NEWS PHOTO MO CRANKER
Redcliff resident Sue Bowers paints a gnome rock Monday at her house. Bowers finished her 2,020 hidden rock challenge in May and now passed $2,020 donated to the Southern Alberta Humane Society for her painted rocks.
mcranker@medicinehatnews.com@mocranker
It’s been a year of setting goals and blowing past them for Sue Bowers.
At the turn of the New Year, Bowers set a goal of painting and hiding 2,020 rocks around the town of Redcliff.
She achieved that in May.
About a month ago she launched a fundraiser with the Southern Alberta Humane Society, with the hopes of raising $2,020 for the organization.
She passed that goal on Monday.
“I feel really good about this, and I still have a lot more to paint,” said Bowers. “It’s been barely a month and we’ve already hit our goal.
“That’s a good feeling.”
Bowers has painted more than 100 rock gnomes for the humane society, and still has around 50 left.
“I’m ridiculously surprised,” she said. “I didn’t know how popular gnomes were, but I think this shows how popular the humane society is.
“People like to support a good cause.”
The gnome paintings started when Bowers’ grandson brought her a few rough rocks to paint.
“I just happened to see a picture of a gnome and I thought it would fit perfectly on these rocks,” she said. “Eventually we decided that these gnomes need homes.
“That’s what started this all.”
Bowers says a few of the gnomes she has painted for this project will go to Scotland, others have been sent to the United States and a number have been shipped around Canada.
“That’s really cool,” she said.
“I’ll never see them out there, but that’s another fun part of this.”
Bowers says she is thankful for the support with all of her projects and that she looks forward to hiding rocks around town in the future.
Bowers says she is easiest to reach on Facebook in the 2020 Redcliff Rocks group. She can also be reached at 403-580-9435 to discuss ordering a rock.
