CFO Stories
Parting Shot: A new mural in Aurora reminds that “All Roads Lead Home.”
Passion & Purpose: Fall 2025
The colorful work — the fifth tied to Aurora’s Youth Empowerment Project chapter — is more than visual art: It’s a tie to history, a connection with place and reminds that the past isn’t far behind.
“We talk about the history, we talk about climate and culture, and we talk about the challenges that the leaders face,” says Kim McCully-Mobley, an Aurora teacher, YEP chapter sponsor and coordinator of the of the Aurora Area Community Foundation. “But a lot of the same challenges that our initial leaders faced are the same ones that we face today.”
The mural focuses on the 250th anniversary of the United States in 2026. It also carries symbolism, tied locally to the 2nd Missouri Infantry.
The mural focuses on the 250th anniversary of the United States in 2026. It also carries symbolism, tied locally to the 2nd Missouri Infantry.
The mural came to life at the hands of Raine Clotfelter. Known as “America’s Muralist,” Clotfelter’s work dots communities across the Ozarks — including through the Freedom Silo, a landmark in Monett.
“If you can be involved any how, any way in benchmarking history, you cannot get a better opportunity in life,” Clotfelter says. “It’s honoring to be able to do that. A mural doesn’t seem like a very big thing, but once it’s painted it becomes history.”
Like previous murals and other projects, the Aurora YEP chapter provided ideation and financial support for the mural to remind locals of their roots and community. The new mural now hangs on the north wall of the Aurora school district’s central offices, part of a reminder of what can be built here and now.
“We just want to educate kids and let them have healthy communication and dialogue,” McCully-Mobley says of challenges and opportunities communities face. “And then figure out how to solve problems, be kind to one another and make things happen.”
—by Kaitlyn McConnell
