#STONZFAMILY Mom Pays it Forward 

Hello! We were tagged on Instagram last week by a fellow #stonzfamily mom and struck up a conversation with her. After hearing her story about a little project she and her son started during social distancing, we couldn't help but share it with you too.

Meet Elise Rubino - mama to Kian (21 months old) and a special educator living in a small town just outside of Burlington, Vermont, USA. She and her family love the outdoors and spend as much time in their mountains and rivers as possible, which is why they love Kian's Stonz gear. 

Ever since the COVID-19 social distancing and quarantine efforts, Elise found that all the libraries and schools in her town closed down temporarily and her students were starting to finish their books that they brought home. They were getting bored, and people around her were losing jobs. Elise started thinking of ways to help. 

Elise had a lot of books available and she knew that people can't eat on an empty stomach, so she and Kian filled up a bin with books and non-perishable food for their neighbors to enjoy. For the books, Elise put in everything from Roald Dahl to romance novels so there is something for everyone's reading style. She also added labels of their home address on the cover of each book so people could return them for other bin-visiters to read too. However, Elise wasn't too attached to the books so if they didn't bring them back, she wouldn't be too worried about it. For food, they tried to include items that people would enjoy eating like chips, mac and cheese, canned fruit, etc.

Kian loves “helping” so his job was to hand Elise the books while she put the address labels on each of them - then he helped her fill the bin. Note: Elise is big into teaching him how to put away his blocks and toys, so this was a fun activity. After the bin was completely filled, Kian and Elise made a "Books 2 Borrow" sign for their neighbors and carried everything outside to the front of their house. 

Pictured on Kian's feet: Stonz Yellow Rain Boots

Immediately it was accessed by their neighbors - Elise and Kian even like to wave from their home window to fellow visitors! From time to time, they also like to check the bin to see if they need to add to it or adjust the sign. 

After speaking to Elise, we realized how communities really do come together to support one another during troubled times. It also put into perspective the difference we can make in people's lives, and how we truly have the power to reach out and brighten someone's day.

We thought this was an amazing story and we know there are more of you out there too, making your own waves within your community. Let us know your story and tag us on Instagram or Facebook. It's time to come together and come out stronger.

Have an amazing weekend #stonzfamily!

Xoxo,

The Stonz Team