Project Jericho youth and families spent a lot of time tapping into their creative skills during the month of February. Their charge: To create a permanent mural in the LOBBY at the Department of Job and Family Services! The theme is FAMILIES AROUND THE WORLD. Eight families met every Wednesday and Thursday night of February. Each night, artist Kristi Limes introduced a new continent to the families. Participants were given a flag for a country, and their assignment was to to create paper cutouts of people dressed in traditional outfits.

Each paper person was decorated beautifully with paper, fabric, yarn, ribbon and feathers. The families made a total of over 100 different people to represent cultures from all around the world. A second group met on Saturdays and Sundays during February and worked with artist Sherry Ringler to paint the wall for the mural. This group consisted of six teenagers who began their part of the project by priming and painting the walls of the lobby of DJFS a beautiful blue. Once the base coat was up, the participants chose a hot air balloon which they then painted onto the walls. Each hot air balloon features a different design and different colors. The balloons are attached by yellow “ribbons” of paint. The paper people were then attached onto these yellow ribbons to form a chain of people all around the room. Project Jericho staff and DJFS staff created the paper people who are inside of the hot air balloon baskets.

The Department of Job and Family Services hosted an open house and foster care / adoption event which included the mural opening on April 3rd. It was very exciting to have so many people come out to support the mural. Stuart Secttor, the Executive Director of The Clark State Performing Arts Center was in attendance, as well as the Director of DJFS, Robert Suver, and even the Mayor of Springfield, Warren Copeland. What a treat to have the turnout that we did, and what a pleasure to have the presence of so many community members! This mural was an effort by many, and it is BEAUTIFUL – make sure you stop by DJFS to check it out!