The non-profit Ben’s Bells was at Reverie Brewing Company on May 22 with its Celebration of Kindness, the organization’s biggest fundraising event of the year.

The evening included live entertainment by bands Rich Molden and Friends and the Windaways, plus food, drink, and a live and silent auction. Additionally, special to the Celebration of Kindness, 75 limited edition necklaces designed by local Newtown artist Dave Brooker were available for purchase.

At the live and silent auctions there were tiles, shadow boxes and painted benches by artist Meg Jones, a teacher from Bethel. Jones said she helps produce the artwork because of “love of the organization and dedication to its message.”

Jones said that doing the tiles was something she “fell into” while volunteering for the organization; she had never previously worked with clay or mosaics. Many of the tiles began as artwork drawn by children, which she then transferred into painting on tiles.

The shadowboxes were created with old and broken “Kindness Coins.” A Kindness Coin is handmade by volunteers in the Ben’s Bells studios. According to bensbells.org, the coins “are an important tool for practicing kindness.” Each one comes with a tag stating, “This is a Ben’s Bells Kindness Coin. Thank you for sharing your kindness. Pass it on.”

“Givers are encouraged to recognize kind acts around them, and to present a Kindness Coin to those who demonstrate kindness,” states the website. “That person is then encouraged to pass it on to another person, and so on, and so on.”

Fairfield Superintendent of Schools Pat Cosentino, the MC for the Celebration of Kindness event, said she was “very excited to spread kindness through Fairfield County and beyond.”

“As an educator, I encourage all school systems to be involved, putting the florets on school walls, sharing kindness points and helping make the world a better place to show kindness,” said Cosentino.

According to Jones, anyone can volunteer at the Ben’s Bells Studio to help produce art. The studio is located at 32 Stony Hill Road in Bethel.

The mission of Ben’s Bells is to inspire, educate, and motivate people 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.

For more information about Ben’s Bells visit bensbells.org.

Associate Editor Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com.