New game room and mural aim to motivate kids

A new game room and mural at an area non-profit has been designed to help disadvantaged kids study more and also keep them away from risky behavior.

“The goal of the mural is to hopefully help kids visualize the fact that their schoolwork does pertain to what their occupation is going to be,” said Amy Grunewaldt, Executive Director of the Jane Boyd Community House.

Some of the 14 faces on the mural include the famous and the powerful. Football coach Tony Dungy, President Barack Obama and gymnast Shawn Johnson have been newly coated on a western wall at the center

But some of the faces have no identity beyond their profession. A painter, a chemist and a soldier now burst out from a bright blue background. Those images have become the backdrop for kids as they flick air hockey pucks.

The Incentive Room was supported by funding from the Marion-Cedar Rapids Rotary Club. Michelle Bell, the group's service chair, said Rotary's mission meshed well with the idea of an incentive room. “Literacy is one of our main goals all over the world, and we're glad to be able to help with that.”

The Jane Boyd Community House has a long history of serving the poor in Cedar Rapids and part of its mission is to enhance the academic well-being of Cedar Rapids' diverse communities. About 60 percent of kids in the program were African-American, Grunewaldt said.

The images on the wall might inspire great things from students. “They do represent persons of a variety of ethnic, racial backgrounds. That's really what we were going for,” said Gary Connors-Boe, 63, the muralist and social worker.

This summer 65 kids are scheduled to participate in a five-day a week program, which runs from 7:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. A rewards program will determine just how often kids access the game room. “The kids actually have to earn to be able to enter the room,” said Grunewaldt.

“At the end of the week they get paid in Jane Boyd bucks, and they can use those dollars to be able to come into the incentive room,” added Grunewaldt.

After the ribbon cutting festivities in the new room, one program participant found inspiration for a career while looking towards Connors-Boe's mural. “I want to be a painter so I can help the community, and a preacher so I can speak God's words,” said Royal Abram, 9, a student at Polk Elementary.

Any child in elementary school is eligible to participate in the program, and spaces remain for the summer program.