Lexington's Tree of Love: Cultivating Kindness Within the Community

Juliana Hauser’s impact on her community extends far beyond the people she meets or the work she does. In fact, it grows from the grass right outside her home on Cochran Road.

Juliana Hauser’s impact on her community extends far beyond the people she meets or the work she does. In fact, it grows from the grass right outside her home on Cochran Road.

Hauser is a therapist and counselor based in Lexington. She helps lead Soul Spark, an organization that provides counseling to women going through mental health obstacles. Hauser meets with women once a month and provides them with a word to focus on for that period of time. 

Soul Spark was created in 2023 and offers counseling to residents in Kentucky and Virginia. It offers counseling in various areas from life transitions to faith-based counseling. 

Since April 2023, Hauser’s Tree of Love has been dedicated to spreading kindness and love to those who come across it. The tree is gently decorated with colorful notes and rocks with encouraging messages and memories of loved ones. 

Hauser said she was inspired to create a tree of love in Lexington by a colleague in her field in Los Angeles who gave her permission to spread the love.

Hauser gathered a group and started creating encouraging notes and writing on rocks to put on and around the tree, like “You’re not alone” and “You can do this!”

“We did it as a gift for the community, and if we could have an impact, what does kindness do out in the world to strangers?” Hauser said. 

On the Tree of Love, a sign reads, “A place, a space where people can read and take notes of inspiration.” 

The Tree of Love began anchoring its roots in people's lives, from becoming a part of people's daily walks to a place for preteens to leave love notes to each other after school.

Karen Harvey, a member of Soul Spark, described the Tree of Love as a beautiful visual of people in the community passing warm messages to one another.

“It is there to bring a smile to someone’s day and to bring out a passerby’s curiosity and to ultimately bring happiness to someone that needs it,” Harvey said. 

The Tree of Love will continue to grow and leave its impression on anyone who passes by it. Hauser said she hopes to expand the kindness spread by the project throughout Lexington by going out in the community and giving notes to people. This will ensure the tree’s legacy will extend beyond its original home on Cochran Road.

“It has been unbelievable to me how many people stop by and look at it. It still makes me tear up thinking about all the stories I’ve heard,” Hauser said.