PPG, Zenni help youth look to the future with COLORFUL COMMUNITIES mural

Published : 11-Oct-2022

For youth in San Jose, California, the Smythe Clubhouse, part of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley, fills the gap between school and home, providing a welcoming, positive environment where kids and teens have fun, participate in life changing programs, and build supportive relationships. Now, when the Club’s members enter the facility, they will be greeted by a colorful, vision-themed mural, inspiring them to “look” to their futures.

Volunteers from PPG’s Specialty Coatings & Materials (SCM) business’ Optical Monomers & Coatings group and Zenni Optical, an online optical retailer and PPG customer, recently joined forces to create the mural as part of a COLORFUL COMMUNITIES® project.

“We were thrilled to share in this volunteer experience with Zenni and live the PPG Way to create mutual value. Together, we fulfilled PPG’s purpose to protect and beautify and made a lasting impact on the Clubhouse,” said Chad Ustazewski, strategic account manager, Optical Monomers and Coatings, PPG. “Through the mural, we hope to help the students see brighter futures with every brush stroke and amplify the incredible possibilities created at this Club.”

The mural concept was designed by artist Kyle Holbrook with help from the Boys & Girls Clubs’ members.

The Colorful Communities project was the first of a two-part community engagement initiative with Zenni. Later in 2022, PPG will team up with Zenni once again to provide the Boys & Girls Club of San Jose youth with vision screenings. All of the students needing prescription eyeglasses will receive free eyewear made with PPG TRIVEX® lens material.

“The Colorful Communities program is such an inspiring initiative. Zenni is grateful to experience it firsthand in the Bay Area,” said Michelle Ticknor, associate director, brand communications, Zenni. “We look forward to returning this fall to provide vision screenings to the Boys & Girls Clubs’ kids and teens to help them see their world more clearly.”

To learn more about the Colorful Communities program, visit ppg.com/about-ppg/en-US.