Fifteen Idaho foster children have left a permanent mark on the city of Caldwell. With paintbrushes in hand, these young adults painted a mural on a Caldwell city building. Lorrie Sloan hopes it has left a permanent mark on the hearts of the artists.
“My vision of the project was to provide our foster youth with a sense of accomplishment and teamwork. They often don’t have permanency in their lives,” the Department social worker says. “I want them to feel a sense of pride when they see the mural 5 to 10 years from now, knowing they were part of it.”
"And Our Flag Was Still There . . ."
The artist is a young man.
Social Worker Lorrie Sloan.
Sloan’s vision began more than a year ago. The 10-year Department employee was working on her master’s degree in social work. As part of her coursework, she applied for a grant from the Idaho Commission of the Arts for foster children to undertake the mural art project. Not an artist herself, Sloan enlisted the help of “a very talented artist” who just happened to also be a foster parent in Region 3, Linda Sniffen. The two not only received the grant, but the Casey Foundation matched the amount of the Art’s Commission grant, and they had more than $3,000 to work with.
“For many foster children, there is not always money to involve them in positive social activities. They often are left on the sidelines,” Sloan says. “They sense that other kids can do these fun things, but they can’t. They can feel isolated.”
Last August, preparations for the mural began with Saturday morning art classes. About once a month, Sniffen gave a two-hour class to foster children who were going to help paint the mural. Sloan contributed by chauffeuring some students to class. Starting at the crack of dawn, she shuttled from Caldwell to Parma and Emmett.
Classes went beyond art. “Lorrie would take us all out in the parking lot for team-building exercises,” Instructor Sniffen says. “It really brought the kids together and helped them gel as a team. I took part, too, and it was a lot of fun.”
The team — 15 young adults from 12 to 19 years old — chose a patriotic theme for the mural, honoring September 11. They worked through ideas as a group and chose one showing a fireman retrieving an American flag with the words “…and our flag was still there.”
The team prepped and painted June 6 and 7 on the side of a building that belonged to Cavalry Chapel at 803 Main Street in Caldwell. Sniffen said it was awesome watching the kids’ reaction as the mural began to take shape. “They knew we were going to paint the mural, but I think they were a little doubtful on how well it would turn out,” she says.
Mural Survives Change of Ownership
Sloan is also proud of the end result. She says the building changed ownership a week after the mural was completed, but the new owner, Vineyard Church, plans to keep the mural. “The pastor dropped by and told us we could come in and do the inside walls of the church if we wanted to,” she chuckled.
The mural will be dedicated Sunday, June 29. Members of the Idaho Art Commission will be on hand for cake and ice-cream, followed by a ceremony in which the artists will dedicate the mural to the city of Caldwell. “Through this project, I think the kids really feel like they contributed something to society,” she says. “Their lives have had challenges, but they have left a positive mark they can take pride in.”
Esther can relate to that. "I know that someday I am going to go back there and say Wow, we did that."
Story by Tom Shanahan Photos by Linda Sniffen Foster Care and Adoption Program Home Page
One doubter was 16-year-old Esther, who helped design and paint the mural. Esther helped paint the design on cardboard during one of classes to see how their ideas would look. "After seeing that I thought it was going to turn out gross," she laughs. "But it turned out pretty cool."
From Sideline to Front Line