Host-a-Hope

When Tricia Keith and her family moved to a new housing development in Surrey’s Whalley community, they shared the sentiments with their fellow neighbours that the area was in need of some new, positive energy.

Fueled by a passion for art, Tricia and her good friend Tracy Hetherington set out to use their love of celebratory art to connect and inspire their fellow Whalley residents.

Tracy discovered the Vancouver Foundation’s Neighbourhood Small Grants program through the Surrey Public Library and was the impetus to start the Host-a-Hope project: using inspiring and portable mural paintings to display positive messages around their neighbourhood.

Thanks to the Neighbourhood Small Grant funding, donations from General Paint, Home Depot and City of Surrey’s re-use paint program and hard work from Tracy, Tricia and her husband, they designed and sketched six foot high, free-standing murals centred around themes of kindness and respect. The initial display of the murals took place at their annual neighbourhood block party for about 30 residents on Labour Day in 2012.

Tricia spoke about what the Host a Hope project experience was like. “The impression was ‘Look at what you can do!’ I saw that it opened people's possibilities up, gave them sense of pride, and made them feel connected as a community. These were the highlights for me.”

The block party also marked the opening of the City Central Learning Centre on their street, a facility that assists teens and young adults of all walks of life continue their grade 10, 11 and 12 education and graduate high school. There was some concern from residents about the impact the school might have in their neighbourhood, but the residents came together and welcomed the facility with Tricia offering to display the murals outside the school. The school enthusiastically welcomed the pieces and hosted them at the school for six weeks starting the first day of school.

“I know every area is different with different needs. What I love about Surrey is the openness to new ideas and the willingness to develop its own distinct culture…the energy that connects people to people, people to themselves and people to nature.”

Host-a-Hope project is another great example of how it doesn’t take much to make a big impact and how art is another way to build connections and engagement within a community.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

written by Robin Russell from the Vancouver Foundation, www.vancouverfoundation.ca .