At 10:00 AM, myself and 10 other members of IA got into Audrey’s “creepy white van”, her words not mine, to go help paint the mural in an elementary school in Westerville. When we got there we met up with Jeremy and he introduced us to the kids we’d be working with that day. I quickly got to work cutting out leaves with inspirational and loving quotes on them with a little boy who’s name also happened to be Hayden. It was an incredibly kind and giving atmosphere that morning as we all calmly and quietly worked on the mural. Eventually, we broke for a pizza break and then I began painting the actual mural. Jeremy and the art teacher were excited to have me there because I was tall enough to reach the top of the wall. This event didn’t change my beliefs or preconceptions in any way but it did remind me of the joy of volunteering. It’s not an energetic joy but more or less a peace that I’ve found washes over me when I put aside all the worries I face in everyday life and just focus on getting a good job done. This event relates to IA because it helps out CRIS, an organization that helps refugees from around the world in Columbus. To be in IA should be synonymous with a desire to help others around the world and one of the best avenues to do that is through CRIS.