There are only two ways to receive a Ben’s Bells ornament, said Ben’s Bells founder Jeannette Maré Monday morning, October 22, as she spoke to staff members of The Newtown Bee. One way is to find one of the handcrafted ceramic wind chimes placed randomly in a community. Several of the bells were hung about Newtown following 12/14, when Ms Maré introduced her kindness program to our community.

The second way is for a person to be nominated for a special “belling” award.

Ms Maré flew in Sunday evening from Tucson, Ariz., the home site of the Ben’s Bells program ([naviga:u]bensbells.org[/naviga:u]), and among her missions in the area was to “bell” recipient Alissa Silber, reporter for The Newtown Bee.

The “bellee” award is “to honor those in the Greater Tucson, Phoenix, and Connecticut communities who inspire kindness daily, making our communities a better place to live,” according to the organization’s website.

Ms Silber was nominated by Editor Nancy K. Crevier earlier this summer. Colleagues — and many community members who have interacted with her — know that Ms Silber exercises kindness in interviews and toward those with whom she works and plays, and she extends that kind respect down to the smallest bug that makes its way into the office and needs a helping hand back to its natural environment.

Her respectful attitude is a model for all creatures, great and small.

Ben’s Bells Regional Director Cody Foss notified The Newtown Bee on October 16 that Ms Silber had been selected from nominations to receive a bell and that Ms Maré would be in Connecticut on October 22. At the brief ceremony, Ms Maré “belled” a very surprised Alissa Silber and noted that this was one of only three bells thus awarded in this area to date.

Ms Maré was accompanied by Mr Foss, his son Mac Foss, and Ben’s Bells executive committee member Jenny Avari.

Ms Silber’s response to the unexpected honor?

“I never knew before what it meant to be... speechless.”