Welcome to Travel Tuesday! While I was visiting two good friends in Tucson during my road trip, one of em’ told me about Ben’s Bells. If you’ve never heard of it, keep reading! <3! (This was done back in the summer of 2019!)
Volunteering at Ben’s Bells in Tucson, AZ
Main Gate Address: 816 E University Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85719
Hours: Tue-Fri 10 am – 5 pm
Downtown Studio Address: 40 W Broadway Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85701 (no drop-ins!)
Hours: Mon-Sun 10 am – 5 pm
(Please note that hours have likely changed — I’d recommend checking out their website for updated hours due to the current pandemic.)
How important is kindness to you? I’ve always been of the belief that kindness makes the world go round. There’s a reason why the “golden rule” was emphasized (or at least, should have been emphasized) so much when we were younger. (I think it could stand to be emphasized more in adult life too, as it seems many have forgotten it.)
The founder lost her son almost 19 years ago just before he turned 3. She and her loved ones started making ceramic wind chimes and the therapeutic effect of being together with loved ones and working with clay slowly helped her to heal. They started making hundreds of Bells to randomly distribute throughout the community.
Have you ever noticed how doing something nice for someone else makes you feel better too? That’s what they noticed as well–before long, thousands of people were calling in to see how they could help. The Bells are now a symbol of kindness and meant to touch others’ lives.
Things from their gift shop! :]
My friend and I signed up for an afternoon volunteer session to help paint. (They get ~20,000 volunteers at their studios every year!) The Bells are hung each month by staff and board members for community members to find.
We went for a delicious lunch of poke down the street afterward! :D (My friend and I adore poke and would eat it for every meal if our wallets could agree on this.)
Find out more about Ben’s Bells here!
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- Have you ever heard of Ben’s Bells?
- Are you into arts + crafts? What’s your favorite thing to do?
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It is so inspiring experience. Would love to do something similar.
Ankita Biswas recently posted…Lucknow – A Complete Travel Guide with 2 Days Itinerary
It was a lot of fun! :] Hoping to get to do something like this again sometime when things go back to some semblance of normalcy!
Hi Farrah – I loved reading this! Kindness is everything.
Thank you! <3 I agree!
This is such a unique story. Thanks for making me aware of such a place of kindness. Do you make an appointment to volunteer or just walk in? I would love to know more about how they distribute them in the community.
We just walked in but you can definitely sign up for time slots/appointments too! I think when you volunteer there enough, you can also volunteer to be one of the distributors to “hide” them all over the community. (I’d love to find one someday! :P)
Farrah recently posted…Wildlife Tour to Anacapa Island
What a cool and worthwhile project!
It was a fun “break” from all the explorations! :]
Farrah recently posted…Wildlife Tour to Anacapa Island
this is such a meaningful thing to do on a road trip! i’m so glad you did a post about it, it’s definitely giving me ideas about making my itinerary more thoughtful when we get out and about again!
Aww, thanks! I like finding places to volunteer for when I can but it can be harder to do “on the fly.” I’m glad my friend knew about this place + that we got a chance to stop by! :]
This changes from the usual post. So refreshing and sounds very gratifying
It was a great way to spend the afternoon! :]
Farrah recently posted…Wildlife Tour to Anacapa Island