Monroe Rotary Club members used their art skills to paint rocks for the rock garden at the Wolfe’s Den Playground at Wolfe Park during their meeting at the United Methodist Church of Monroe Thursday morning.
The garden, created by the Rotary Club and the Interact Club of Masuk High School, has rocks with positive words and inspirational messages, which people can take and add to.
Monroe Rotary Club member David Wolfe had the idea after being inspired by the rock garden at St. Armands Circle in Sarasota, Fla. Then Masuk teacher Lauren Iverson, advisor of the Interact Club, and her students worked with Rotary Club members to bring the idea to life.
The garden, which was created just last month, already needs to be replenished.
“We’re going to do motivational rocks for the kids,” Dennis Condon, a Rotary Club member, said Thursday.
In addition to the Rotary Club’s efforts, Condon said the Monroe Parks and Recreation Department’s Day Camp will have 130 kids this year, who will paint rocks with Parks and Recreation Director Missy Orosz this summer.
Brown’s Monument Works, 412 Main St., Monroe, recently donated a Rotary Interact plaque for the garden that reads:
Rotary 4-way test: In the things we think, say or do:
Is it the truth?
Is it fair to all concerned?
Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
Among the rocks Rotarians painted Thursday, Joseph Kobza, who is the town’s superintendent of schools, wrote “Be Kind” in orange writing over a shiny blue base with red spots.
Deborah Heim painted little flowers on her rock over the word “grow.”
Some others were a strawberry by Katie Bailey, a rock with the word “joy” by incoming Rotary president Cindy Richter, and an American Flag by Nick Rotondo. Also painting were Wayne Chmura and Rob Zalinger.
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