It was May 2019 when  8-year old Christian Maxon was struck and killed by a car while cross the street near Franklin Elementary in Marshalltown.

The Maxon family, along with the Marshalltown School District, the City of Marshalltown and the Marshall County Arts & Culture Alliance are teaming up to promote crossing safety with sidewalk murals to not only honor Christian’s memory, but to encourage as the first murals will illustrate, lo “look both ways”. The first mural will be done at Franklin, followed by Rogers and Woodbury schools. Arts & Culture Executive Director Amber Danielson says the rest of the schools will have murals painted next year, based on funding.

Danielson says the first mural at Franklin Elementary is being made possible by a donation from jenny and Jason Matteson.