A Facebook search for "rock hiding groups" will bring up community pages from around the country. These groups encourage people to hide rocks they’ve painted and then post clues on social media for others to find.
Cally Rhodes is a co-founder of the Utah-based rock group,801Rocks.
“It’s a movement of people coming together to spread kindness and positivity in their communities,” Rhodes said.
The group began last July with a Facebook page. The page became so popular that it was difficult to determine if the rocks posted had been found or not.
To overcome this issue, 801Rocks developed a mobile app to track where rocks are hidden. Similar to Pokémon Go or geocaching, the app uses geotags to keep track of the rocks. The app is free and can be used by any rock hiding group.
“We’re really hoping that it catches on and that other people can use it nationwide because we’re already starting to see the rocks spread across the country,” Rhodes said.
The goal of 801Rocks is to bring people together and spread positivity through hiding rocks. The group hosts classes and paint parties. They also partner with city campaigns and charity organizations.
“We’re inundated with so much negativity in our daily lives, and we live in such a fast paced world, that we’re trying to alter people’s way of thinking,” Rhodes said. “Having them slow down, take some time for themselves and utilize that time to do something kind and make an impact in their community by sitting down, painting a rock with their family, and then going out with their family and hiding it so that others can find it as a random act of kindness.”
This month 801Rocks is partnering with Intermountain Healthcare to create rock gardens at hospitals around the state for patients and their families to enjoy
In April, 801Rocks is inviting people around the world to participate in hiding as many rocks as possible from 2 to 6 p.m. This is part of a kick off to Weber State University’s Civility Quest.
