Neighbors pitch in to paint mural at neighborhood health center

Neighbors pitch in to paint mural at neighborhood health center

Published on July 15, 2025

Giant butterflies, flowers and children's handprints decorate the outdoor mural that greets visitors to the new neighborhood health center serving the Las Vegas Trail community.

The mural's vibrant colors and lively design - painted with the help of kids and adults who live nearby - give a friendly welcome to guests who pull into the parking lot. The image depicts joy, growth and a bright future for the Las Vegas Trail (LVT) area of west Fort Worth.

Local residents were eager to make their mark on the 3.7-acre campus, where health care providers, social service agencies and local governments are teaming up to transform the LVT vicinity. The center serves as a hub for improved access to medical care, nutritious food, job skills, safety and other support.

View a video showing the joy, creativity and camaraderie at Community Paint Day:

Cook Children's Health Care System offers pediatric services in the newly built 40,000-square-foot facility. Additional partners include JPS Health Network, the City of Fort Worth, LVTRise, local food pantry WestAid, Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County, Tarrant County College and more.

Jill Koss, director of Cook Children's Family Support Services, said the mural theme captures kids' love for playing outside and exploring nature. Words of optimism - "lovely," "strong," "chosen," "unique" - embellish the swirling landscape. Some of the painters went freestyle by adding polka dots, a random cat and an enthusiastic "best day!"

To give neighbors a feeling of ownership in the project, Cook Children's in the planning stages asked local children for input on the mural design and art inside the building. Their feedback? Bright colors, butterflies and flowers. Those voices were heard.

People of all ages had messy fun on mural painting day. They chose colors to fill in outlines drawn on the wall by artist Calina "Cal" Mishay Mejia. Event organizers wanted the day's cheerful atmosphere to help neighbors feel at ease coming to the center for health care or other services.

The crew of painters included Fort Worth City Councilmember Michael D. Crain, who represents District 3 and the LVT area. Crain said he participated because the mural stands for concern and care for the most vulnerable. Those include an estimated 20,000 children ages 0-14 who live in the struggling neighborhood.

"The health center overall is a game changer for this community," he said. "People don't have to go miles and miles to get health care. They can come here."

Many of the residents lack transportation, but the facility puts medical expertise, education and food assistance within their reach. Convenient resources are key to the revitalization of LVT, Crain said.

More about LVT

Las Vegas Trail in its heyday was a bustling community centered around Carswell Air Force Base. Closure of the base in 1993 gutted the neighborhood of jobs and economic stability. Without vital infrastructure, LVT fell on hard times. The City took a step to help start the neighborhood's resurgence by converting the former Westside YMCA into the Rise Community Center.

In November 2023, Cook Children's and its collaborators started construction on the new neighborhood health center at the corner of Calmont Avenue and Cherry Lane. The idea was to take a teamwork approach to providing key resources close to home for an underserved population.

Photo at top: "The health center overall is a game changer for this community," Councilmember Michael D. Crain said. "People don't have to go miles and miles to get health care."

Photo below: Local residents made their mark on the campus, where health care providers, social service agencies and local governments are teaming up to transform the LVT vicinity.

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