Bells of kindness may now be easier to find in Tucson | Community Spirit

Ben’s Bells, those ceramic works of art created to spread kindness, may soon become easier to find.  The group is stepping up their efforts to hang the bells around Tucson. No longer limited to just twice a year, the bells will now be hung on a regular basis.

“We felt it was important that people have an opportunity to find a bell on any given day, rather than only at certain times of the year,” said Jeannette Mare, the found and Executive Director of Ben’s Bells. “This fits with our mission at Ben’s Bells to promote kindness in everyday life,”

These additional distributions are due to the recent growth the organization has experienced.  January saw the addition of a second studio in Downtown Tucson.  This additional studio space means that more volunteers are working on creating the bells, allowing for more bells to be hung. 

Ben’s Bells is a truly community effort, by the time a single bell is completed at least ten people will have helped in the making of it.

“We are humbled by the public’s overwhelming support. It shows that people crave kindness and want more of it in their lives,” said Maré.

The idea for Ben’s Bells came after the sudden death of Mare’s two-year-old son Ben, and the everyday simple acts of kindness that followed the tragedy helped Mare to cope and begin to heal.  She was inspired to establish the Ben’s Bells project as a way to recognize and pass on the kindness that was shown to her.  On the first anniversary of Ben’s death, 400 bells were hung in random public places for strangers to find; as of 2012 over 27,000 bells have been hung in Tucson and beyond.