Students to paint mural on 2nd Street Bridge, volunteers sought

This weekend, students in the Lorain County Leaders of Today program will paint a mural onto the drab, often graffitied sides of the 2nd Street Bridge in Elyria. Leaders of Today is a nonprofit founded by current CEO Marsalis Hammons which encourages learning, leadership and creativity in a group of local high schoolers every year. For the past several years, the end of the summer program has been commemorated by the students painting a mural somewhere in Elyria. Hammons said that the message of this year's mural would be "To a Brighter Tomorrow, Together We Can Rise," which is inspired by a poem written by a member of the program earlier this year. "It is great just to see how everything builds off of each other, and just the inspiration that comes about (through the program)," Hammons said. "... It will beautify the area, bring some vibrancy to it." The actual painting of the mural will be directed by Chad Fedorovich of the Cleveland Mural Company. Along with Fedorovich and the members of the program, Hammons invited community members and high schoolers to enlist in helping bring the mural to life. He said the first 10 high schoolers to sign up and volunteer would receive a $250 stipend, which tracks with his stated belief that students should be compensated for their time and skills. To sign up for the program, students can visit leadersoftoday.org. Students as well as any members of the community who would like to help are to meet at Elyria City Hall prior to 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and the group will work from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. both days. As the 2nd Street Bridge crosses directly over the Black River, Hammons said that the process and all the paint which will be used have been approved as safe for the environment by the city. "It's going to be a nice entryway into the downtown area, so we are really excited about it and grateful for Mayor (Kevin) Brubaker's support through this, the city has been very helpful," Hammons said. He added that this is the Leaders of Today's first mural project outside of Elyria's south side. Last year, the Leaders of Today painted a mural on the Mussey Avenue Bridge in Elyria. Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com