The artwork, created by groups of teens in recovery at Memorial Hermann PaRC, portrays their interpretation of the core values they also adopt during alcohol and/or drug rehabilitation. The project was facilitated by Marsha Green, an adolescent counselor at PaRC, and Dione Booker, executive director of the Clay Road YMCA.
"Art has always been a positive way for people to express their feelings, skills and thoughts and these art projects illustrate that teens do contribute to a community, in this case as leaders and artists," Booker said. "It also reinforces the need for organizations to continue to come together to positively impact one another."
PaRC's ongoing partnership with the Clay Road YMCA enables its teens to use the workout facility as reward for their growth in the recovery program.
PaRC adolescents weren't the only teens to contribute their talents to the YMCA. Gabriel Gonzalez, a 19-year-old Y lifeguard, decided to improve the character of the pool and continue to promote Y values by creating a five section mural, each section representing a core value.
"The whole painting is done with children as the focus and a cartoon theme so it would appeal to all the kids in the center," Gonzalez said.
"Gabriel took a great leadership step by creating a vision and plan and then following through to make it happen," Booker said. "He has created a legacy at the Clay Road YMCA."