Our project stems from the effort of David H. Breaux, who has stood at what has become known as "the corner" since the summer of 2009 inviting passers-by to share their concept of the word compassion in a notebook. Through this simple act, David has collected over 7,000 written entries, involving thousands of people locally, and, in untold ways, has raised awareness for compassion. With the Compassion Corner Earthbench, we seek to enhance that ongoing effort.

The project is a collaboration involving Brennan Blazer Bird, a UC Davis alumnus who has built Peace on Earthbenches in communities around the world. Brennan has agreed to build one in Davis as a permanent artistic monument to compassion. Mark Rivera will be providing the mosaic artistry for the Earthbench. We envision people sitting on the Earthbench in quiet reflection, enjoying the shady peacefulness of the corner. We also will encourage people to continue to share their ideas on compassion—either through conversation or by recording their thoughts in a notebook.

Our project also includes the creation of a Compassion Corner website that allows people to share their ideas about compassion and comment upon others' ideas. We are working with a local nonprofit, Davis Community Network, to design and implement the site. We will also develop an app that people can use to access the site on their mobile devices. Information about both will be posted at the Compassion Corner Earthbench.