresa Hicks, an administrator for
the PACRocks group (along with Jennifer
Diaz, who started the group), which serves
Powhatan, Amelia and Cumberland
counties, all areas served by SEC.
According to Hicks, some of those rules
include not leaving rocks in state or
national parks. And, if you plan on hiding
a rock at a business, always ask first.
We also request that people not leave
rocks in grassy areas maintained by
groundskeepers, as they may damage
mowers. And, of course, to be sure and
seal your decorated rock to avoid rain
washing the paint off the rock and into the
environment, Hicks explains. As far as
Southside Electric Cooperative
etiquette goes, there are definitely some
expectations within the group that help
make the experience as enjoyable as
possible for everyone. These expectations
include not cleaning out a park or
location of rocks (always make sure there
are rocks left behind for others), only
keeping your favorites and re-hiding the
others, and re-hiding most rocks in the
same park you found them.
For Hicks and those who help her
moderate the group, the growing
popularity of the movement in
Southside Virginia is wonderful
but she quickly gives credit
to the groups amazing
members for helping spread
the word.
Sabrina McMillin, 38, is
a big kid at heart and one
of the groups amazing
members. She works for
Powhatan County Public
Schools and is surrounded by
children every day. McMillin and her
husband, Chris, have been members of
SEC since they moved from Richmond to
Cumberland in October of 2010. I have
lived in Powhatan, Chesterfield, Richmond
and now beautiful Cumberland, she says.
McMillins introduction to the rock
movement happened on a sunny afternoon
in Appomattox while traveling with her
husband, a firefighter for the city of
Richmond. My husband and I had taken
a trip to Appomattox. That day, I noticed
a little girl getting out of a vehicle. She ran
across the street and picked up something
on the sidewalk. She got back in the
vehicle and it drove up a bit and then she
got back out and put something down
on the opposite side of the street,
McMillin explains.
It instantly piqued her curiosity.
What was the little girl doing? I just had
to go check it out. And thats when I found
my first rock, McMillin says. It was a
bumpy blue rock with a black arrow neatly
painted on it. She excitedly fingered her
newfound treasure, wondering who had
painted it and why. On the backside of
the rock were instructions on how and
where to post a photo of the rock as being
found. I found PACRocks on Facebook
and Instagram, and fell completely in
love. I immediately started painting my
first rocks!
Though she doesnt have children,
McMillin believes the magic behind the
rock movement has nothing to do with age
or artistic ability. Instead, its about
www.sec.coop
Above: Children of Southside Electric Cooperative members Steven and
Andrea Belton, Tucker, 18, Austin, 17, and Jetta, 14, discover a colorfully
painted rock while walking their dog, Max. Four-year-old Kate, daughter
of Southside Electric Cooperative members Jessica and Jason Weaver,
proudly poses with a troll rock she found while hunting for rocks at a
Powhatan County park. Rock painted by 13-year-old Kyla Newcomb. For
Southside Electric Cooperative member
Valerie Sikes of Powhatan, painting rocks is
cathartic. Among other designs, she makes
a point to paint and hide lupus awareness
rocks. Raising awareness about lupus
something Ive had for the last five years
is really important to me, she says.
connect with rock stars near you,
search Facebook or Instagram. Most
groups names are simply the name of the
community, plus the word rocks.
For Appomattox, the group would be
Appomattox Rocks. Bedford is Bedford
Va Rocks, and Buckingham is
Buckingham Rocks. Chesterfield and
Dinwiddie are a part of RVARocks, while
Prince George and Petersburg are with
TCVA Rocks, and PACRocks covers
Powhatan, Amelia and Cumberland
counties. If you dont see that your county
or area has a group already established, it
might be time to start one.
spreading joy and bringing the community SEC member Lindy Bryant did just
together for something positive. that. I started the Bedford Va Rocks
According to Diaz, a PACRocks group because my son and I went to
administrator, it also helps get more people south Florida on spring break and saw
outdoors and active. SEC member Valerie that they were doing it there. Since there
Sikes of Powhatan loves experiencing the was no rock group for the Bedford area
beauty of Southside Virginia outdoors with at the time, we started one. I never
her three grandchildren as they embark on expected to get so many followers so
a modern-day treasure hunt of sorts. They quickly. It has become very popular here
love the outdoors, but hiding and finding in Bedford County.
the rocks make them want to get outside Victoria Dalton, member of SEC for the
even more, she says. Weve seen some last 11 years, of Bedford agrees. I love
beautiful outdoor spots, and even met doing it with my 4-year-old daughter and
some new friends along the way. spreading some kindness in the world
To locate your local rock group and and that rocks!
October 2017 | Cooperative Living | 25