Color splattered, brush in hand, David Seagram masterfully stencils the image of Christ onto his mural.
Not only does David Seagram walk the halls of Jesuit with a name tag and khakis, but also with an artistic gift. This gift goes beyond any of his art classes at Jesuit. David’s gift inspires passion in his, and other people’s hearts as David serves others by utilizing his skill in community service. For the past three weeks, David has been working on painting two murals for Catholic Charities Food Bank Center in Dallas. His principle mural depicted the Gospel of Mark, in which Jesus fed thousands of people with only a few loaves of bread and fish. Through the inspiration of the mural, David hopes that volunteers will be encouraged to give back to the community.
David’s mural represents the idea that through this one meal, many will follow, and if enough people become involved with the program, more people will choose to give. David impacts and inspires the volunteers to continue on, even when supply is low and demand is up. David, says that “painting this mural helped me realize that I can take a passion of mine and use it to make others’ lives brighter, impacting the community positively through art.”
It never ceases to amaze the way God can answer one’s prayers and needs at the most opportune times. A few weeks ago, a representative from Catholic Charities Food Bank called Mr. Perry asking him for help to make the new food service center in south east Dallas a more welcoming environment for the volunteers. The food bank needed something that would inspire hope, confidence, and ultimately perseverance into the selfless workers every day, even when they had nothing to give.
Mr. Perry commented that, “David was his answer” and that David “turned his talent into something tangible, to be appreciated by the Dallas community.” Mr. Perry also described David’s gift as “almost ordained by God” with its perfect timing and availability. When Mr. Perry was “looking for an opportunity to plug [David’s] talent into community service,” it was as if God immediately answered his prayers. Now after three weeks of painting, David is thanking Jesuit because “they provided me the opportunity to get out and do what I enjoy doing and help the community as well.”
What is even more interesting is that David did not stop after creating two murals, but took it upon himself to lead others on his path of selflessness, saying, “I think that this opportunity will encourage me to get out and partake in other service opportunities.” David constantly encourages others to help him paint and preform other acts of volunteering. One of the people that David has reached out towards is junior William Agraz. David was at the center in Dallas working, and asked William if he would like to help. From then on, both William and David have been working close together, searching for new service opportunities and helping to add more Jesuit students to help them in their quest.
This project exemplifies inspiration, leadership, and the mantra of Men for Others. David was inspired to help use his talents for community service. He leads others towards this path of selflessness, and now David and many others are growing more in the image of Christ, a true Man for Others.
