BRODHEAD — A woman who recently had a fight with her son sat and cried on a park bench when she looked over to find a brightly painted rock that said “Be Happy.”

A young boy arrived at a Madison hospital to prep for surgery when he found a small rock, painted with a smiling snowman in the waiting room. 

“It completely changed his outlook for today,” his mother wrote on the Facebook page 608 Rocks, where she shared a photo of her son with a toothy smile displaying his recent discovery. 

These are just two of the stories that have been shared on the Facebook page 608 Rocks and are the reasons that Pam Schmelzer and friend, Jennie Dalton, started and continue to work on bringing a kind-hearted surprise to the lives of strangers.

“We wanted to make a group — just to spread kindness and make people smile,” Dalton said.

The “painted rock movement” or the “Kindness Rock Project” as it’s been dubbed in several counties in recent years, is meant to share a random act of kindness and to exchange art with a stranger or friend. The viral trend often includes children, painting or finding rocks in public spaces. They can either keep the rock if they find meaning in it, or hide it again for another person to find. 

Many of the rocks encourage those who find them to go to specific Facebook pages and post a photo of the rock and where it was located.

When Schmelzer was traveling out east a few years ago, she was exposed to a large rock painting group and decided it was something she would like to try, despite not having a background in art. 

“I hated art class,” she said with a laugh. “I couldn’t draw or paint.”

When Dalton, a crafty person by nature, learned what Schmelzer was doing, she decided to get on board, and helped create the “608 Rocks” Facebook page.

“We believe the rocks find who they’re supposed to,” Dalton said.

After cataract surgery, Schmelzer lost vision in her right eye, and recently the eye was removed. She hasn’t been able to work, but has found solace in rock painting, and the joy that it brings to her and others. Her eye gets tired quickly and she has some back issues, but she enjoys looking online for rock painting ideas so she can paint on her porch while listening to music. 

“I believe that God blessed me with this (gift) when I lost my vision,” Schmelzer said.

She’s found purpose in painting rocks for veterans, which brings her the most joy. 

“My father, brother and nephew are all veterans,” Schmelzer said. “I don’t think we do enough for them.”

She often paints several military-themed rocks at a time and donates them to places like veterans hospitals and Mercy Regional Cancer Center in Janesville. By request, she recently sent a group of rocks for an Honor Flight out of Florida and painted 72 rocks to resemble folded flags and donated them to the group. 

She also sends painted rocks to a cupcake shop in Willimantic, Connecticut, called A Cupcake for Later, which is run by a firefighter that was part of cleanup during 9/11. They have even taken her rocks to New York, adding them in open spaces on the Brooklyn Wall of Remembrance which she said was an honor for her.

The thank you notes received and excitement brought to people make her time and the costs — almost entirely taken on by Schmelzer — worthwhile. One particular note she keeps nearby reads “people like you give me hope.”

“I like being a part of that stuff,” she said.

Requests are accepted and Schmelzer often only asks for the cost of supplies from people who seemingly need to add some brightness to their days. 

The rocks, all painted with colors that often follow a theme, have been part of healing for Schmelzer. She said her grandson started a group initially that included her name — but she didn’t want that. 

“I want this to be for everyone,” she said.

She purchases some of the rocks she paints, but she also finds others. She recently dropped off Halloween-themed painted rocks at MercyHealth in Janesville to share with patients there. 

They hope to reach further with the group, and last year Schmelzer and Dalton began collecting coats for homeless people in Wisconsin. They hang them around the Madison area, and hope to have enough to also share in Janesville and Beloit this year. 

The inspiration came from 608 Rocks, when a homeless man carrying only a backpack found three rocks and kept them with him. He said they were inspiring to help him keep going. 

The page now has more than 750 members, but both Dalton and Schmelzer hope to see that number grow. They want to encourage others to get involved because they can’t always keep up with the demand. They’re even willing to share supplies with those interested.

They feel it’s a great project in which to include children, and letting them see what a small act of kindness can do for people.

“It just warms your heart,” Schmelzer said.