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Date: 3/8/2023
AGAWAM — For three years, volunteers have been spreading joy and positivity to Agawam residents, one rock at a time.
The group of volunteers gathers regularly to paint rocks – they’ve painted thousands, at this point – and then hide them throughout town for others to discover.
“It’s been an amazing three years,” said Jen Baginski-Pronovost, who founded Agawam Rocks in early 2020. “We’ve done so much with the community, children, adults and families. When our members go on vacation, they bring a few Agawam Rocks with them. When people find them, they will post on the group page. It’s amazing to watch the journey of a rock.”
She went on to say, “This group is dedicated to my brother, who passed away, and it has really helped me with the grieving process. We’ve had so many great little projects for everyone, and it’s been such a positive little group.”
When Pronovost’s brother died in December 2019, she thought about how much he loved nature, art and children. In honor of his memory, she wanted to spread kindness throughout the community. During the COVID-19 state of emergency, Pronovost would paint positive words on the rocks and place them around town to brighten a random stranger’s day. The rocks gradually caught on and she began a Facebook group which now has 1,300 members. People loved seeing the rocks and it helped them get through the coronavirus pandemic. Pronovost said the stories she would hear on how much these rocks meant to them during that time were incredible.
Since then, Agawam Rocks have worked with the Agawam Senior Center, Agawam Artisans, Sunshine Village, Nutrition First, Agawam Girl Scouts and the local American Legion. Members have participated in Global Kindness Rock Groups throughout the world. This year will be their fourth year participating in the global 100 Smiles Project. Each person paints 100 smiley-faced rocks and picks a place to display the rocks for a few weeks. Agawam Rocks once displayed thousands of smiley-faced rocks on the front lawn on the Agawam Senior Center, forming a big heart, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
Last year, Agawam Rocks opened rock hunts to families. Four different families organize, set up and give prizes to children who participated in their own rock hunt in town.
Now, Agawam Rocks is hosting classes at the Agawam Public Library every other Wednesday, with different rock painting activities Pronovost comes up with each week. It started as a toddler rock painting class and has now accepted elderly participants to the class as well.
“I believe doing these classes with the children is perfect,” Pronovost said. “You are teaching children from the town to paint, have fun, explore and be a part of the community. As the kids get older, the new kids just keep coming, but those older kids will never forget our program.”
In addition, Pronovost likes to make fun activities for the members, with different activities a few times a month throughout the spring, summer and fall. During the winter, the group has scavenger hunts at the library and will have its annual Agawam Easter Rock Hunt.
Pronovost told Reminder Publishing her daughter Charlotte was about 1 ½ years old when she started the group. She is now 4 ½ and is in love with painting rocks, collecting them from different beaches they visit. Charlotte is involved in the library classes and hunts, and has been such a big help to her.
This year, Pronovost is expanding Agawam Rocks by adding other moderators to the group, with the help of Vanessa Rossini and Sandy Veins. Pronovost said these ladies are great leaders in their community and working with them is something very positive and fun.
This spring, their Agawam Rocks Kindness Garden, a memorial garden dedicated to Pronovost’s brother inside School Street Park, will receive a makeover. The group will be organizing a spring cleanup with fresh paint, new art and brand-new colorful rocks.
“I’m so proud of this group,” Pronovost said. “This is going to be a great year for Agawam Rocks. I hope our efforts continue to inspire people. I don’t want that to end. It’s amazing to meet these children and families. It’s just a great feeling with people that are involved in this group.”
Anyone interested in joining the group can search for Agawam Rocks on Facebook.com. Information on how to become a member and upcoming activities are on that page.
The group’s next meeting for children of all ages is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on March 15 at the Agawam Public Library. Advance registration is required with Pamela at 789-1550, ext. 3. Participants should wear clothes that they don’t mind getting messy.