Finally, sunshine. After days of cold and rain, a perfect day emerges in New York City. The weather is undergoing its yearly April identity crisis, vacillating between days of overcast dreariness and sun-drenched beauty, but the after-school students at Franklin D. Roosevelt PS/MS 34 aren’t thinking about that. The sky is bright, the temperature is perfect, and the breeze is invigorating. As they play basketball outside, Jaclyn Torres, who, among other things, coordinates after-school activities at the school, and Jeremy Del Rio, Co-Founder and CEO of Thrive Collective, show me one of the school’s many Thrive Collective murals.

This mural adorns the school’s outdoor wall, which borders the basketball court where students play. It depicts two smiling children, their clothing covered with words like powerful, kind, monumental, and electric. The phrase making my own path runs across the mural. Items that represent possibility dance around the children’s heads: a microphone, a beaker, a book, a basketball, and music notes, to name a few. The boy on the left spins a basketball that doubles as a globe. The globe is emblazoned with the words I AM.

Created roughly two years ago, this mural is a point of pride at the school—it serves as what Jeremy calls “a statement to the public” about the character and identity of the students. That’s not just a metaphor. It literally reflects the students because the students helped create it. Thrive’s teaching artists collaborated with students, synthesizing and incorporating their ideas and designs into the finished piece.

Earlier that day, Jeremy laid the thematic groundwork for me. Identity is the point of the mural. It was designed to encourage a positive self-image in the students who helped create it and in the students who would see it in the years to come. For Jeremy, there is an even deeper meaning. He points out that in the Old Testament, God calls himself I AM, and it’s “a name he shares with us. Every time we look in the mirror, we editorialize on the nature of ‘I AM.’ Most kids are struggling. ‘Who am I?’ One of the things our arts and mentoring programs do is help kids discover a sense of self.”

To be clear, Jeremy Del Rio has never painted a mural in his life. He has, however, been mistakenly introduced before as “one of New York’s greatest muralists.” The mix-up is understandable, as Thrive is the organizing force behind over 800 murals in New York City, not to mention scores of others across the United States and the world. You can’t walk more than a few blocks through the Lower East Side without stumbling across a Thrive mural, emerging with colorful vitality amid the expected grays, blacks, and browns typical of urban architecture.

It’s also a mix-up that Jeremy finds hysterical. Sure, he has contributed to some murals over the years, but he leaves the artistry to others. “You don’t want me painting your bathroom,” he jokes. He instead thinks of himself as an instigator, an activator, and a connector. “People always ask me: What is my medium? Am I a visual artist or a music producer? No, I can’t do any of the things that Thrive has a reputation for producing personally, but my art is the people.”

Like the crisscrossing of New York City's streets, the origin of Thrive Collective is complex, simultaneously flowing forward and doubling back. We could begin in 1982, when Jeremy's parents, Rick and Arlene Del Rio, pursued community ministry at Avenue D and 3rd street, at the time one of the most underserved corners of the city. We could start in 1992, when they founded Abounding Grace Church a few blocks over. Still, we could jump ahead to 1994, when Jeremy and his brother Jonathan started the church youth group, or to June 1996, when Generation Xcel, a community youth-focused non-profit, grew out of the youth group, eventually evolving into Thrive.

Perhaps most cinematically, we could begin with Pastor Rick Del Rio, riding his motorcycle through the ashy fog towards the collapsed World Trade Center buildings on September 11, 2001. He had been eating breakfast on 56th Street when the first plane hit. When the second plane hit, he rushed home, grabbed his clergy collar, and headed straight for Ground Zero so he could provide a “ministry of presence.” He prayed with families and assisted first responders, staying on “the pile” until 2 am.

At the time, Jeremy was a corporate attorney in Midtown. For him, law school was preparation for community organizing and advocacy. His current job paid the bills, allowing him to volunteer his time as director of Generation Xcel. He did not go to work that day. The next day, he joined Rick on “the pile.”

“The World Trade Center had been pancaked, but it was still this imposing structure—multiple acres of debris.” He trudged through shin-high ash and debris, barely able to believe any of it was real. As he looked around, he saw legal documents scattered everywhere, many of them for big corporations. His attorney-mind flickered on: “This is all confidential.”

As he volunteered on the pile that day, he thought about the future, his own, and the city’s. Praying, he landed on the phrase, “buried in the rubble are the seeds of revival.” He decided to quit his job and pursue community outreach full-time.

The word “revival” carried clear religious connotations, evident in the critical work the Del Rios participated in over the next several months as part of the Ground Zero Clergy Task Force. For Jeremy, the word represented even more possibilities: he viewed it as “the opposite of the hyper-competitiveness” inherent to New York City. “Could we connect and unite so the city could rebuild? I saw the bucket brigades and this sea of rescue workers at Ground Zero. That’s what it looks like when different people representing different constituencies, skillsets, and marketplaces come together for a common cause.”

