Popsicle sticks and cotton balls, color paints and glitter glue — to an adult, these things might just seem like a list of school supplies, like the contents of the small craft aisle in a supermarket. However, to the children in the Maricopa Medical Center, these things mean the happiest part of the week. They mean it’s finally Saturday, the day that 40 smiling Arizona State University students come to visit – art, music and optimism filling the clean white hallways in their wake. And they mean it’s time for Muralcles, the year-round club with a year-round heartwarming goal.
“Our mission is to bring murals, art and music to sick children staying in the hospital,” says senior life science major and Muralcles co-president Trang Vu. “I think it's important because the hospital environment can be pretty scary for kids.”
The Muralcles organization was first founded in September 1999 by student Lindsay Galbut at the University of Arizona. Galbut, originally inspired by a movie in which a sick child died in a sterile hospital room without any color or happiness, decided then and there to create an organization dedicated to bringing smiles to sick children staying in the hospital. And in 2001, Galbut brought both her passion and her newly founded student-run service organization over to ASU.
After just its first year at ASU, Muralcles was invited to the ASU Organization Hall of Fame Awards ceremony and recognized for its dedication to improving the community. Out of 500 clubs, Muralcles received three awards: Most Promising New Organization, Outstanding Promotions, and Outstanding Service Initiative. And they’ve been living up to their impressive titles ever since.
“I love kids and it hurts to see them suffering with no escape,” says senior biomedical engineering student and Muralcles public relations officer Summar Klug. “In a setting like a hospital where they are already in a whole lot of pain, the mental anguish of being scared and sad all of the time is not something that should be added to their plate. That's why we come in with crafts and give their minds a little break from everything they are going through.”
And so with armfuls of art supplies and craft ideas, the Muralcles members head for the hospital.
The dedicated volunteer organization typically makes its visits once a week on Saturdays for two hours a session. They visit the Pediatrics Unit, the Pediatrics Intensive Care Unit, and the Children’s Burn Unit all located in the Maricopa Medical Center, located in Phoenix. They bring art, music and smiles to children ages 2 to 18, and the Muralcles members even dedicate themselves to visiting year round, so their kindness and commitment don’t just end with the school year.
As is that weren’t enough, the organization also holds weekly meetings to discuss community awareness and fund-raising in order to best provide the children with ample art supplies and musical instruments.
And with all this hard work, not only does Muralcles benefit the children and the community, but according to Vu — who has been so inspired by the organization that she now aspires to become a pediatrician — it's also highly valuable for its members.
“I recently went into a room of a teenage girl and found a bunch of crafts we had done with her (she had been staying there for a few weeks),” Vu says. “It was a heart-warming moment seeing all of our crafts spread out in her room. I would totally recommend Muralcles to people who like doing crafts and playing with kids.”
And so with colors and instruments instead of loneliness and quiet, the Muralcles organization not only brings happiness to the little ones who need it most, but as their website tagline says, “Helps to heal via art and music.”
“The kids can focus on something they enjoy and forget where they are and all of the terrifying things happening around them,” Klug says. “They deserve to be happy and for a while, we can make that happen.”
Contact the reporter at christina.arregoces@asu.edu
