Two tireless volunteers display best of what S.I. is made of, using painting talents for S.I. Giving Circle program
By Dr. Gracelyn Santos | gsantos@siadvance.com Posted Aug 02, 2021
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The Staten Island Giving Circle has done it again.
Well-known for its work with underserved children, seniors, military and the homeless on Staten Island, SIGC has brought joy and beauty to Staten Island through their recent beautification project.
Called the “Room Makeover Project,” SIGC beautified rooms throughout Staten Island, thanks to two local volunteers: Joe Meizlik, founder of South Shore Food Pantry; and local artist, Josue Mendez, an active member of the SIGC, who donated his time and talent to painting colorful murals.
Materials for the projects were supplied by SIGC.
Notably, Mendez created a butterfly mural for MOVE at the Constructive Partnerships Unlimited at the Cora Hoffman Center. The butterfly, he said, is a symbol of the transformation people with cerebral palsy go through when they participate in MOVE.
“Room Makeovers is SIGC’s newest community outreach initiative, which was conceived during the pandemic,” said Evelyn Kormanik, SIGC founder and Advance Woman of Achievement. “It occurred to us that during the pandemic, most organizations, groups, clubs, etc. could not convene together so we offered to refresh their community/ conference rooms during the ‘pause.’”
So SIGC got to work, thanks to volunteers. First, the walls, windows and radiators were painted by volunteer Joe Meizlik. “He worked so hard,” said Kormanik. “Then, our artist Josue Mendez created the murals for each place. Joe and Josue did all this work gratis for these first four places.”
The four places are: Canterbury House, a low-income senior residence on Bay Street; a Mt. Loretto senior residence for disabled adults; Zion Lutheran Church, for which a tree mural was painted; and Cerebral Palsy Unlimited, for which the butterfly mural was created.
In addition, SIGC collected and donated 80 new beds for Project Hospitality, whose mission is to reach out to community members who are hungry, homeless or otherwise in need in order to work with them to achieve their self-sufficiency, thereby enhancing the quality of life for our community.
‘THANK YOU, JOSUE MENDEZ’
The works of art created by Josue Mendez are outstanding, according to all who have delighted in seeing them in person.
“Josue worked all day on the mural at the Cora Hoffman Center Day Program and his work brought smiles to the faces of all as they watched him paint and transform the blank wall into a work of art,” said Marleen Whitman, Administrator of Day Services at Constructive Partnerships Unlimited.
“Josue painted a green, butterfly because he said that green brings a message of hope and encouragement. He also said that butterflies symbolize change, growth and transition.”
CONCEPTION OF PROJECT AND PROJECT HOSPITALITY
The idea of the extreme makeover project was conceived by Kormanik when she was reading a “Country Woman” magazine article during the pandemic quarantine.
“The article was entitled ‘Extreme Makeover’ and detailed a young woman from the Midwest who was refreshing children’s rooms in her local shelter with new paint, window coverings and linens,” she said.
Because the SIGC works closely with Project Hospitality’s children’s shelter, Kormanik’s original thought was to do the same for the rooms there, albeit with modifications due to the pandemic and the enormity of a project that would involve beautifying more than 40 rooms at Project Hospitality.
Enter Charlotte Sciarrino, a member of SIGC’s Executive Committee, who brainstormed an ingenious alternative idea for the shelter, and spearheaded SIGC’s collection and donation of over 80 new twin-sized “Beds in Bags” to perk up each room, plus crib sheets and toddler bed linens.
“This made us feel better that we didn’t have to shut the shelter out from this idea completely,” said Michele Yacovello, President of the SIGC, who then took Sciarrino’s brainstorm a step further with the room makeover idea.
COMMUNITY SPACES ALSO BEAUTIFIED
Once the 80 new beds were delivered at Project Hospitality, the project grew longer legs. “Community organizations, clubs, agencies, etcetera were not able to be use their common rooms, conference rooms or common spaces during the pandemic, as there was no congregation permitted,” Yacovello said. “Therefore, these rooms were empty and available for the SIGC to go in and work their magic.”
“The Room Makeover projects benefit the community as a whole and provide new landscapes to introduce to our neighbors and friends,” added Kormanik. “There is so much good going on in these many buildings and spaces. Now, they have beautiful new coats of paint.”
‘MAGNIFICENT RESULTS’
“The results of the first four assignments are magnificent as you can see in the photos,” said Kormanik. “SIGC didn’t miss a beat during the pandemic. Our volunteers didn’t want any grass to grow under their feet, as they are always looking to assist or enhance community outreach.
“This initiative is all inclusive and provides a visual boost to our community when that is so needed. SIGC looks to engage more organizations to call on them to refresh their meeting spaces. Working, brainstorming and planning in a space that is uplifting and beautiful, galvanizes energy and enthusiasm and keeps our community top notch.”
Do you know of a space that would benefit from fresh paint and artistic design? You can contact Evelyn Kormanik, at (718) 980-4862 to possibly be added to the wait list for a facelift.
MOVE PROGRAM AT THE CORA HOFFMAN CENTER
MOVE (Mobility opportunities Via Education/Experience) was introduced by Melissa D’Accordo, Ph.D. from CPU after meeting with several families from the Staten Island community who expressed their interests about MOVE for their children. Through Melissa’s fundraising efforts, money was raised to purchase the MOVE equipment and training.
MOVE is an activity-based program that combines therapy with an instructional process designed to help people acquire increasing amounts of motor skills needed for sitting, standing, walking and transitioning.
The hope of the program is to reduce the amount of equipment a person needs as they become more mobile and independent. Randy James, pictured below and above, is part of the MOVE program and was very excited to interact with Josue while he painted.
ABOUT STATEN ISLAND GIVING CIRCLE
The Staten Island Giving Circle (SIGC), www.StatenIslandGivingCircle.org, has delivered a full-blown palette of community service initiatives to assist those in our community who struggle with food scarcity; need of clothing; hygiene products; daily living necessities; school supplies; literacy and S.T.E.A.M. programs, to name a few.
