Tricia Guiry of Bethel started her new position as studio and community relations manager at Ben’s Bells Newtown in November, and has tackled the job with enthusiasm, and a determination to match the dedication of the dozens of volunteers at the 17 Church Hill Road studio, she said.

Tucson, Ariz. resident Jeannette Maré founded Ben’s Bells after the unexpected death of her 3-year-old son, Ben, in 2002. Working therapeutically with clay, Ms Maré and friends created hundreds of the decorative bells that were hung randomly all over Tucson, on the first anniversary of her son’s death. Anyone finding a bell was encouraged to take it home, and pass on the kindness.

The symbols of kindness and healing resonated with people. Ben’s Bells in Tucson has since expanded to two Tucson studios, as well as offering take home craft boxes and parties. Participants are invited to create beads of all shapes and designs to be added to a wind chime that always includes the centerpiece clay flower. The creation of each chime is a community effort, involving up to ten people, from making of the beads, to painting, stringing, and hanging the finished ornament to be found and cherished, anonymously.

Ben’s Bells Newtown is the only other studio in the nation outside of the original studio in Tucson, Ariz., where the ceramic bead and bell wind chimes are created.

Ms Maré came to Newtown in January 2013, following the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, at the suggestion of Newtown resident Jennifer Avari, who was already familiar with the Ben’s Bells project and sister program, Kindness Coins. Workshops initially took place at various locations in town, with the Ben’s Bells Newtown studio opening in July of that year, sanctioned by Ms Maré. Over 3,600 Ben’s Bells created in the Newtown studio have been hung in Newtown and area communities to date.

Creating Ben’s Bells in Newtown has grown so much in popularity since 2013, that the studio, formerly staffed and operated solely by volunteers, determined it was necessary to hire a manager to better accommodate the needs of the community. Specially designated volunteers from Ben’s Bells Newtown hang between 100 and 200 completed bells each month.

“I am responsible for overseeing the studio — making sure it is open and running efficiently,” said Ms Guiry, Thursday, January 8. “I make sure there are enough volunteers, and schedule for private parties and school visits. I pretty much do everything administrative,” she said, taking a load off of the backs of the volunteers who spent many hours outside of the studio seeing to those tasks.

Additionally, Ms Guiry will be developing the community outreach. She hopes to involve more high school and college age people in participating, as well as to help people in the community better understand what Ben’s Bells is, and encourage others to volunteer with the organization.

The goal of Ben’s Bells, she said, is simple.

“It’s about bringing happiness anywhere [the bells] are found. There is no criteria for where we hang them, no tragedy is needed,” Ms Guiry said. The bells are an intentional act of kindness that volunteers hope will cause finders to “Stop. Take a breath. Ask yourself,” she said, “What’s important?” The bells also serve as a reminder that kindness takes practice.

Her placement as studio/community relations manager at Ben’s Bells Newtown had some synchronicity to it, Ms Guiry said.

“I’m truly blessed. When I saw the posting, I had just gone through making bells at home, with a ‘to go’ kit.  I had recently lost a 22-year-old niece to cancer, so I had this personal connection. A friend who has been a volunteer here brought that kindness message to our family in our tragedy,” she said. Ironically, her family was also one of the first in Bethel to find one of the Ben’s Bells hung there in January 2013. “So we’ve had this connection to Ben’s Bells.”

A 20-year veteran of sales management in pharmaceuticals, and most recently a director at Ann’s Place, Ms Guiry was feeling the need to return to work again when she saw the posting for the job on the Ben’s Bells Newtown Facebook page.

“My heart and gut keep pulling me to nonprofits,” she said.

Her greatest challenge to date in this position, said Ms Guiry, was the period immediately following her hiring.

“I came in at a crazy time, just before the holidays. The ‘ask’ [for studio time and special parties] was so much then. So many groups wanted to come in, but that was a good challenge for me,” she said.

Ms Guiry has nothing but praise for the volunteers who got the studio up and running, and donated so much time to keep it operational for the past two years.

“What the volunteers here have done in two years is phenomenal,” she said, and all have been helpful in helping her learn her job. “I’m still learning a lot,” she added.

While she is pleased with the progress the studio has made, her list of goals is long, Ms Guiry said.

“On my short list, I really want to do some sort of appreciation for the current volunteers, and I want to find more volunteers,” she said. She plans to organize a Kindness Day for the Newtown community in the spring. It will be an opportunity for the community to celebrate the fact that they have taken a little nonprofit and created this chapter, she said. It will also be one of only a few opportunities this year for people to buy a specially created Ben’s Bells Connecticut ornament, one of only a few Ben’s Bells items that is ever sold. The original wind chimes are never sold — only distributed randomly.

She reiterated that it is a priority for her to involve more high school and college age people in Ben’s Bells Newtown, and is considering the possibility of introducing Ben’s Bells clubs on college campuses in the area. She would also like to work to involve more men and boys in creating Ben’s Bells.

“We will be transitioning to more programming in the studio, where participants can work on activities in conjunction with kindness education,” Ms Guiry said.

“I look at this job as a gift to me. It doesn’t feel like work. My job is being kind,” she said. “Can you ask for a better job?”

Ben’s Bells Newtown studio has open studio hours Tuesdays, from noon to 5 pm (beginning January 20); Wednesdays, from 6 to 9 pm; and Saturdays, from 10 am to 3 pm. Registration is not required, but larger groups are asked to notify the studio ahead when possible. The studio hosts a monthly Girls’ Night Out, usually on a Thursday evening. Two-hour private group rates are also available for helping create and/or paint clay beads. For more information, contact newtown@bensbells.org or call 203-501-9999.

To find out more about Ben’s Bells and Ben’s Bells programs, visit www.bensbells.org.

Tricia Guiry of Bethel is the new manager of Ben’s Bells Newtown, a position she accepted in November. Building on what she called the “phenomenal” job done by volunteers the past two years, Ms Guiry will oversee the administration and community outreach for the studio.