Ben's Bells making a difference

Next week marks the eighth anniversary of the Sept. 11th attacks, when terrorists flew airplanes into New York City's Twin Towers. Tucsonans from Ben's Bells Project will be there anonymously hanging homemade ceramic bells for New Yorkers to find. The reason is to remind New Yorkers that the country is thinking of them on their tragic day. Maybe you've found a Ben's Bell. Their creators randomly hang them for strangers to find and brighten their day.  Ben's Bells Project has surprised more than 13,000 people over the past six years.  Jeannette Packard started making and giving away ceramic bells in memory of her son Ben, who died suddenly before he was three. "What it really, really is meant to honor is the kindness that kept my family alive after his death," says Packard. Packard says Ben's death hurt so much, she wanted to die. So, she says, "Any time somebody would do just the most simple act of kindness, that we, I think take for granted most of the time, those acts just became life saving for me." With the help of volunteers, the project grew from a bell giveaway once a year to twice a year and now weekly. At first bells were hung just around Tucson. Now, sometimes they're hung around the state and country. Celeste Goguen manages the project's studio.  "One bell consists of at least five to 10 people's work. So someone made this bead, and then I fired it, and then someone else painted it. And I'm assembling it with the work of other people too," says Goguen At least once a week Rick Hopkins and his college roommates stop by the studio to paint pieces for the bells.  "It's a great way to just get out of self and do something for someone else and feel great," says Hopkins. Nick Pagano, a roommate, says, "I actually believe in what Ben's Bells represents and stands for, like truly giving back to the community." Another volunteer Lauren Sigl says, "By doing this, it's a fun and easy way to make somebody's day or make them smile."