BETHEL — Eight years ago, Jenny Avari was among the first people in town to be introduced to Ben’s Bells Project and the nonprofit organization’s mission of intentionally spreading kindness. Now, six months into the local COVID-19 pandemic, the Newtown resident is determined to keep the program’s local chapter active and in front of residents.

The Ben’s Bells Project Connecticut (BBPC) studio, located since 2015 in the Stony Hill section of Bethel, recently reopened following a temporary closure brought on by the pandemic. The public can visit by appointment, in limited numbers, by contacting the studio to schedule a visit.

Ben’s Bells Project was founded in 2003 after the sudden death of Arizona resident Jeannette Maré’s 2-year old son, Ben. The simple, everyday acts of kindness following his death helped Maré survive and begin to heal. The project’s motto is “be kind.” Its logo is a simple bright green flower outlined in black, with those words in the center.

Maré was inspired, she has said, to establish Ben’s Bells Project to recognize and continue the kindness shown to her. On the first anniversary of Ben’s death, 400 bells were hung in public places for strangers to find.

Ben’s bells are wind chimes that consist of four or five handmade ceramic pieces (beads) in a variety of simple designs — flowers, animals, balls, etc — that are strung on a leather line. The top of the leather is fastened to a three-inch-wide clay flower. The opposite end holds a small copper cow bell.

The bells are hung inconspicuously, meant to be discovered and taken home, or passed on, to bring a bit of brightness to the person who discovers it. A tag affixed to each bell explains the project, its mission, and what to do when the bell is discovered.

The bells often appear in communities in need of kindness. The studio in Bethel allows residents to continue spreading intentional kindness.

While schools in this area had interactions with Ben’s Bells prior to 12/14 — Avari was part of a group that learned about the project while on a corporate trip in Phoenix, Ariz., in January 2012 — Newtown was fully introduced to the project in January 2013, when Maré was joined by others from Tucson for a journey to Newtown.

Avari was part of the group that welcomed Maré and the others from Arizona that month. She had already been working on bringing the project to area schools, she said, before the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

“I was actually looking to see how we could get the full program at Middle Gate,” where her daughter was a student at that time, “and if any other schools were interested.”

Within days of the shootings, representatives from Ben’s Bells Project reached out to Avari, she said, “to ask me if they could send 1,000 bells to my home.”

Joined by “about eight people from Tucson,” and others from the tri-state area, “we had about 100 people at Dickinson Park, and we went from there and hung them” around Newtown and Sandy Hook, Avari recalled.

That visit initially offered residents the small gesture of “a bit of brightness to a dark place,” Maré told The Newtown Bee that month.

A Ben’s Bells studio, the first to be set up outside of Arizona, was operational in Newtown from 2013 until July 2015. In October 2015, the Connecticut studio opened at 32 Stony Hill Road.

For years, a core team of volunteers has continued to create the clay beads and flowers that are then strung together, creating the organization’s signature pieces.

They have also created Kindness Coins, small clay “coins” that mirror the organization’s logo, and are also individually hand painted and fired like their full-size counterparts.

While Ben’s Bells are hung in public locations to be found at random, Kindness Coins are $1 each, and given out to show someone their kindness is appreciated.

Now a member of the BBPC board, Avari said the project has grown locally because people respond to compassion.

“It’s continued to grow because everyone needs kindness,” she said last month. Speaking from her home, Avari said “a core group of volunteers” stayed busy during the summer, planning for a gradual reopening of the studio once it was safe to do so. Fundraising efforts will begin soon, she also mentioned.

Busy During The Summer

When Avari spoke with The Newtown Bee in August, the BBPC studio had not yet reopened. From her home she was coordinating supplies for that core group of volunteers.

“Before we shut down, I put some boxes together and got them to some people, and then they continued, through quarantine, to assemble bells,” she said.

Avari was careful to go through steps to assure the pieces were clean between locations, she said. The clay pieces she packed up had already been fired, she said.

“They just needed to be assembled,” she added. “I put them together, then left everything in my garage for two weeks. I didn’t touch anything.

“People then came in masks and gloves, and then left everything in their garage for two weeks before assembling them.”

Those were the people who had the enjoyable assignment of hanging completed bells to be found. They did so, with additional steps taken.

“We wanted people to feel safe,” Avari said. “We asked people to wipe them down as they hung them. Some people sprayed them with Lysol, just to be safe.”

For the public, Family Activity Box (FAB) Studio To-Go Kits were recently assembled. The FAB kits, $25 each, provide the materials to paint 50 Kindness Coins. Those who return the kits with coins ready for firing are thanked with ten completed coins.

Proceeds from the sales of Kindness Coins and other Ben’s Bells merchandise — mini bells, ornaments, T-shirts, stickers, note pads, and now, even face masks and gaiters, among other items — help support education and studio projects, and help further the organization’s mission.

Distribution of FAB kits marked phase one of BBPC returning to full speed.

The use of Avari’s basement this summer was a throwback to the first days of Ben’s Bells Project in Newtown.

“We started making them in our basement, with the help of Ben’s Bells Tucson,” Avari said of the first months of creating Ben’s Bells for local distribution. “Then with generosity from people in town, we got more space, and it grew from there.”

Before the temporary shutdown in the spring, BBPC had staff working part-time in its studio, and the project was still growing.

“It’s not out of my basement any more, which my husband appreciated,” Avari said, laughing.

Cody Foss, regional manager of Ben’s Bells Project Connecticut, recently noted the return to the at-home efforts.

“This is inspirational for me as this process is exactly what happened in the early stages of Ben’s Bells in this community,” Foss said in August via e-mail. “Volunteers were working in garages, basements, basically anywhere they could to help spread the mission.

“As our studio operations having been significantly halted as a result of COVID-19,” he added, “once again it’s the efforts of volunteers that are keeping us moving forward.”

Phase Two: Limited Studio Use

While the creation and sale of FAB Kits marked phase one of the reopening for Ben’s Bells Connecticut, phase two allows the public to begin visiting to create or paint clay beads or coins.

The studio formally announced the limited reopening on September 8. No more than ten people are allowed in at a time, and everyone must have a reservation.

“We have space for 50, but we’re going much smaller,” Avari said. “We’re giving people lots of space, just to be on the safe side.”

Foss concurred, saying the new guidelines are “to assure safety to our volunteers and staff.”

Among the new measures are designated work spaces.

Avari said “a great donor went out and bought some plexiglas, and he built us some plexiglas barriers for around our desks for when the studio opens up. Another donor donated expenses to cover supplies for the next few months.”

Avari is pleased with the support, which allowed the board and core volunteers to “continue to mission, while helping us prepare for when we can open.”

Many people have felt isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ben’s Bells Project Connecticut studio is hoping to alleviate some of those feelings with the gradual reopening of its work space.

“We’ve had a lot of people asking when they can come in, or bring kids in, or have a group discussion — something to do, something to give back to the community and reach out and connect,” Avari said.

“I think we’re feeling very isolated, and Ben’s Bells in one way to do something good.”

The Ben’s Bells Connecticut studio is open Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday by appointment only. To make an appointment, e-mail ct@bensbells.org.

For updates on the local studio’s events and activities, visit facebook.com/bensbellsct. To purchase merchandise visit The Toy Tree, 14 Church Hill Road in Newtown, or shop.bensbells.org; walk-in sales at the Bethel studio have not yet returned.

Use the Bethel studio’s Facebook page to purchase FAB kits.