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Date: 8/24/2022
CHICOPEE – Whether it’s the sights of yellow Minions or red-and-white “Where’s Waldo” characters, the fire hydrants in Chicopee are receiving a colorful face-lift thanks to the efforts of Sunshine Village.
Sunshine Village operates its main campus on Litwin Avenue and includes additional locations in Agawam and Three Rivers. Currently, Sunshine Village supports over 600 adults with disabilities through different programing.
Since being formed in 1967, the nonprofit helps participants develop life skills, enhance social skills, improve coping strategies and increase independence by incorporating members in music, culinary, art and sports therapy programming, according to Executive Director Gina Kos.
Brandee Baker, care manager at Sunshine Village in Chicopee, said that the organization began beautifying fire hydrants in April after receiving approval from the city’s Fire and Water departments. The idea was originally conceived and approved before the coronavirus pandemic.
“We kinda put it on hold before we revisited it this year. [The city] told us we could go ahead and start the project in April,” said Baker in an interview with Reminder Publishing.
Baker shared that she learned of the idea from the Lions Club in East Longmeadow. After seeing the impact of their beautifying project, Baker asked Kos if the concept could be implemented with Sunshine Village in Chicopee.
Reimaging fire hydrants into vibrant new creations is a multi-day process. Baker and Direct Care Professional Michelle Beaudreau explained that Sunshine Village members form different groups that work on fire hydrants throughout Chicopee. After sanding the hydrants, participants coat them with an initial paint layer, then let it dry over a day or two before encompassing expressive details.
“It’s a process. Usually, it takes about a week or two for each hydrant,” said Baker.
So far, Sunshine Village participants have transformed fire hydrants into a slew of vibrant characters, including Minions from “Despicable Me,” Olaf from “Frozen,” and the turtles from “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” Baker said each Sunshine Village member is encouraged to participate, with members with less artistic aspirations repainting fire hydrants with a bright new color scheme.
The community welcomes the project with open arms. Baker shared that several residents have stopped by to show their support, while members of Chicopee Facebook forum pages continue to post about the positivity the project imbues into the city.
“A lot of people will drive-by honking and tell everyone how awesome they are,” said Baker.
Sunshine Village members April and John expressed their support for the program. April, who tirelessly worked on three fire hydrant projects so far, said she enjoys spending time with her friends and sharing their creations with family members.
“I like being with my friends … for me, I love the Waldo [fire hydrant],” said April.
John added, “I think it’s pretty beautiful.”
Baker shared that the success of the program in Chicopee is inspiring Sunshine Village to expand its beautification efforts in its other communities.
“The plan is eventually [Sunshine Village] would like to branch out to our other sites, like Three Rivers and Agawam, and see if we can partner up and paint some hydrants out in those areas,” said Baker.
Readers can learn more about Sunshine Village at https://www.sunshine.us/.