The first few days in New Orleans have been amazing! I am working with Team Art on a mural at a church which will be renovated into a visual arts/music center. At first, I was disappointed that I wasn't working on an actual house, but it is turning out to be an awesome experience. Not only am I working with really amazing people, but also we are actually adding onto a mural which was started by local children and centers around the theme of nonviolence. The kids came up with the theme themselves and also wrote a letter to their community which will be featured on the mural. I was talking with one of our team leaders from United Saints and she told me some stories about the local kids and they reminded me so much of my kids from Hedgepeth, so I am so happy that I am doing something that will benefit them.

The theme also seemed especially relevent in the neighborhood we're staying in during our stay in New Orleans. Across the street from our house, there is a a memorial and I asked our team leader who it was for. She told me that it was for Jeremy Galmon, a two-year old who was killed in the crossfire of a drive-by shooting. That really shocked me and made the message of the mural even more relevent, but it also really motivated me to make this mural amazing. I hope the visual arts and music center will be a way for kids to stay off the streets and hopefully our mural can be a source of pride and inspiration for the local community.