Western Connecticut State University will host a lecture by Jeannette Mare, founder and executive director of the Ben's Bells Project at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 2, in the Ives Concert Hall, White Hall, on the university's Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury. The event will be preceded by a 6 p.m. reception in the rooms adjacent to the concert hall.
Mare began the Ben's Bells Project after the unexpected death of her two-year old son, Ben in 2002. By incorporating different coping strategies into her life, she came up with a design for Ben's Bells, handmade ceramic wind chimes hung randomly throughout the community in public spaces for people to find and take home as a reminder to practice intentional kindness.
According to her website, the mission of Ben's Bells is to "inspire, educate and motivate each other to realize the impact of intentional kindness and to empower individuals to act according to that awareness, thereby strengthening ourselves, our relationships and our communities."
Mare will discuss the challenges and opportunities people encounter in every interaction while striving to create kinder communities. During this presentation, Maré will reflect on her own experiences with kindness in the face of devastating grief and will share her work with Ben's Bells Project. She also intends to discuss the emerging body of research on the science of kindness.
Admission is free for WCSU students with I.D., $5 for WCSU faculty and staff with I.D., $5 for all other students and $10 for the general public. Tickets can be found here.
For more information, contact Studio Manager and Community Relations Manager for the Ben's Bells Project Trisha Guiry at (203) 501-9999 or visit bensbells.org