Posted: May 28, 2022 7:00 AM

The nonprofit Ben’s Bells was at Reverie Brewing Company on May 22 with its Celebration of Kindness, the organization’s biggest fundraising event of the year.

The evening included live performances by the bands Rich Molden and Friends and the Windaways, as well as food, drink and a live, silent auction. Also, especially for the celebration of kindness, 75 limited-edition necklaces designed by local Newtown artist Dave Brooker were available for purchase.

At the live and silent auctions were tiles, shadow boxes and benches painted by artist Meg Jones, a Bethel teacher. Jones said she was helping produce the artwork because of “the organization’s love and dedication to its message.”

Jones said making the tiles was something she “fallen into” while volunteering for the organization; she had never worked with clay or mosaics before. Many of the tiles started out as artwork drawn by children, which she later transferred into tile painting.

The shadowboxes were created with old and broken “kindness pieces”. A piece of kindness is handcrafted by volunteers at Ben’s Bells studios. According to bensbells.org, coins “are an important tool for practicing kindness.” Each comes with a tag that reads, “This is a Ben’s Bells Kindness piece. Thank you for sharing your kindness. Pass it on.

“Donors are encouraged to recognize acts of kindness around them and to present a coin of kindness to those who show kindness,” the website says. “That person is then encouraged to pass it on to another person, and so on, and so on.”

Fairfield Schools Superintendent Pat Cosentino, MC of the Celebration of Kindness event, said she was “so excited to spread kindness to Fairfield County and beyond.”

“As an educator, I encourage all school systems to get involved, put the finials on school walls, share points of kindness, and help make the world a better place to show of kindness,” Cosentino said.

According to Jones, anyone can volunteer at Ben’s Bells Studio to help produce art. The studio is located at 32 Stony Hill Road in Bethel.

Ben’s Bells mission is to inspire, educate and motivate people to realize the impact of intentional kindness, and to empower individuals to act on that awareness, thereby strengthening us- ourselves, our relationships and our communities.

For more information about Ben’s Bells, visit bensbells.org.

Associate Editor Jim Taylor can be reached at [email protected]

Bethel teacher and artist Meg Jones (left) painted a number of tiles and created a number of shadowboxes that were auctioned off at a May 22 celebration of kindness at the Reverie Brewing Company. The celebration, organized by the Ben’s Bells Project, is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the non-profit organization. With Jones, Ben’s Bells volunteer Roxanne Novella.

Some of the benches from the Ben’s Bells project, which are only auctioned at the annual celebration of kindness, this year May 22 at Reverie Brewing Company in Newtown.

The Kindness Celebration, an annual fundraiser for the Ben’s Bells Project, was held May 22 at Reverie Brewing Company in Newtown. Event MC Pat Cosentino, Superintendent of Fairfield Schools, addresses event attendees just before a live performance by Rich Molden and Friends. —Pictures of Bees, Taylor

Participants in the Ben’s Bells Project Kindness Celebration, an annual fundraising event, browse shadow boxes and painted tiles in a silent auction. —Bee Photo, Taylor