What is one of the most powerful forces in a child’s heart? The desire to express him/herself. And what can empty walls do to help in this quest? They can be a majestic canvas to do it, lawfully, and through the colorful, impacting format of murals. Well, that’s exactly what students of the Don Juan Avila Elementary School did this week by producing their very own large-scale, beautiful and powerful pedestrian safety message, and now it’s time to show the world their creation.
Ribbon photo:(L to R) Dave Jackson (State Farm agent), Noah Carrol (boy standing), Lt. John McPherson, Caitlin Ferraro (State Farm agent), Victoria Pore’ (State farm agent), Tom Gorski (State Farm agent), Michael Howard (Operation Clean Slate), Dr. Allen (principal), Ronda Reardon (representing Senator Patricia Bates and Assemblyman William Brough).
Those that participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony are the school principal, Dr. Krystal Allan, teachers and employees, parents, community leaders, State Farm representatives, as well as the student artists who, like everyone else, are frequently exposed to pedestrian injuries.
Attendees included representatives of the office of Senator Patricia Bates, of the OC Sheriff Department, Operation Clean Slate Executive Director Michael Howard, and State Farm sales leader Adam Bock, among others.
Mural photo: (L to R) Dave Jackson (State Farm agent), Adam Bock (State Farm sales leader), Caitlyn Ferraro (State Farm agent), Victoria Pore’ (State farm agent), Tom Gorski (State Farm agent), Dr. Allen (principal), Ronda Reardon (representing Senator Patricia Bates and Assemblyman William Brough), Michael Howard (Operation Clean Slate), and Lt. John McPherson (in the far right).
This mural is bold and fresh, as it makes this point: that children must empower themselves to avoid becoming victims of PEDESTRIAN-involved auto accidents, an everyday reality outside schools across the United States. The staggering statistics certainly deserve a large-scale message:
- Every 2 hours a pedestrian in the US is struck and killed and since 2009, pedestrian fatalities have increased 15% (Governors Highway Safety Association and State Farm).
- Hit and run crashes accounted for 20% of pedestrian fatalities in 2013 (GHSA).
- Distracted driving causes 11 teen deaths every day (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety).
- Car crashes are the number 1 teen killer in the United States.
“It’s a very profound design,” said Operation Clean Slate’s founder, Michael Howard, founder of this educational organization, and a believer that murals are the antidote to graffiti and tagging. “It’s nice working with a company that invests in the safety of the community. These murals bring awareness to the children, parents, and teachers in adhering to traffic laws while providing a unique opportunity to teach. Additionally, it’s heartwarming seeing the smiles of the children involved who are all very excited about creating a long-lasting gift to their school,” said State Farm sales leader Adam Bock.
For over twenty years, SoCal organization “Operation Clean Slate” has helped thousands of students clean beautify and craft powerful messages by painting murals at their schools. The organization has received a $10,000 “Good Neighbor Citizenship Company” grant from State Farm. For more information about Operation Clean Slate, please visit: http://www.operationcleanslate.com/
Photo Credits, DJAES PTA – Photo author: Patty Carrol
About State Farm®
The mission of State Farm is to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams. State Farm and its affiliates are the largest providers of auto, home and individual life insurance in the United States. Its 18,000 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve more than 83 million policies and accounts – nearly 81 million auto, home, life, health and commercial policies, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats, and motorcycles, is available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 35 on the 2016 Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com.
