A Student Hid 7 Hearts in a Mural and the Wall He Painted Tells the Story of One of the Upstate’s Most Quietly Essential Nonprofits

Lucas Peterson, a senior at Brashier Middle College High School, spent months painting a large-scale mural inside CCS’s client waiting area as part of his school’s senior project. He’s an 18-year-old who works, plays soccer, volunteers in a kindergarten classroom, and is headed to USC in the fall, and he chose CCS because his mom works there and he saw a blank cinder block wall that felt like a missed opportunity.

What he painted is a visual map of everything CCS does and everyone it serves. A mother and baby at the center, representing the families who walk through the door and the onsite WIC assistance provided by the SC Department of Public Health. Children running, referencing the Head Start program on campus. Hands growing from a garden, for the food pantry and outdoor garden that stocks it. Books for the ESL classes run in partnership with Greenville Literacy Association. A medical symbol for the Greenville Free Medical Clinic services offered on site. And three local landmarks representing Simpsonville, Mauldin, and Fountain Inn, the three communities CCS serves, so every client can find a piece of their own town on the wall.

He also hid seven hearts throughout the mural, one for each building number, as a quiet scavenger hunt for clients who might be waiting a long time and staring at that wall.
“When clients come in, sometimes they’re waiting for a while. They’re looking at a blank wall. I just wanted them to see things that represent them — things that make them feel seen and connected.”

That instinct, to make people feel seen, is exactly what CCS has been doing in the southern Greenville County community for years, often without much fanfare. For families facing a crisis, CCS is frequently the first call and the most consistent presence: a single location where a parent can access food, apply for utility help, get a child enrolled in Head Start, and find a path forward.