I am a proud board member of the West Los Angeles IAHSP chapter and have been lucky enough to participate in this wonderful event for the last several years.

This year our chapter chose the Richstone Family Center‘s Transitional Living Program as our beneficiary. The program serves young women (ages 18 – 24) from LA County, who have been emancipated from foster care. For the young women in the program, this is often the first time they have experienced a safe, stable and healthy home environment. Richstone’s program provides housing, case management, counseling, life skills, referrals and 24-hour support for residents.

Much of the original furniture in the main house was ripped and filled with holes and the art and furnishings were a mish-mash of hand-me-downs. The walls were stark white and the ceilings were damaged. Thanks to very generous donations from Brook Furniture Rental and Fashion Furniture, paint and supplies from Sherwin Williams and Lowes, fabric from Beach Drapery, cleaning services from Ready Clean, and labor from local painters Carlos Lopez and Albert Hernandez and contractor Brad Erwood (as well as about 10 of our members), our chapter was able to pull off an amazing transformation in record time!

Though the planning took several months, all the work was done in the course of a single week. Chapter members Kevin Htain, Adrienne Sherlock and Karen Keating handmade the window treatments from donated fabric. Our contractor repaired damaged ceilings and installed new ceiling fans to bring in air and light to dark and hot rooms. Our painter painted almost every room in the main house. And Brook and Fashion delivered all their donated items, all before our chapter members arrived en masse this morning!

All the chapter members donated items from their own inventories to add the finishing touches. I brought in art, throw pillows and plants, vases and kitchen decor. Others helped with miscellaneous decor items, even running out to purchase a few last minute items we were missing.

The result was nothing short of astonishing! The board members of Richstone Family Center and a few of the residents arrived once every last piece was in place. As they toured the new house, you could see the amazement in their faces. They noticed every detail, and all agreed that the changes in their environment would make residents take pride in their home and work harder to maintain it.

There is nothing like the feeling of giving back in your community. I encourage each of you reading this post to reach out to a local soup kitchen, battered women’s shelter or senior center – whatever gets you excited about helping. Even a small gesture can bring smiles you will remember for a lifetime!

Entry Before

New paint, art, lamp and accessories and now this entry says "Welcome Home!"

Living Room Before

Paint, art, throw pillows and some new ottomans warm up what was a lackluster rarely-used space

Dining Room Before

Once again, paint, art and accessories completely transform this space

View from Dining Room into Living Room (notice we added a small 2-seater table in the niche to the left of the larger dining table to allow for more seating options)

TV Room Before

New furniture, paint, art, drapes and accessories add life and color into this much-used den

TV Room After

Kitchen Before

Paint, drapes and accessories make this kitchen feel more inviting

Notice the homemade art above the microwave. It was made from leftover donated fabric that matched the curtains in that room

Kitchen After

Counseling Room Before

Counseling Room Before

This may be the most dramatic transformation of all. The counseling room was so drab and uninviting, filled with mismatched furniture and functional, but ugly, file cabinets. New furniture and some creative use of the existing pieces allowed for the necessary seating and storage. Paint, window treatments and accessories created the warm and calm feel that we hope will encourage residents to open up in their therapy sessions.

Working in the kitchen

Dan Keating and I hanging art above the sofa

We almost couldn't fit the new loveseat into the counseling room

Unpacking

Kevin & Adrienne even Stage the Scrabble Game

Stagers never forget the details!