If a guess were to made about how high school students spend their free time, volunteering to paint a mural in a children's ward of a local hospital would not be the first thing that comes to mind, but that is how a group of students at Richmond Hill High spent their Saturday mornings in May.

In the Spring of 2003, the Student Association of Richmond Hill High School (RHHS) raised $750 in pennies as part of the City's Penny Harvest which entitled the school to qualify for a Student Community Action Fund Grant. Once the gant ws received, the decision on what to do with the money was a difficult one to make. There were many worthy causes in the area but the students finally decided to dedicate their time and effort to the beautification of a local hospital children's care area.

Soon thereafter, a group of seven students, led by Victoria Halina Sukhnandan and Sri Laxmi Ramsammy contacted Jamaica Hospital Medical Center with their idea to paint a mural. They visited the Family Practice Center and began work on a jungle themed mural in the pediatric waiting area similar to the one in the Hospital's Pediatric Emergency Department. Every Saturday morning in May of 2003, the students woke up early to work on the mural before the Center opened for business. At the end of the month, the mural was complete and the pint-size patients were welcomed to the center by the site of vibrant jungle colors and creatures.

One year later, the students are back to continue their good deed by extending the jungle mural to a wall adjacent to the original artwork. Once again, throughout the month of May, the same group of students came to Jamaica Hospital 's Family Practice Center bright and early on Saturday mornings in an attempt to bring smiles to the faces of children of sick kids visiting the doctor's office.

On Monday, May 24, the administration and staff of Jamaica Hospital 's Family Practice Department, along with the students and faculty of RHHS unveiled the new mural during a ceremony in the Family Practice Center.  The students were the Hospital's guests for lunch and each student was given a certifcate of appreciation for their efforts.  Local media was also on-hand to take pictures and interview the

students.