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Austin Chapter
The IAHSP Greater Austin Area Chapter chose the Williamson County Crisis Center as our project for Worldwide Staging Day 2006. The Crisis Center houses women and children who have been battered and have had to leave violent and abusive situations. Often they leave in the middle of the night with nothing more than what they are wearing. The Center can house up to 30 families and is often filled to capacity. The Center relies on donations and fundraisers in order to operate.
The Greater Austin Area Chapter is new, having only formed a few weeks prior to Staging Day. Many of the area stagers did not know one another and met each other for the very first time as we began planning the event and working together on the project.
Upon our initial visit to the Crisis Center, it was evident that the Center was in great need of help in virtually every area. We asked the Center to tell us in which area they most wanted help. The kitchen and dining areas was their first choice.
They had already received new appliances and were waiting for new countertops to be installed. However the paint on the walls was dirty and drab (except for the part that was lime green!). The cabinets were dated and badly in need of paint and new hardware. They needed some new appliances, cookware, high chairs, etc. The windows needed curtains. The cabinets were cluttered and disorganized.
On one of our planning visits to the Center, one of the Directors drew our attention to a TV/Family room that had recently been painted, but was still in need of some TLC. The curtains were dated, dark and dreary. The room had an overall depressing feel. It just needed a little updating of curtains, a few pillows and throws and some decorative staging to have a warmer, cozier feel. Sensing their strong need for help, we decided to “adopt” that room, also.
As a new chapter and getting a late start on the project, we all kicked into high gear and pulled together to plan and get donations. Within just a few days, donations were pouring in.
Cort Furniture donated a large dining table with 10 chairs, as well as 3 bars stools. The Center had a very old dining table which they were using. The chairs were plastic yard chairs that had become rickety. Pittsburgh Paints donated 20 gallons of paint for the walls and cabinets. Lowe’s donated new knobs and drawer pulls for the cabinets. Home Depot donated a Gift Card in the amount of $50.00. The rest of the donations came from Austin Area stagers. We dug through our inventory and garages for gently used items, and into our pockets for still other things.
There were 8 Austin Area stagers who worked at the Crisis Center on Staging Day. We painted the walls in the kitchen and two dining areas. We replaced the light switch covers and we hung new curtains in the kitchen, dining areas and the TV/Family Room. Two stagers decorated the new curtains with ribbon which coordinated with the paint color. Some of the stagers cleaned out the cabinets and lined them with new shelf paper before reorganizing.
When we were finished, everything looked much lighter, brighter and cheerier. Since the kitchen countertops had not been installed, the cabinets still needed to be painted, and the dining table had not been delivered, the kitchen/dining areas did not have that “finished” look. However, you could see the transformation happening. When we left, the kitchen and dining areas were clean, organized and had gone from dirty and dreary to clean, light and airy. The TV/Family room, also, was transformed from dark and dreary to light, cozy and welcoming with new throws, pillows and curtains, as well as décor redesign.
Other donations included a new microwave oven, coffeemaker, kitchen linens, cookware, cutting boards, kitchen utensils, storage containers, high chairs, booster chairs, dining area light kit, decorative items, garden house with attachments, pillows, throws and other items.
The Crisis Center was grateful for what we had done, as was evident by the tears of the on-duty staff. However, I think it was WE, the stagers, who felt the most gratitude - for having had the opportunity to help others just by doing what we love to do! We hope that in some small way we have made life better for these deserving people.
We had a wonderful day as a new chapter working together, getting to know each other and giving back to the community. A huge thanks to those who helped:
Susan Kurtze
Carol Robbins
Vickie Sneed
Karen Sue Graves
Becki Gregg
Linda Alderman
Gretchen Waltz
Susan Honning
La Nell Haynie
Photos' from our Staging Day:
Visit the Seattle Chapter Website.
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