CLEVELAND (WJW) – It is not a wall in a traditional sense.
But piece, by zip-tied piece, the volunteers from the Refuge Community Church and many others are creating something wonderful.
It is a wall of hope…it is a wall of love.
This is one of four walls that went up on this day – two in Cleveland and one each in Lorain and Elyria.
This wall outside of the Pearl Road United Methodist Church is dedicated to a 15-year-old who was a victim of gun violence.
Not all the walls that Holly Jackson’s group, Walls of Love, has put up are dedicated to someone, but this one will celebrate his life and not just remember how he died.
“It doesn’t matter, why it doesn’t matter, it just matters that his life was take away too soon so what we try to do today is take the negative and turn it into something positive for the community with the family and giving back to the community.” Holly said.
Giving back is what Walls of Love is all about.
Each bag has a little something.
Little things that can make you feel okay.
“This is our safe space and our safe place for the community,” Holly said.
There was a time in Holly’s life where there was no safe space, and just being able to wash her hands and face and get a clean pair of socks was a challenge.
“I’m a domestic violence and sexual assault survivor, and I was homeless because I left the unsafe situation I was in. I had a job and I made seven dollars and eleven cents too much, so I know the embarrassment of having to humble yourself and ask people for help and not be able to get it and I also know what it’s like to have people judge you and not know the backstory,” Holly said.
Since 2018, Holly’s grassroots efforts have built hundreds of walls in Cleveland, Lorain, and all across Ohio.
But also in Texas and Kentucky, down in South Carolina, and in Massachusetts and New York.
Volunteers and community organizations in 30 states have put up Walls of Love that are meant to welcome people and not push them away.
“There’s no judgement. If you say you need it, you need it. You don’t have to be homeless, maybe you’re going through an illness, maybe you have a family member who’s going through an illness or maybe you lost your job or even when COVID was happening ,everyone was having issues so this was a way for us to put love out in the community,” Holly said.
And that love has helped a lot of people.
Holly’s group and hundreds of volunteers have put up more than one thousand walls nationwide.
Last spring, Holly and people all over the country have given away more than one million bags.
There are always toiletries, toothbrushes and paste and soap.
In the spring and summer you’ll find light clothing as well, backpacks full of school supplies in the fall, and ,of course, for the winter.
“We have some handwarmers…little things to get through the day….yep handwarmers and blankets and of course for this one we have tee shirts,” Holly said.
Some walls are meant to keep people out.
Other walls keep people in.
But these walls of love…offer a break from the struggle.
t’s a community hug that tells you that no matter what’s going on in your life…somebody understands.
And somebody cares.
“We know that no matter how much we put out, it’s still not enough and we strive every day to do more and more,” Holly said.
Click here for more information about Walls of Love.
Roosevelt Leftwich
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