Fresh Paint and Brighter Rooms

The boys filed into the room with wide eyes. They recognized their beds and personal items, but their surroundings looked unfamiliar. What was once a dark grey room with murals all over the walls, was now bright with fresh paint, welcoming the boys home.

“The boys’ room always made me think of institutionalized living,” shared Kaylee Yoder, Back2Back staff. “It wasn’t bright, the murals didn’t make sense, and it wasn’t something any of the boys chose. It didn’t fit them. I wanted them to feel like they had ownership in their room.” Kaylee asked Del Norte’s director in February if the room could be repainted, and she readily agreed.

A visiting mission team went to Home Depot with Kaylee and selected three brighter color options for the home. “We let the boys vote on the colors for their room,” shared Kaylee. One key way Back2Back staff continually empower each child served is by giving them a say in things like this. “When the children have a say, it gives them ownership and a sense of belonging,” she explained. The boys all carefully considered their color options for the bedroom; the big boys decided on turquoise and the little boys chose yellow.

Over the next two months, two different visiting mission teams helped paint the bedroom. Each of the boys now feel more excited to be in their rooms – it isn’t dark and cave-like, but bright, warm, and welcoming. It feels like home.

This is just one additional step in making sure the children at Del Norte Children’s Home feel known and loved, and their surroundings matter to those who help care for them. If you’d like to join us in showing the children at Del Norte they are known and loved, consider sponsoring a child, or giving monthly to the Care Fund.