Candice Hansen Lecture Series Launches with The Kindness Rocks Project

FWCD fifth and sixth graders gathered in the Amon G. Carter Foundation Commons on September 24 for the launch of the Candice Hansen Lecture Series, which honors the life and legacy of Candice Hansen, an FWCD parent remembered for her warmth, generosity and radiant spirit. 

The inaugural lecture featured Megan Murphy, Founder of the global movement The Kindness Rocks Project, who spoke to students about the power of kindness and the impact of small, thoughtful actions. She shared the story of how her project began. 

Inspired by the video titled “The Time You Have Left (in Jellybeans)”, she reflected on how she wanted to spend her time and realized that kindness and impacting others were at the heart of her desire to make a difference. Living on Cape Cod, Murphy walked the beach every day searching for heart-shaped rocks or sea glass. She noticed that on days she searched for heart rocks, she never found sea glass, and on days she searched for sea glass, no heart rocks appeared. This led her to a simple insight: what you focus your attention on multiplies.  

She asked herself, “What if I started painting rocks and leaving them on the beach for others to find?” She began leaving hand-painted rocks with positive messages, eventually creating an Inspiration Garden at Sandy Neck Beach. Other people started contributing their own painted rocks, and visitors took rocks that spoke to them. The project quickly grew into a global movement, now reaching over 90 countries, demonstrating how small acts of kindness can have a ripple effect far beyond what can even be imagined.

Murphy said, “It’s the energy behind the intention that propelled this project to so many people and so many countries. Kindness is contagious, and we need more acts of kindness in the world.” She also shared the benefits of kindness, including living longer, reducing stress, and increasing happiness.

Following the lecture, FWCD fifth graders joined the movement by painting their own kindness rocks, leaving some across campus and carrying others into the Fort Worth community as part of their Core Values Day. Each painted rock represents a message of compassion, optimism, and care—values that both Candice and Murphy embody.

Candice’s husband, Brian, and son, Grey ’32, attended the event, seeing firsthand how Candice’s legacy continues to inspire joy and kindness in the FWCD community. Thanks to the generosity of friends of the Hansen family, this annual lecture will continue to bring messages of hope and kindness to Middle School students for years to come.

Through the Candice Hansen Lecture Series, FWCD will honor Candice’s enduring spirit by ensuring that kindness and care shine brightly in the community and beyond.