A boy from Bedford, N.S. is hiding rocks he painted to resemble ladybugs around Halifax Regional Municipality walking trails in an effort to get people to donate money to the IWK Health Centre.
Nine-year-old Brock Molyneux has a bicuspid aortic valve and will need to have it replaced when he grows up, his mother Neota Tinkler said.
Brock wants to support the cardiology department, a place he’s visited multiple times, his mother said.
“Brock’s Rocks for the IWK” was inspired by a geocaching trip with his family.
Tinkler said on Saturday that 100 rocks have been painted, and about 40 (so far) have been hidden in the past two weeks, some in “really tricky spots.” The attention has spurred Brock to create another 50-100.
The rocks have the name of the project and a “please donate” request on the back.
After donating, people who find the rocks are welcome to keep the rocks or hide them elsewhere in the park, she said.
The family will move to Canada’s west coast in the future, and the plan is to continue the project for a Vancouver hospital for children.
The project, which has garnered more than 350 likes on Facebook, has inspired a woman in Alaska to do the same thing, Tinkler said.
“It’s really, really fantastic that his little idea has grown this much,” she said on Saturday. “I’m so proud of him.”