Montclair Woman’s ‘Wall Of Gratitude’ Keeps Growing

MONTCLAIR, NJ — When Jennifer Hager wants to show she cares but doesn’t know how, that’s when the paint brushes come out.

Recently, the Montclair resident has been attracting attention – both on social media and in real life – with her rock wall tribute to frontline workers (see video below).

Since the coronavirus began to spread in New Jersey around mid-March, the fashion industry executive has been working from home. And in her spare time, she’s been applying her creative talents on a project she’s dubbed the “Wall of Gratitude.”

At first, the effort was just a small display – something meant as a tribute to everyone who wasn’t able to stay at home and hunker down. But as the days passed by and the quarantine continued, the stories of the “incredible people” in the Montclair community began lighting a fire under Hager. And one by one, another rock was added to the wall.

“Usually the paint brushes come out when I don’t quite know how to respond or what to do,” Hager told Patch.

U.S. Postal Service employees. Sanitation and hospital workers. Tractor trailer drivers. Firefighters. Cops. They all found a place among the Wall of Gratitude.

Now, the project has become something that’s touched other people, too, having been shared thousands of times on social media, and turned just as many eyes in the real world.

“We may have to make a second row,” she said.

Hager told Patch that people are welcome to pass by for a look at the wall on the 100-block of Edgecliff Road, as long as they social distance and keep safety in mind.

Take a closer peek at some of Hager’s paintings in the video below.

• See related article: Teen Creates Tribute To Health Care Workers On Bloomfield Lawn

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