Photos: Memorial Students Paint Mural for the Homeless

Students from Memorial Middle School gathered Saturday to paint a mural meant to inspire and motivate families staying at Families Moving Forward in Painesville.

Located in the bottom level of First Baptist Church of Painesville, Families Moving Forward is a renovated space for homeless children and families whose parents are toward improving their lives. The Memorial students are from a school program called Impact Youth Group. They got involved in the Project Hope initiative after meeting with Judy Burr, executive director of Project Hope and Families Moving Forward.

“It’s a good cause in the community,” 12-year-old Miranda Akins said, according to a Project Hope news release.

“I didn’t know anything about it, except that it was a homeless shelter – but I learned that it’s the only homeless shelter in Lake County.”

Local artist and former Project Hope shelter guest Chris Raab will finish the mural before it is presented to the site in Painesville.