Painting the Earth with positivity
New Towson University student group spreads positive messages around campus by painting rocks
By Briana Richert '20 on October 30, 2019
With all the mid-semester stress, everyone could use some positivity to boost their confidence and calm their minds. One TU student group is making it their mission to raise campus morale and spread positive messages through the unique practice of rock painting.
Towson Rocks is an organization where students gather to paint positive and inspirational designs on rocks they eventually hide around campus and the Towson community for people to find.
The finder of the rock can choose to either keep it, or hide it in another location for someone else to find and enjoy. Each rock is labeled with the club’s name and if a rock is found, they can also send a picture to the Towson Rocks’ Instagram, where their discovery will be shared.
“The overall goal of TU Rocks is to spread awareness, kindness and positivity throughout campus and the community,” says Towson Rocks vice president Brooke Foundas. “Imagine walking up to Smith Hall to take an exam and you find a rock that says, ‘You got this!’ Our rocks have the capability to encourage students all over.”
Formed by Foundas, her sister Nichole, and their best friend Victoria Nicholson, the club was inspired by their hometown hobby in Frederick, Maryland.
“In Frederick, like in many other cities, painting rocks is a common hobby for people of all ages to enjoy,” says Brooke Foundas. “This past summer, the three of us were painting rocks to hide them around our county and had the idea of bringing it to Towson. We found no previously established groups, so we decided to register Towson Rocks as an organization.”
Not only does the group paint and hide rocks, they also volunteer for community service events and take a special interest in environmental sustainability. Each rock is painted with an eco-friendly, non-toxic paint to make sure that their hobby is not contributing to environmental damage, and their previous volunteer events include a stream clean up at Gunpowder Valley.
“We believe that Towson Rocks should not only be about bringing happiness to others through painting,” Brooke says. “We are always looking for new opportunities to help the environment.”
Meetings are held bi-weekly on Wednesdays from 7-9 p.m. in the University Union, where they begin by reviewing what took place in the previous meeting, move on to painting, then have time at the end to let the paint dry.
The group occasionally has a specific theme for their rock painting, such as themes for finals week, LGBTQ+, Memorial Day, breast cancer awareness, and most recently, a holiday theme. With these inspirational and aesthetically pleasing paint jobs, you won’t be saying, “Good grief” if you get a rock this Halloween.