VERSAILLES, Ky. (LEX 18) — A mother's love has sparked a global movement of kindness, turning painted rocks into symbols of hope and remembrance across 46 states and 19 countries.
Two years ago, Sara Slusher lost her 21-year-old son Tony in a tragic accident in Versailles. About a month after his death, Slusher and her nephew Wesley began painting rocks as a tribute to Tony's memory.
"He was an amazing person with a huge heart," Slusher said.
The simple act of creating memorial rocks quickly evolved into something much larger. Slusher and Wesley started by painting a few rocks for Tony and leaving them at the park in Versailles for others to find.
"If he was around you and you were upset he wanted to fix it," Slusher said.
Each rock comes with a message encouraging finders to move them to new locations for others to discover. The family created a Facebook page to track the rocks' journeys.
"So when people find 'em they can move them somewhere else for somebody else to find and explain it, then we'll do a Facebook page," Slusher said.
The Facebook page "Turn It Up for Tony" exploded in popularity, now boasting about 2,600 members. Posts about the memorial rocks have appeared from locations spanning 46 states and 19 countries, including Paris and Alaska.
Messages pour in from around the world, with strangers reaching out to request rocks of their own.
"People I don't even know that will message me and ask can I meet you and get some rocks. I'm like yeah, it's just crazy that it turned in, I never thought it would turn into this," Slusher said.
The global response fills Slusher with pride as Tony's mother.
"It makes me proud to be Tony's mom," she said.
For Slusher, the rock painting project serves as both a tribute to her son and a source of comfort during the grieving process. Tony lived every day to the fullest during his 21 years of life.
"I love it because it's keeping Tony's name out there," Slusher said.
