A Call Is Answered

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned a project we are involved with for the Alpha House of Tampa. We are helping to put together design teams who will refurbish the 20 single dorm rooms that house homeless, expectant mothers and mothers with infants. Almost everyone that I've spoken to about the project--no matter what their profession or background--have immediately said, "What can I do to help?" This has been truly uplifting to me! So many people are having difficult times, but are still ready to put themselves out there to help with others who are in much greater need.

Yesterday was our first meeting on site where we introduced a group of the designers who will be working on the project to the staff at the Alpha House, and gave the designers and room adopters a chance to see the rooms as they are now. I have had the honor to work on this project with Cynthia Keenan of CK Designs, and she and I also presented versions of our own designs for the rooms that we will be redoing.

In my previous posting about this project, I showed the beginnings of the design with simple elevations. Here is the rest of the design as presented on our design board.

The design goal was to bring as much personality to the small room as possible, and at the same time make it a cheerful--and above all, safe and comforting--space for the mom and her child. Our good friend Doug Phillips will be assisting us with our carpentry needs, and Jeff Monsein of Splat Paint will be adding a vine and butterfly mural to one of the room's walls.

When the group of designers were touring the rooms yesterday, it was really exciting to see the energy and creativity starting to flow, and people expressing their willingness to undertake multiple rooms and other areas of the facility that could also use a face-lift. That being said, there are still areas that we could use more help for the project, or materials. We would love to hear from anyone who would like to be involved!