Philly Rising #2 – St. Thomas Aquinas

The mural at the St. Thomas Aquinas Center was part of PhillyRising CREATES, a program that engaged and supported citizens to take back blighted spaces and transform them into vibrant hubs of community activity. It advanced progress towards the Mayor’s public safety goal by capitalizing on the combined efforts of three of his priority initiatives: The PhillyRising Collaborative, the Mural Arts Program, and SERVE Philadelphia.

Over a period of 18 months, PhillyRising CREATES engaged more than 2,000 volunteers at this and other sites to support local residents in 10 neighborhoods currently served by the PhillyRising Collaborative. This inspiring initiative aimed to leverage the power of art and the energy of volunteers to catalyze the revitalization of community space. In addition to creating the mural designed by Delia King, volunteers also cleaned the area and installed planters to revitalize the community space.