Boy spreads message of hope in spray paint
Officials and multiple residents at New Haven Court at Clearview senior center reported seeing a graffiti artist on the premises Thursday.
The apparent perpetrator, a 7-year-old, was said to have an accomplice, his mom.
With senior centers across the country on lockdown and first responders adapting to a new normal, Jonathan French and his mom, Breanne, decided that they were going to brighten some area seniors' days.
With residents standing on an upstairs balcony, peering out the windows from their rooms and seated outside of the building's entrance — appropriately social distancing — Jonathan and his mother got to work under a sunny sky on the property's front lawn.
Breanne outlined the letters, and Jonathan filed them in.
“Praying 4 You” the finished artwork read with a balloon and a smiley face. At the entrance to the residential facility, the pair also created a chalk message to smile and thanked the staff.
Spreading cheer
Over the last few days, Jonathan, his mom and grandfather have toured area senior communities and a few first responder stations throughout the county to bring the same cheerful message to those who have been greatly affected by the governor's mandate to socially isolate.“I have been spray painting all these yards. Yesterday we went to a place that people are sick and need taken care of. We did stuff for them, and we spray painted the grass and spray painted the police grass and then we spray painted nursing home,” Jonathan said Thursday afternoon, recalling his exploits Wednesday at the Penn-Mar Plaza apartment building and the St. John the Lutheran Senior Center.Jonathan, with the help of his mom, visited Adams Township Community Park on Thursday morning where he left his trademark messages, “Praying 4 You,” “You're not alone,” and “Thank you Staff and Nurses.”By Thursday afternoon, Jonathan made his way to the senior community in Center Township, where 105 senior citizens live.“We writed praying for you and thank you,” Jonathan said.Morale boost“This definitely increases morale,” said Gary Renwick, the community's executive operation's officer for New Haven Court at Clearview. “We've taken all the steps and protocols from the CDC and DOH, and it has been difficult on many levels to have to limit visitation from family and friends. Any type of outreach is exciting.“For the staff, for the residents to see that people in the community do recognize the struggles they're having right now is really important.”Renwick said Jonathan's visit will help everyone's mood, including the workers.“I wouldn't say it's all doom and gloom. Yes, it's been challenging on many fronts, but overall we're very proud how residents and staff are handling this and trying to maintain some type of normalcy,” Renwick said.Jonathan and his mom finished to applause and thanks from residents within earshot.But Jonathan isn't finished yet. On Friday, he and his mom hope to visit some senior centers in Cranberry Township.“I just like spray painting for other people. If we could do it all over the world, that'd be fine,” Jonathan said. “Just to spread the word — praying for you and thank you.”Eagle staff writer Sebastian Foltz contributed to this report.