Despite the horror and the damage, Jeremy saw possibility. When his time with the Clergy Task Force ended, he carried that mindset into full-time youth development work with Generation Xcel.

Through Generation Xcel Jeremy and Jonathan Del Rio spearheaded community outreach in the neighborhood for many years. In 2005, Jonathan had an epiphany, not dissimilar to the one his parents had when they began their ministry in the Lower East Side in the 80s. How could he move closer to an underserved community and join them in their struggle? What if he became a teacher? So in 2006, he became Mr. Del Rio, the math teacher at Franklin D. Roosevelt (MS/PS 34). “I never really viewed teaching as a career path. It was really, for me, an extension of my calling, a way for me to engage with the community, my community of choice, in a different way.”

In part due to Jeremy's role, a strong partnership formed between Generation Xcel and PS 34, and it became an incubator for ideas that would later drive program expansion. In 2007, Thrive’s (then still Generation Xcel) first mural was painted at PS 34. While today Thrive’s murals are highly collaborative and incorporate student work, this first mural was largely completed by professionals such as Toofly, a legend in the graffiti art community. She had recently quit a dissatisfying job and wanted to use her extensive thirty-plus years of arts experience for good. “Who do I share this with?” she thought. “I wanted to give it away, you know?”

Over time Generation Xcel evolved to meet growing needs, taking what they had learned at PS 34 to become Thrive, a non-profit catalyzing hope through art and mentorship. And then, in 2014, New York City’s State of the Arts report highlighted a precipitous decline in arts education in public schools, especially in lower-income communities. Over a quarter of a million students were affected. After decades of mentoring through art in the Lower East Side, Thrive was uniquely positioned to meet this need. They developed similar partnerships with schools all over the city, and what began as a mural program moved into other artistic mediums, like music and media.

Today, Thrive runs arts programming for numerous schools across New York City, empowering thousands of students to discover a sense of self.

Randy Mason was shocked when a former student called asking for recommendations for recording studios. When they had worked together, this student had been “so intimidated to use his voice.” Randy oversees RHYME (“Rhymes Help Young Minds Excel”), Thrive’s hip-hop music and mentoring program, in which students learn “mic skills and life skills” through creating songs and music videos. This particular student barely spoke throughout the entire twelve week program. When the time came to record music, Randy remembers “sitting with him for 25 minutes… At the very end, he was able to get one line out.”

Randy didn’t know what to think when this student reached out, and he definitely didn’t want to send him to a recording studio that would inhale the kid’s money with no regard for his development or skill level. Randy instead invited him to meet up at a gig in Midtown Manhattan, so they could discuss further. At the show, the student made a shocking request: “Do you think I could do something tonight?” Randy had no idea what to expect, but he didn’t want to “crush his hope,” so he called the student up during a freestyle segment of the show. When Randy handed him the mic, he witnessed a transformation.

“He grabbed the mic. He started doing a call and response, and the crowd was with it. They were shouting back at him. You could feel the energy. Then, he kicked a little rhyme, a little freestyle, and the crowd just went berserk.” For Randy, the evening captured one of Thrive’s primary goals: to help students find their voice. “Art in a lot of ways is a gateway to discovery. We’re learning more about who we actually are in a way that can be empowering and enlightening.”

“Imagination dies when art programs get taken away,” says Delliz Hazell-Del Rio, who goes by Hazell. Hazell, through her own firm, works with Thrive on scaling, HR, and inventory management. She’s also married to Jeremy. Needless to say, she has a front row seat to Thrive’s work and the problem they’re addressing. She equates the removal of arts programs to the removal of possibility. It sends a message to students that their lives are static and cannot change. “You kill their spirit, and they can’t imagine anything else.” Thrive’s work “allows kids to dream bigger, to see themselves in spaces they could have never imagined.”

When Thrive is involved, “We trust that they [the students] are going to enjoy the activities, and we trust them [Thrive] with the kids,” says Jaclyn Torres, who collaborates with Thrive regularly as she coordinates after school activities for the students at PS/MS 34. With Thrive, she says the kids have “a set plan, a set goal, and they’re able to express themselves with art, music, and dance,” which leads to them feeling “comfortable. Then they open up more.”

Thrive also knows how to improvise. When it comes to community impact, they do not limit themselves to activities typically viewed as “artistic” or confine their work to schools. They are involved in community events, like the Heartbeat Festival, an annual event for middle schoolers in Queens that's part of a citywide initiative to reduce gun violence. They also run sports programming for students and communities. Finally, mentoring plays a critical role in all things Thrive.

