Mama Hawk Draws, Men About Change bring art to life for students

"I love art, and it sounded fun," said Karsen Coley, an 11thgrade student at the VIP Academy, as he helped repaint or paint the nearly 600 squares that make up the Hello Mural at the Brookdale Resource Center. "Doing a mural here at Brookdale makes me feel good to make [the building] better and more beautiful."

Karsen is one of six students helping Mama Hawk Draws through a Macon Violence Prevention grant, the Men About Change program, and Brookdale Resource Center repaint the Hello Mural and paint a brand-new mural in the Hello House. His mentor and head of Men About Change, Dr. Clowers, asked him to participate, even though it would be his first time installing a mural.

"We want to show kids that art can be a successful and thriving career, and that you can solve problems with it," says Erin Hawkins with Mama Hawk Draws. "I'm a firm believer that if you visibly convey a welcoming and safe environment, people will pick up on that."

"From day one we wanted Brookdale to be a place where people are comfortable and safe during a trying time in their lives," says Alison Bender, Director of the Brookdale Resource Center. "Having colorful murals that brighten our space is a major part of what we strive for every day."

Not only are the students repainting the Hello Mural - which greets every person that comes through the Center's front doors - they will be designing and painting a brand-new mural for the Hello House. That area is the converted gymnasium providing people who are not ready to go through the full program at the Center with a safe overnight shelter where they can sleep out of the elements.

Looking at their work as they packed up their brushes on the final day of repainting, 8thgrade Weaver Middle School student Jordan Butts smiled and said, "We did a great job." Now that he's installed one mural, he's ready to begin designing and installing the next.

"The Hello mural has become our cornerstone for all things Brookdale, brightening the entryway and serving as a constant reminder of our mission," says Bender. "It is where we take photos and celebrate the successes of our residents and the program. Our hope for the new mural in the Hello House is to provide that same support and mentality for the people using that space."

The students spent most of their Fall Break repainting the Hello Mural, and now they are beginning a six-week process for the second mural. They will meet with staff and residents at Brookdale as if they were their clients to hear their ideas on what the mural should convey. Each student will create a design that will then be "pitched" to their client. Whichever design is selected will be installed during the Thanksgiving Break.

"We're going to walk them through the whole process [of a mural installation]," says Hawkins. She says they partnered with Men About Change to give them a new skill they can take moving forward, engage them in a community-focused project, and help them work on other soft skills, like talking to clients. "We wanted to have these gentlemen come out and give them an experience they wouldn't normally get."

Though Fall Break was focused on repainting one mural, Hawkins and her team wasted no time getting them ready for the next phase. Before they left on the final day, she took them to the Hello House to show them the wall they would be painting, talk to them about the program, and start them discussing what could go there.

"We hope these gentlemen get a sense of contribution and accomplishment from providing a bright, cheerful space for the residents and guests," says Bender. "I hope they see that creativity is more than just an idea or a drawing…that it can bring hope and smiles to people."

The mural installations are funded with a $10,000 Macon Violence Prevention grant from Macon-Bibb County through the Community Foundation of Central Georgia.

"Support from local initiatives like MVP give us the opportunity to do things within the walls of Brookdale that we otherwise could not afford," says Bender. "Collaboratively we are brightening up the space where those experiencing homelessness will feel welcome while providing a safe and creative space for kids to be instead of being in the streets and unproductive."

About Macon Violence Prevention

Macon Violence Prevention is an evidence-based, multifaceted program created to address public safety in Macon-Bibb County. Supported and funded by the consolidated government, MVP is a community-wide effort that brings together elected officials, community leaders and representatives from more than 20 agencies, organizations and departments.

This summer, 25 organizations announced more than $800,000 in grant money to 25 non-profit organizations. Since the inception of MVP in 2021, $1,685,000 has been awarded to 40 different organizations' missions.

Though MVP is still fairly new in its implementation, it has already helped the community realize significant results in becoming safer. From 2022 to 2023, Macon-Bibb had a nearly 43% reduction in homicides, from 70 to 40. The reduction in homicides for children (those 18 years old and younger) went from 15 in 2022 to 5 in 2023 - which is a 66.7% reduction in just one year.

While other cities in Georgia and around the country also had a decline in their homicide rate, Macon-Bibb County's 43% far surpassed them. Atlanta had a 21% decline, Columbus a 12%, Savannah a 13%, Mobile, Alabama a 21%, and Jackson, Mississippi a 14%.

The MVP program operates under the guidance of the MVP Strategic Plan, which was introduced in June of 2021. Created by community stakeholders and violent crime experts, this strategic plan combines data and research with community feedback to implement proven solutions that reduce violent crime and strengthen the community over time.

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