Kandy Grzebyk holds rocks she decorated and hid throughout Downey. Photo by Alex Dominguez

DOWNEY -- Batman in a tree. A "Despicable Me" minion on a park playground. A bird on the steps of the theatre.

It may sound like a silly cartoon show, but in fact, it is one Downey resident’s way of spreading positivity in her community.

You’ve probably heard Kandy Grzebyk’s name before, especially on social media; she’s the creator and moderator of Downey’s Crime Watch Page on Facebook.

Covering crime constantly can bog anyone down in the negativity, so when Grzebyk discovered a page called “Positively Bellflower,” she decided that a similar page for Downey would make the perfect foil to the crime watch.

“The crime page is all bad stuff,” said Grzebyk. “Everyone is saying how, ‘Downey’s terrible;’ there’s a lot of good here, and that way people see that too.”

While still in its infancy, the Positively Downey page has already attracted more than 1,300 members, many of which participate in daily discussions about favorite locations, memories, and people in the community.

And now, another borrowed activity from Bellflower has taken the group by storm.

“There’s a little old lady on [Positively Bellflower] who paints rocks, and the kids just go crazy for it,” said Grzebyk. “People ask her all the time, ‘Can you paint it and hide it with their name on it,’ or whatever. So, it seemed like it would be fun for our kids to do.”

Grzebyk started with a handful of rocks from her yard and painted several different designs and characters on each. Once they were completed, Grzebyk and her husband and son spent an evening hiding them at the Downey Library, Downey Theatre, Dennis the Menace Park, and Furman Park.

Once all the rocks were in place, Grzebyk alerted the Positively Downey page to start looking.
The first rock - a small, blue bird - was found near the steps at the Downey Theatre later that same evening just after midnight. Several others followed the next morning.

Grzebyk encourages all community members to participate, whether that means searching for existing rocks or painting and hiding their own.

“I kind of hoped people would pay it forward,” said Grzebyk. “Just have fun. Paint them and tell people where they are…people like it; it seems like they’re having fun. We’re excited to see when they post them.”

Downey resident hides decorated rocks to spread positivity