In addition to speaking with Jill from OTIS, I also had the pleasure of speaking with Allison Arjarun, a proud Santa Monica Alumni, who has worked very closely with the project. She describes herself as a lifelong learner, strong and a survivor, battling cancer on and off since 2018. She also has previously worked on upcycling projects, including her recovery jacket from scrap clothing provided by Lucky Brand—a project that was incredibly meaningful to her and her journey. For this reason, she accepted this project with The Salvation Army. Allison expressed nothing but gratitude for this project, stating that it has been so rewarding and it’s almost bittersweet as they are nearing the end of the project because they’ve become a little family, working to complete this mural.

READ MORE