Never too late

When I walked into the Crisis Residential Treatment program in Indio, CA, I was so blessed that Peggy Wiley, director over the program, already had ideas for what to paint on the walls. She was so kind and I loved working with her staff.

This site had been used by many other companies in the past. The walls were very over painted. The kitchen area was windowless and drab. Peggy and the staff wanted the unit to become much brighter and feel more like a home, than a treatment facility.

When I arrived there everyone was marvelous and accommodating. Even the guests were so excited that when I began prepping the walls, they supported the process by taping and painting primer with me. It made me so happy.

After going back and forth with several ideas, we agreed on a bistro look. When I went back to the hotel that night, I was unable to sleep with all the ideas shooting through my head.

I used to live in the South. I remember most of the southern buildings started out as brick and then were later remodeled with stucco placed over the brick. As stucco would fall off, the original bricks became visible. This then created the look of a European bistro. Lastly, two of the staff showed me photos of their pets and I incorporated them into the windows.

Memories of this mural come to my mind so often, and I remember the kindness of everyone.

Lucy Schwartz

Lucy is a Peer Recovery Specialist at RI International and has spread her mural magic in RI International crisis facilities across the United States.