Foster children foster hope

Going to Family Court in Georgetown is not exactly something people look forward to. However, an exception may be in order in the courtroom of Judge Peter Jones.

For in that courtroom now is a piece of art that speaks to the hopes, dreams and challenges of Delaware’s foster kids as they become adults.

Eighteen foster children took part in painting “Choices,” a 25-foot long painting in six sections.

The mural depicts the long journey that foster care represents, and ending up at a lighthouse of hope. Along the journey, the mural depicts education, wisdom, happiness, dreams and perseverance.

The amazing thing is the entire mural was put together during a single week, from April 9 to 13. For the children involved, the unveiling was a special experience.

Rob Hoyle, 16, said, "This mural means a lot to me. It has most of my life in it. It has everybody’s life in it. Just to get together and do this and put what’s happened to us into artistry – it affects me a lot.”

Hoyle said he had never painted before, although he does like to draw. He said the experience brought the kids together

“It was really fun. We laughed. We had a great time. I really liked painting this mural,” Hoyle said.

Maegan Soll, 19, has been in and out of the foster care system since she was 3, but she is now preparing to graduate from Polytech in Woodside near Dover. She said education was one of her themes in the mural.

Soll said she likes to draw and do artwork, but had never worked with a team on a large-scale project such as this.

“It gave me a chance to express myself and work toward something positive,” she said.

The children are all members of the Youth Advisory Council, sponsored by the state’s Division of Family Services and run by kids as a means of giving a voice to foster children. Funding was provided through grants to the Rehoboth Art League, which lent its facilities during the mural’s creation.

Not all the children who worked on the mural were identified because they are under 18 and need parental consent. However, the team incuded Soll, Courtney Collison, Christella St. Juste, Samantha Monroe, Myiesha Miller, Tamyra Blake, Eric Lloyd, Bryan Samuels, Rob Hoyle, Claude Hoyle, and Billy Hoyle.

Overseeing the project was local mural artist John Donato.

Rehoboth Art League Executive Director Sheila Bravo said, “We identified John Donato as a perfect artist for this, which he was. He did a fabulous job with the students. We’re just thrilled that not only the youth who were involved in this project had this experience, but more importantly, those who come after them will have a chance to see this and perhaps be inspired themselves.”

Donato said the art league provided not only the facilities and the funding, but also allowed Donato and the kids complete artistic freedom over the mural.

He said of his role, “It’s up to me to tap into the kids and the volunteers that were involved, to let them put their vision, their interests into the mural. What they came up with is a storyboard that explains who they are and what they came from, and on the other side is a lighthouse in reference to where they want to get to.”

Donato credited the kids for their ambition.

“It’s really their mural,” he said. “I learned a lot from these guys doing this. It’s an incredible group that did this.”

Jones said, “I hope to be able to use it in the future as a learning tool for kids in my courtroom because there are different lessons that can be learned from the mural.”

Chief Justice Chandlee Johnson Kuhn told the kids, “To see you be able to express your gift to us in something you can touch, you can feel, you can see – I thank you all so very, very much.”

Kuhn said the mural would provide the kids with a legacy that will be in the family court building forever.