In recognition of November being National Adoption Awareness Month, Five Acres partnered with Starbucks and Stellar Prosethetics & Orthotics to commission an original window mural to illuminate the need for more foster families in L.A. and boost awareness through social sharing.
L.A.-based artist Mike Balingit (alias Liqud Brain) was retained to design and execute the mural on the windows of Starbucks at Arroyo Parkway and Fillmore Street in Pasadena. The brightly-colored mural depicts a silhouette of an adult figure handing a key to a child who holds a box exploding with color.
“The mural is a visual representation of every caring adult’s ability to provide the keys to a positive future for a child in foster care,” said Chanel Boutakidis, Five Acres CEO. “The concept was to channel the power of social media by creating an eye-catching, provoking piece that people would want to take a picture with. By sharing online using the hashtag ‘fosterfutures’ and tagging Five Acres @fiveacresorg on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, passersby can direct eyes to these children and how Five Acres can help others support foster youth.”
There are currently more than 20,000 children in foster care in Los Angeles due to neglect, abuse and other circumstances. While the number of children in need of foster parents climbs, there are fewer families to take them in. Five Acres offers training, certification and support programs for those interested in becoming foster or foster-adoptive parents.
Five Acres’ #FosterFutures mural will be on display at the Starbucks located at 753 S. Arroyo Parkway in Pasadena throughout November 2018. For more information on the mural project or to learn more about becoming a foster parent, please visit 5acres.org/fosterfutures.
