You might hear Westport middle schooler Samantha Henske’s latest idea — sending rocks to friends — and think she has rocks in her head.
Then you hear the concept behind it:
- You buy a rock for $10, to let a friend know you’re thinking of them.
- The friend loves the rock (inscribed “Inspire kindness,” “See good in all things,” with a smiley face, or a custom design), and sends one of her own to another friend.
- You both enter a special code (unique to those rocks) into Sammi’s website, and track that chain as it spreads all over the country.
- You smile as you learn that the rocks are called “Huggs” — so Sammi is helping send hugs everywhere.
Then you hear that most of the proceeds go to charity — the first one Sammi’s chosen is Westport’s own Al’s Angels — and you realize she does not have rocks in her head at all.
Just a brain that has come up with a simple, fun idea that brings smiles to friends, and sunlight to strangers.
At a time we desperately need all the joy we can get.
(For Sammi Henske’s Huggs website, click here. For her Instagram, click here. For a WTNH Channel 8 story on Sammi, click here.)
Samantha Henske
This is a great enterprise! I’ve been involved in the Kindness Rocks project which is similar. People can keep the rock, or place it somewhere else. There is a code on the back that can be entered on the Facebook page.
The Earth is already polluted by so many plastics and other chemicals. Do we need to cover rocks with paint, obscuring their natural beauty, and then burn fossil fuels to send them around the country? If the goal is to send “hugs” to each other, how about sending hand-crafted cards (perhaps made with repurposed/upcycled materials)? Let’s think about the environment and the Earth we depend on for our lives, and come up with some better ideas!