Cool Water Painters

Building job skills & supportive community

August 15, 2020 by Greta

Back in November 2019, we were excited to support the launch of a new Youth Workforce Development Program at Cup of Cool Water, and so hosted a photoshoot fundraiser at the Rogue Heart studio to donate a day’s worth of professional headshots – all money raised going straight to Cup’s programs. The aim of the “Give A Hand, Get A Headshot” event was to connect with local professionals, capture some creative portraits, and support Cup of Cool Water’s expanded programming efforts. The full day of back-to-back photo sessions ultimately raised over $2,700, and since then we’ve been eager to hear how the program took shape in its inaugural season.

We had the chance to reconnect in July, and were excited to learn that the carefully selected arena for job skills building was an exterior painting crew, with the program name Cool Water Painters.  Given COVID and its many challenges, we were impressed by the resourcefulness and hoped to capture their story so others could be inspired as well (we all need more good news stories, right?). Spending a hot summer day with Makayla, Danny, Max, Clayton, and the rest of the Cool Water Painters team was a delight, and we were honored to witness their hard work and dedication, and celebrate their progress and contributions to beautify Spokane neighborhoods.

According to Randy Waltman, Executive Director at Cup of Cool Water, the newly launched program was “an amazing success in it’s first year” and surpassed all expectations. Over 25 Spokane homes have been painted, immeasurable employment skills gained, and life changing movement in each youth’s life has taken place in terms of housing and job readiness.  Painting homes, empowering youth, changing hearts and lives… something we are very proud to support. Thank you, Cup of Cool Water team!

This ‘Director’s Cut” vlog from Megan reflects on the experience further, tells the story more fully, so please do give it a watch!

You can show your support by donating to help grow the program, or keep them in mind for hiring them for a painting project next year. The work they do is incredible, the leadership and guidance they receive is invaluable. And if you’re a fellow business, consider partnering with this program or create a position and hire a graduate. There are many ways you can still give a hand to the painters at Cup of Cool Water – thank you for supporting Spokane youth and contributing to a stronger, more empowered community.

Greta Carlson

Written By Greta

With a background in media and digital marketing, Greta layers her love of storytelling into every campaign strategy and creative project. Her career began on film industry sets and since then has advanced into the communications field to direct comprehensive marketing strategies in numerous industries in order to grow and evolve digital impact. You can usually find her drinking coffee, skiing the local slopes, enjoying the magic of the movies, traveling the world, or palling around with her dog Moose.

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