Rotary Youth Exchange Mural Unveiled
Posted by Douglas R. Ibarguen
LEWISTON: On November 16, 2010, a mural painted by youth from the Rotary International District 7790 Maine Youth Exchange in May was unveiled on the Lisbon Street side of the former McCrory Department Store building.
Special guests were Yi-Han Chen from Taiwan & Mary Fagundes from Brazil. They are members of the current Rotary Youth Exchange group.
Painted by 18 students during the May Rotary District 7790 Annual Conference in Lewiston, 16 countries were represented during the project, to include Thailand, Croatia, Ukraine, Peru, and Brazil. Interestingly, Nutniche Ek-Ananthum, of Thailand, was the painter from furthest away, with Rotary calculating that she was 8,373 miles from home! The youth painters were also attendees at the conference, and their work was included as part of a walking tour of Lewiston. Three Rotarians also assisted with the endeavor.
Mayor Laurent F. Gilbert, Sr., praised the work of the youth painters, "This is an exciting demonstration of civic engagement by youth! We are very appreciative of their creativity and thank them for this new addition to Lewiston's downtown."
Mayor Gilbert was presented with a Rotary International t-shirt & was also given a "Lewiston" sign to post on the mural's street post highlighting the painters' respective countries.
The Rotary Youth Exchange Program has 8,000 students annually serving as young ambassadors for their communities and countries participating in the program. During an exchange, they attend schools in their host communities and live with local families. They participate in local and global projects with their host Rotary Clubs and share their own unique culture in their new community while learning from their host.
The mural project was coordinated by Al Feather and Sylvia Plourde, the latter a Lewiston-Auburn Rotary member who served as Governor of District 7790 from July 2009 through June 2010. It was Plourde who had extended the invitation for Maine Youth Exchange students to attend the May conference.
The inscription on the mural reads, "A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles." and was quoted from Tom Cahill.
Painted by 18 students during the May Rotary District 7790 Annual Conference in Lewiston, 16 countries were represented during the project, to include Thailand, Croatia, Ukraine, Peru, and Brazil. Interestingly, Nutniche Ek-Ananthum, of Thailand, was the painter from furthest away, with Rotary calculating that she was 8,373 miles from home! The youth painters were also attendees at the conference, and their work was included as part of a walking tour of Lewiston. Three Rotarians also assisted with the endeavor.
Mayor Laurent F. Gilbert, Sr., praised the work of the youth painters, "This is an exciting demonstration of civic engagement by youth! We are very appreciative of their creativity and thank them for this new addition to Lewiston's downtown."
Mayor Gilbert was presented with a Rotary International t-shirt & was also given a "Lewiston" sign to post on the mural's street post highlighting the painters' respective countries.
The Rotary Youth Exchange Program has 8,000 students annually serving as young ambassadors for their communities and countries participating in the program. During an exchange, they attend schools in their host communities and live with local families. They participate in local and global projects with their host Rotary Clubs and share their own unique culture in their new community while learning from their host.
The mural project was coordinated by Al Feather and Sylvia Plourde, the latter a Lewiston-Auburn Rotary member who served as Governor of District 7790 from July 2009 through June 2010. It was Plourde who had extended the invitation for Maine Youth Exchange students to attend the May conference.
The inscription on the mural reads, "A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles." and was quoted from Tom Cahill.