The story behind ‘Riley Whitelaw Rocks’

(COLORADO SPRINGS) — When it comes to a mother’s love for her daughter, Courtenay Whitelaw’s beats every day to share her daughter’s bright light with those who never had the chance to know her.

The month of June is a difficult and heartbreaking month for Courtenay, as she lost her daughter Riley in June of 2022. At the time, Riley was 17 years old, was passionate about the arts, a member of Air Academy High School Colorguard, and had been given the nickname Smiley Riley by a school principal.

In the wake of the tragedy, Courtenay believes Riley found a way to remind her mom to share the message of kindness, all thanks to a little bit of creativity.

“I actually was walking up the trail behind my house and I found this rock, actually this butterfly rock,” Courtenay said. “I kind of had forgotten about it, but I kept it because of the purple butterfly, which is Riley’s favorite color, and I decided to just start painting rocks.”

Painting would not only become an outlet for her to find comfort, but also for others who were grieving the loss of their Smiley Riley.

“Then for Riley’s 18th birthday, I actually did a birthday party for her here,” Courtenay explained. “We had a rock painting station, and everybody loved it. It was, it was cathartic for people, and it was a bunch of people that maybe didn’t know each other that sort of were connecting around a table.”

There was power in this paint, and in knowing that Riley’s artistic talents were being shared through strangers.

“It was almost like her message to me of like, ‘Get painting, Mom, it’ll make you feel good’,” Courtenay said. “It’s cathartic and it really, it’s been a creative outlet for me, and so it’s like Riley lives on through me, through painting rocks.”

It would only be a matter of time before something greater came from that first rock Courtenay found on the trail.

“Soon enough, people are asking, ‘When can we do that again?’ and I thought, maybe I need to start a Riley Whitelaw Rocks Instagram account, and so I did,” Courtenay said. “It’s to brighten people’s day, but also I talk about grief a little bit to try and normalize it and to show, particularly kids, that it’s okay to feel sad and mad, but that you can also have joy.”

Several of Courtenay’s close friends have joined in on this artistic endeavor of creating different designs and leaving uplifting messages for the southern Colorado community to find. During these painting sessions, Courtenay has found several of her friends to be extremely talented, one of which is Tina Means.

“I never even knew that I could do any of this until Riley’s incident happened,” Means said. “Then we thought, well, we need to figure out a way to get some more happiness out into the world.”

Sprinkled throughout southern Colorado, these bright and meaningful rocks have been placed, but some are extra special since they are in areas that Courtenay and Riley once walked together.

After a new rock is entrusted to Mother Nature, Courtenay captures a photo to share on the Riley Whitelaw Rocks Instagram Account . There is a mystery to who will find it next, and a hope they will share it on social media by tagging the account or adding a caption #RileyWhitelawRocks.

“We hope that people will eventually start posting on social media when they find them, so that we do know that somebody’s found them,” Means said. “If they’re putting them out again or if they’re keeping them, or if we’re kind of spreading this idea to many people to just start painting rocks from what they find, from what we’ve done.”

Some of the rocks, Courtenay cannot let go of, as they fill her heart with both the memories and the reminder that Riley touched and changed the lives of so many.

“It’s something that I can look at, especially if I’m having kind of a rough day,” Courtenay explained. “It helps me reflect on all the good memories that I have with my kid.”

Not only are the rocks a way for Courtenay to spread her daughter’s kindness, but she has also created the Riley I Whitelaw Memorial Fund to award scholarships and grants in her daughter’s name. A benefit will be held on Aug. 3 at The Public House at The Alexander, with proceeds supporting the nonprofit’s mission.

Like a rock, Courtenay’s strength hits deep into the core. She is a determined mother, going above and beyond to share her daughter’s positivity with all who are drawn to the pocket-sized pieces of love that are sprinkled worldwide.

“We’re putting Riley out there in the world and letting her travel where she wants to through rocks,” Courtenay said. “So, I mean, we’ve had people leave rocks in Europe for us, and I think even in Singapore, Australia, so people can find her rocks everywhere.”

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