New mural at White Plains funeral home reminds residents to thrive forward

The Ballard-Durand Funeral home on Maple Avenue is now sporting a colorful three-panel display on its lawn.

News 12 Staff

Jul 31, 2021, 12:26 AM

Updated 1,244 days ago

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There's a new interactive and inspirational wall in White Plains where one can even leave a message of their own.
One does not usually don't associate vibrant colors with funeral Homes, but that's not case here.
"We wanted to do something to uplift our community and it's here to remind them of their personal strengths and worthiness," says Matthew Fiorillo, owner and president of Ballard-Durand Funeral Group.
The Ballard-Durand Funeral home on Maple Avenue is now sporting a colorful three-panel display on its lawn.
"We hope our wall inspires all of us and many others to come here and take a photo and share it with the rest of the community," Fiorillo says.
The purpose of the mural is to remind members of the community of their worthiness despite dealing with an unexpected year.
"We wanted to remind people that they're here for a purpose. For their family, their friends, their loved ones," says artist Sabrina Crowley.
As for the process, Crowley says it was an emotional one. "You know it really touches me when I do stuff like this because I feel like I'm reaching out to everybody. I just feel like the power to create is in my hands," she says.
Fiorillo hopes the mural serves as a vibrant reminder to keep pushing forward.
"Our hope is to let people know in the community we're not just surviving. We're thriving," Fiorillo says.
The idea is to write something positive on this whiteboard, snap a picture, post it on social media and use the hashtag #WhitePlainsWall.
"Painting for me is easy," Crowley says, who completed the large mural in five days. Fiorillo says they're just getting started.
"This is the beginning of something that's probably going to happen every year or so, another mural will pop up again," Fiorillo says.