My Story, My Mission

In 2019, I worked as an emergency substitute teacher near a reservation on the Washington Coast. During that time, I noticed many of my students were grieving for lost family members or trauma that they had experienced. Many grieved for months, and I grappled with how to help them.

One day I was jogging on the beach with this question on my mind when I found a naturally shaped heart rock. When I saw it, it reminded me that “I matter, I am loved, and I am not alone.” Immediately, I thought these heart rocks could also remind my grieving students of the same truths. So I began collecting and giving naturally shaped heart rocks to my students with this reminder: “You matter, you are loved, you are seen, and you are not alone.” 

I wondered: What would happen if I gave heart rocks to all my students? But my natural heart rock collection was limited, so I decided to learn how to make my own. 

I spent a month learning how to carve heart rocks so that I could make one for each of my students. Many of my students kept their hearts as reminders that they were loved, seen, and not alone. Other students used their hearts to uplift others: family members, friends, or anyone else they knew who was struggling. Soon, heart rocks were being passed from person to person spreading kindness and love throughout our small community. 

I recognized that if a few hundred heart rocks could bring about so much good and inspire my students to notice others, surely more hearts would create greater opportunities for kindness.

Then on Thanksgiving 2019, one of my family members died by suicide.

I remembered the power of the heart rocks, and I swore in my grief that I would do everything in my power to help save a life by preventing a death by suicide. That’s when I began my life’s work: making heart rocks and inspiring others to use them as tools for spreading love and kindness.

Now, I’m backed by a little army of stone carvers, which allows me to distribute thousands of heart rocks monthly. I've presented at 100+ school assemblies, participated in hundreds of community events, and distributed around 250,000+ heart rocks. Kind and thoughtful people worldwide are using these hearts to strengthen their family ties, deepen their friendships, and save lives.

Through my personal experiences and stories shared with me by others, I am aware of at least 114 instances where heart rocks were used to prevent potential deaths by suicide. Who do you know that could use a heart rock reminder that they matter, are loved, and are not alone?

My goal is to distribute 1 million heart rocks by Thanksgiving 2029. If it helps one person, it's worth all the effort.