Community Rally: Volunteers Paint Home for Cancer Survivor
April 18, 2025
A story of solidarity emerges from North Vancouver, British Columbia.
In a touching act of community support, around 40 volunteer painters came together over the weekend to present a special gift to Andrea Mundie, a woman battling Stage 4 cancer: a newly painted house.
Andrea Mundie’s residence / Credit: Andrea Mundie
Andrea Mundie became the beneficiary of this charitable initiative through her nomination to Student Works Painting, a company dedicated to training young painters with a commitment to community service. Over the course of Friday, both seasoned painters and novices joined forces to scrape, sand, prime, and apply two layers of cream-colored paint to Mundie’s house.
Initially diagnosed with cancer in 2022, Mundie received the devastating news in January that the disease had returned and spread to her brain. Though doctors successfully removed the tumor, her battle against cancer persists.
The painting project not only uplifted Mundie’s spirits but also those of her four children, who played a part in selecting the vibrant color scheme, transforming the previously black front door into a lively yellow centerpiece.
“When we saw it after it was done, it just looks so clean,” Mundie shared with North Shore News. “Something as simple as paint just changes the whole look of everything.”
Reflecting on the experience, Mundie expressed the significance of accepting the kindness of others.
“It’s taken me a little bit of time to learn that it’s a good thing to say yes to things,” she said. “It’s always sort of felt like I needed to do everything on my own.”
“When you don’t accept stuff like that from people, you kind of take that experience away from them too. So it just reminded me that it’s okay to need something sometimes.”
Looking forward, Student Works Painting intends to continue impacting communities positively through their work.
“It’s a bit more than just a painting business,” stated Tomoki Okamura, district manager for Student Works Painting. “We want to obviously be a bigger part of it and show that affection to the community, more than just painting houses.”
