“I love my community, and I hope the murals bring joy to those that view them,” Cynthia Monteleone said.

NAPILI — The strength of the West Side community is supported by the altruistic lifestyles of many of its residents, and Cynthia Monteleone of Napili stands tall as one of the prominent leaders in this regard.

For some 20 years now, Cynthia and husband Zane Monteleone have perpetuated the highly revered Hawaiian philosophy of malama pono — to nurture in a motherly way that which is good and righteous. Along with raising children of their own, the Monteleones have been youth and high school coaches, and they have been business entrepreneurs in health nutrition, particularly with their current endeavor, Metabolic Analytics Maui.

Zane is a longtime coach of the Napili Surfriders and championship Lahainaluna High School wrestling teams, while Cynthia — a world-class middle distance competitor — mentors youth runners here on the West Side and at Saint Anthony’s School in Wailuku.

Before relocating to Maui, Cynthia was a mural artist/gallery owner by profession while living in Wilmington, North Carolina. She produced murals in 80 locations in the state and many others along the East Coast from New York to Florida. Her biggest wall was in New York, and it was 80 by 70 feet high.

Most recently, she was inspired to give back to the community that has been so supportive of her life here on Maui. Reaching back to her career of creating murals, Monteleone was inspired by Lahaina educator and resident Althea Viernes to help with the walls surrounding Princess Nahienaena Elementary School.

Monteleone noticed that the Kuhua Street neighborhood that so many drive by to take their kids to school had been struggling for several years with graffiti that oftentimes is profane. She established the Lahaina Mural Arts Project with hopes to paint as many walls as possible, free of charge in the Lahainaluna Road area, while at the same time mentoring students.

One of the first murals painted was a bright octopus and ocean scene to bring color and happiness to the corner heading up to the school that so many drive by every day with their kids. The hope is to continue to paint as many walls as possible, with two completed and five more projects lined up for the near future.

Viernes was thrilled with the mural on the wall fronting her home and expressed her gratitude to Monteleone in saying, “Thank you so much to Cynthia for doing this project for the Lahaina community. I hope everyone will support this, as it is a wonderful benefit to the community.”

Anyone wishing to donate to the project for paint and supplies, or to have their wall painted, or volunteer to paint with Cynthia can visit lahainamuralarts.com.

She is still training for the World Championships this year after winning gold in the 200- and 400-meter events at the AAU Indoor National Championships at Virginia Beach in March. In June, at age 45, she set a master personal best in the 200-meter event with a time of 26.0 seconds. She looks forward to the next big meet at the WMA World Championships in Tampere, Finland, in early July.

Professionally, she is currently releasing a new cookbook with husband Zane entitled “MAM 808 Kitchen Favorites” that will be released soon. The book will contain healthy recipes as well as recipes from their former gluten-free bakery, Maui Sugar Shack.