“I love encouraging people and helping them to become the best,” says Sam Wisneski. A self-described, former “lone wolf” and professional artist, Sam discovered new purpose when he helped launch Thrive’s Murals Program over a decade ago. Even though he now lives in Wisconsin, he still visits and helps with Thrive projects. Just last month, he worked with up-and-coming Thrive muralists to paint the hallways of Thrive’s office space. “It’s about making space for people to develop. For people to grow.” For Sam, teaching is “sacred.” When he works with younger muralists he doesn’t simply tell them what to do. He is relatively hands-off, including them in every step of the process. Mentoring develops from true collaboration. The goal is to make sure students are “involved… that they feel connected,” says Pelumi Adegawa, the Murals Program Director. “The whole premise is collaboration. It’s not just about an artist going in and doing the work themselves.”

This collaborative spirit drives all things Thrive. It doesn’t matter if a student thinks of themself as a muralist, musician, or athlete. When you’re in a Thrive program, you could be anything. Jeremy describes the murals as “memorials of what’s possible,” and he could just as easily be describing the people in the Thrive community.

Edmond Ntango, for instance, doesn’t think of himself as an artist, but he contributed to one of Thrive’s most significant murals. Born in a refugee camp in Tanzania, he moved to the U.S. in 2007 when the UN selected his family for relocation. Arriving with no English skills, he remained “behind” his peers at school for several years, which made him feel different. Thankfully, he had a strong mentor in Moses Sanchez, a friend of Jeremy Del Rio. Moses connected them, which led to an internship at Thrive for the then 15-year-old Edmond. That’s how Edmond Ntango found himself holding a paintbrush, working on a portrait of his younger brother as part of the 2016 Coney Island mural.

Coney Island plays a significant part in Thrive’s history. Their 2013 mural in Coney Island was just their third mural in seven years, and culminated a year's worth of Hurricane Sandy relief efforts at a school that had flooded during the storm. In 2012, the storm had flooded the power plant mere blocks from Thrive’s offices, shutting down power in the city. Unsurprisingly, Thrive, an organization partly born from the disaster of 9/11, immediately jumped into action, contributing to food and supply distribution, and to the logistics required to connect aid organizations to different NYC neighborhoods.

The Coney Island mural, then, was painted as a memorial of possibility for a resilient school and neighborhood that bore the brunt of the storm. A few years later, as Edmond contributed and connected with other artists in Coney Island, a world of possibility opened up for him as well. “I was a very shy person,” he says. Thrive helped take me out of my shell.”

In various forms, Thrive has been at this for over two decades, long enough to experience profound full-circle moments and to develop full-circle people. Edmond, for instance, now coaches and mentors young men through Thrive Sports. It’s his way of continuing the work of Jeremy, Moses, and all the men who “taught me what it means to work hard, to not give up, and to pay it forward.” He specifically credits Jeremy for showing him that it’s possible to be a strong leader and “a kind, compassionate person.”

A few years ago, Edmond introduced one of his friends, Joshua James, to Thrive. The work inspired Joshua. He had grown up with what he describes as limited avenues for self-expression. Thrive encourages his skills in music and poetry, and he now works for Thrive as the Studio Manager, overseeing inventory and deliveries. In short, the muralists have the tools and paint they need thanks to Joshua. He has also been known to help RHYME students write and record verses. He sees it all as an opportunity to provide students with the “opportunity to express themselves” that he longed for as a child.

Arianna, daughter of Randy Mason, grew up volunteering for cleanup and beautification projects. Her proximity to Thrive lit up her imagination. During one particular volunteer day, she met Marissa Molina, who is now the Murals Art Director. Marissa asked Arianna what her dream job was. At the time, Arianna wanted to be a chef, so Marissa painted a portrait of her as one. Over the years, she learned from and collaborated with Marissa, spending a lot of time on a massive mural under the BQE Expressway. She ultimately wants to lead her own mural projects. Last month, she contributed to the hallway mural at Thrive’s offices, painting a girl carried by heart-shaped balloons.

That hallway represents a profound full-circle moment of Thrive's own. When Thrive started out as Generation Xcel, they were located in a corner of the Jacob Riis Houses in the Lower East Side, right across the street from PS 34. Over the years they journeyed through multiple spaces, but a few months ago they returned to their original home. City Councilman Harvey Epstein was instrumental in helping them secure the lease. He describes Thrive as “good people doing good work in our neighborhood.” He wants to preserve history and culture on the Lower East Side, an area caught in the maelstrom of gentrification, and he views Thrive’s art and activism as part of that effort. “This is a prime example of people from our neighborhood… trying to make this neighborhood better.”

