Ogden Connection Center Adds Vibrant, Empowering Mural With Support from H&R Block’s Make Every Block Better Grant

H&R Block and Nextdoor have partnered to Make Every Block Better in communities across the United States. Now in its third year, the partnership allows community members to nominate projects that uplift and improve their neighborhood and give people a place to connect. Read below to learn how Make Every Block Better funds made an impact in Ogden, Utah and visit the partnership website to learn about the 30 other projects spanning the nation. 

The Ogden Connection Center is committed to creating a safe environment for community engagement where everyone is valued. The center offers afterschool programs and grocery events to help meet the needs of an underserved area in Ogden, Utah. While center staff say it’s an honor to get to love and serve this neighborhood, Meghan Shaw, site director and project nominator, saw an opportunity to extend that love to the exterior of the building so neighbors and students would feel welcome.  

“I found out about the Make Every Block Better grant in an email,” said Shaw. “It sounded too good to be true. We have wanted a mural since we launched the center to show the community how much we care for them and to make the building stand out. We want our community to feel seen and valued, and my hope is that this mural will do that.” 

The Make Ever Block Better grant provided professional artistic services for the mural design and the paint and supplies for a community volunteer day. Local H&R Block associates and neighbors spent an afternoon bringing the community mural to life. 

Designed by Matt Monsoon, the mural celebrates the Ogden community with a scene depicting its famous gate, vibrant neighborhood and of course the people within them. The flower beds depicted in the mural represent growth, resilience and hope for the future, all key elements of the center’s goal of empowering neighbors.  

The building has been used as a church for many years. Feeling compelled to give the space a use more than one day a week, the church rents to the Ogden Connection Center, which uses the facility the other six days of the week. The location is convenient for the neighbors the center serves, as it sits across from a junior high school whose students participate in the center’s after-school programs.  

This space is bringing people together every day,” said Shaw. “It feels like a dream. Each day I pull into our parking lot, look at that mural, and feel like the luckiest person alive. This grant was just what we needed and the event and volunteers were perfect.”