Episcopal Students Help Beautify Main Street

Enjoy the slideshow of MLK Day mural painting.
Photos: Bailey Bourgeois, Accolade Staff

Chosing Service over sleep on Martin Luther King's birthday, a group of over forty lower, middle, and upper school students as well as parents, faculty and staff headed downtown at 7:00 a.m. to participate in a beautification project on Main Street in Baton Rouge.  The event was sponsored by several local civic improvement organizations including “City Year” which provides year-long interns with the opportunity to work as teacher assistants in area public schools.
 
Episcopal students worked with a local artist to paint a mural on the side of the Christian Outreach Center which is located at 1427 Main Street.  The mural that the students painted depicts an un-identified person being helped from a state of despair into a place of hope and prosperity.  The image is actually meant to mirror the work that is done inside the building as staffers there help local residents find employment and keep themselves off the streets.  C.O.C. is supported by several local churches and donations that come from its thrift store boutique, “The Purple Cow.”
 
The students enjoyed the painting project and also enjoyed walking up and down Main Street to see all of the other projects that were on-going in the area.  Many local people stopped by throughout the day to watch the project un-fold.  One local police officer commented that he wished he would have known the project was happening that morning because he would have liked to get his children out to participate as well.  Indeed, it was a good day of service.