Now that Thrive has returned “home,” they are once again across the street from PS 34, where Jonathan Del Rio still teaches math. The school’s original murals have faded over time, so Thrive painted new ones. The school pillars that exhibited mural #1 are now home to mural #700. Toofly, who contributed the first time and stayed active with Thrive in the ensuing years, returned for this round as well. She painted a figure called “the Dreamer… a serene, peaceful woman of color… she’s closing her eyes, envisioning a new future.”

Rick and Arlene Del Rio now live in the apartment building behind the school. Jeremy loves that his parents live in a kind of public art gallery. They poured their lives into this neighborhood and city and now they have a front row seat to see their sons carry on that work. Thrive would not be here today without their dedication to the neighborhood.

Rick, sadly, suffers from cancer as a result of his work at Ground Zero in 2001. Very soon, he and Arlene will be honored in a Thrive mural, which Marissa was working on when I visited in April. Thrive has partnered with over 300 schools and community centers, worked with over 40,000 students, and created over 800 murals, but this one is special. The theme is “Loisaida Thrives” (Loisaida is a Spanglish adaptation of “Lower East Side”). It’s a tribute to the neighborhood, including portraits of multiple residents. Marissa is deliberately leaving two of those portraits vague as a surprise until the very end. When Rick and Arlene see the finished mural, they will see their own faces depicted on a mural in the neighborhood they dedicated their lives to.

What is the origin of Thrive Collective? It’s difficult to pick an inciting incident, so maybe we shouldn’t try. Maybe the origin is less of an event and more of an impulse. It’s not hard to look around and find sites of damage. Sometimes damage is subtle, like paint chipping away from a mural or arts programs disappearing from public schools. Other times the damage is quick and catastrophic, like a collapsed building or a churning hurricane. Either way, damage lacks creativity. Unchecked damage ultimately leads to one outcome: nothingness. Causing damage? Easy. Noticing damage? Easy. Running toward it? That’s something else entirely.

It takes courage to move toward the dreary, ash-choked realm of entropy, link arms with others, and relentlessly participate in beauty. It’s Rick putting on his minister’s collar and riding toward Ground Zero. It’s Jeremy quitting his job as a corporate lawyer to pursue community work and activism. It’s Jonathan getting a job at PS 34. It’s Sam shedding the “lone wolf” to become a mentor and collaborator. It’s Toofly exploring her art as a gift for future generations. It’s Randy passing the mic to his student. It’s Marissa teaching students how to create a mural that represents them. It’s Joshua, Edmond, and Arianna paying it forward. And it’s Yahdiris “YaYa” Escalera.

YaYa is a social worker with a background in studio art and psychology. Two years ago, she heard about Thrive during a service at Abounding Grace Church. She was moved by Thrive’s work with students and became an artist in the Thrive community. “I wish I had that growing up,” she says, referring to Thrive’s artistic work with students. “It’s important not to let it die out.” For YaYa, art is a source of healing, and she wants to join Thrive in its mission to “inspire and empower future artists in their own creativity.”

In Thrive’s once and current office space, multiple murals span the hallways, one artist’s vision bleeding into the next as the images improvise off of one another. One of YaYa’s murals is in the corner. It’s a riff on Michelangelo’s famous painting, The Creation of Adam. You know the one: the prototypical human reclines, left arm outstretched across the heavens, nearly touching the hand of his Creator.

YaYa describes her version as depicting “the creation of imagination.” On Adam’s side, we see an outstretched hand in a world of black and white. On the other side, we see not a divine hand but a divine paintbrush, backed by a kaleidoscopic explosion of color. For YaYa, it represents the experience of longing to live in a world of creativity.

Of course, her interpretation is correct. She is the artist after all. Still, while damage only has one outcome, creativity leads to infinite outcomes. Art invites multiple perspectives, and the interpretation art inspires is as much an act of creativity as the art itself. In YaYa’s mural the Adamic hand could be reaching for creativity. It could also be pointing to it. Either way, it’s a perfect representation of Thrive Collective, simultaneously reaching for and pointing to beautiful possibilities.

Or maybe the hand doesn’t represent Thrive at all. Maybe it’s the divine paintbrush, backed by swirls of colorful possibility, that captures the essence of Thrive. How many people have felt the longing YaYa describes? How many students have felt as if they were reaching out from a muted world, only to find Thrive reaching for them, beckoning them into a wonderland of creative community?

Back on the basketball court at PS 34, students continue to play while Jaclyn points out that the paint on one section of the “I AM” mural is chipping. Jeremy closely examines the damage and, without hesitation, says that Thrive will repair it.