PEARLAND – A Pearland neighborhood project was born not out of necessity to draw a community together during this tough and uncertain time.
“It’s like, really cool,” said 9-year-old Natalie Mull.
The Stonebridge community is creating a colorful mural to stay connected during a time of social distancing. Christine Leveille came up with the idea.
“You have to have clean hands in order to use the chalk,” said Leveille. “Of course, you’re welcome to bring your chalk. And you have to stay at least 6 (feet) away from members of the community.”
Leveille said since they started Saturday, about 15 kids and adults have colored in a portion of the mosaic each day.
“It kind of feels like summer, just because we’re off so much,” said Mallory Leveille, the daughter of Christine Leveille. “Every time you think like, ‘Hey, I want to go to my friend’s house.’ But then you’re like, ‘Well, I guess I can’t, because we’re not supposed to really be social interacting.’”
In communities across the nation, there has been a rise in sidewalk art to uplift neighborhoods. Some also create murals outside medical facilities.
Residents in the Stonebridge community share messages like "live and laugh," "be kind," and "we love our neighbors."
Despite the distancing, Leveille said she feels as if they're closer than ever before.
“We don’t want them to remember that they were stuck in the house and having to do their homework online and not been able to see their friends for what could be months,” said Leveille. “So we need to give them as many positive memories of this time as we can.”