Zac Chapman and Bill Marcus hold a box of rocks that they helped distribute around the Margate community.
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
MARGATE If you've been out and about the city during the last several weeks, chances are you've come across something that brightened your coronavirus world.
A school and community based project is spreading some good cheer and a show of appreciation for those members of the community who make sure everyone else is safe during the COVID-19 crisis.
Students at the William H. Ross School and members of the Margate Education Foundation are collaborating on the Ross Still Rocks program.
Resident Mona Marcus, who has grandchildren attending the Margate schools, shared her idea in a letter to the school community back in October that kindness rocks and that a positive message of hope and gratitude should be scattered around town for all to see.
Children were asked to decorate rocks or a seashell and drop them into the Ross Rocks box in the school lobby. The rocks were collected, weather proofing sealant applied, and volunteers deposited them in locations around the town for others to enjoy.
Many of the colorful rocks were painted with positive messages of hope, others thanked first responders and front line workers for their valuable service and offered some encouragement for their efforts. Designs included flowers, rainbows, hearts, lady bugs, a sloth and even Darth Vader, she said. Efforts are now underway to decorate rocks with a Valentine's Day theme.
It was for anyone helping us through the pandemic, Marcus said. We did it as a show of appreciation for those who make our community great.
Marcus said Margate is a small close-knit community where everyone uplifts one another.
We need to raise our spirits and be kind to others, she said. We want people to look at the rocks and enjoy the special messages the children offered.
The MEF, which raises funds for student activities, assisted by spreading the word about the Ross Still Rocks project on its Facebook page, and members helped to distribute the rocks in strategic locations, such as the Police Department, the city's two firehouses and the Margate and Longport public libraries.
Marcus said most of the rocks were small enough to be held in a child's hand, but a few were oversized boulders that required the assistance of children and adults to place.
This is our first go-around, but we are hoping the children will get to do it as a school based project or in the Lucky Kids afterschool program, Marcus said.
We hope this has been uplifting for the community, she said. I know it has raised my own spirits doing it.
So, the next time you venture out for errands or shopping, keep your eyes peeled for the little colorful messages of peace, love and gratitude. It just might make your day.
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