Kids brighten seniors’ world

When Linda Cook visited her parents at the Pullman Senior Center, she took one look at the large, 11-foot concrete window wells and thought, “Something needs to change.”

After mentioning the vacant spaces to the Albion Best Adventurers 4-H club, which Cook helps lead, the group got an idea to paint murals in the window wells.

Cook said the project has been in the works for a while now: Students have been planning to paint the concrete since 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic prevented them from getting to work, but the group is excited to finally upgrade people’s views at the senior center.

“The first time I looked at those window wells, I went, ‘Oh, those are ugly,’ ” Cook said. “But now we’re just so enthusiastic to give seniors something way nicer to look at. These paintings are going to last for years.”

The Albion Best Adventurers 4-H club is a part of the nationwide 4-H network of youth organizations. Started in early years of the 20th century, the network’s mission is to promote positive youth development, facilitate learning and engage youth with work in their community to enhance the quality of life, according to its website.

Cook said students are able to pick projects to benefit the community and underserved groups. The murals are one of many services the club provides. Students are known to rake leaves for seniors in the fall, prepare and clean the local cemetery before Memorial Day, put together blood drives and make stockings for children during Christmas.

“They just really enjoy being of service,” Cook said. “They get to build a sense of community and an ethic of service that I’m sure they’ll carry with them for the rest of their lives.”

The club was able to work with Cori Dantini, a local artist, to design the murals. She and the group decided to paint scenery that depicts the rolling Palouse hills, Kamiak Butte and other regional landscapes.

Dantini said the 4-H girls have been doing most of the painting. But the boys were able to figure out how to depict lines in agricultural lands that spell out the 4-H motto, “Head, Heart, Hands and Health” in Morse code.

Cook said the club began working on the murals in late May. Students put together a proposal for the mural and got it approved by the city of Pullman.

They’ve been painting with Dantini since early July, and anticipate tthe project to be finished in the coming week.

Cook said the paintings should last for years, or until the city decides to paint over them. Because the window wells are sheltered and don’t get hit with a lot of rain or sunshine, the murals are durable.

Cook said one of the benefits of the project has been getting generations to connect with one another.

“Especially in American culture, we don’t have as many extended family situations as maybe other cultures do,” Cook said. “So to have this connection between younger people and elderly people has been really beneficial for seniors. They’re just so gratified, these kids are still taking the time to think about them. I think that’s been really healthy.”

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com