IAHSP Community Worldwide Staging Service Week
Project:
Several weeks prior to the beginning of the WWSSW, the Chapter Ambassador (Butch Reynolds) injured his back. Not able to push forward, Butch sought out a volunteer, finding it right next door in his sister Shari (Reynolds), who stepped in to run the remainder of the planning meetings and coordination with Chapter members for the preparations needed to keep things moving.
VIRC Chapter members began the WWSSW week with paint preparations and painting of the House Lobby area, Office, 6- Resident bedrooms and the Resident TV lounge. By Friday, we had painted all areas that were designated for painting.
We started our "Staging" on Saturday morning at 10:00 am. It was a bit hectic coordinating the arrival of the new mattresses with the removal of the old, but somehow it got done. A huge project was spearheaded by LeAnn Smother and Loretta Smith, focusing on the Lobby Office (home for 3 SHARE House employees who manage the overall occupation of the house). LeAnn and Loretta learned several "new" skills that day, The remainder of the day's crew began assembling chairs, bookcases and other needed items to get ready to move them into the house. Several "Residents" also contributed their time to getting the assembly completed.
When most of the assembly was wrapping up, a group broke off to begin putting the bedrooms together with their new "look". Fresh linens, window coverings and artwork were selected for each room and the transformation began. Some of the rooms had "special" adoption by a few of the team members, receiving some individualized attention they prepared before arriving on Stage Day.
The TV Room was a challenge, mostly because of the size and furnishings that were still missing. A last minute hold out by one of our contributors, left this room without new furniture (sofa and loveseat). While we worked on getting that figured out, the bedroom teams continued to knock out one room at a time.
By mid-afternoon, a suitable replacement for the TV Room furniture was located and delivered. It was coming together. Each Resident was finding their visit to their room more satisfying with each peek (we couldn't keep them away). Their excitement began to escalate when they saw the furniture for their TV Room. A renewed enthusiasm rippled in the Residents.
The Lobby area was finished first, followed by the bedrooms. The office was a huge undertaking and was experiencing some set-backs. Undaunted, LeAnn (and her husband Ron) along with Loretta and Butch, focused on solutions to the few issues they ran into.
The TV Room was finished next and the teams quickly ran out of "room" to work and began the clean up of the day's events. The Office was finished last, after many additional hours of work to get it dialed in.
Overall, it was a great effort and a tremendous learning event for our Chapter. Next year, (we vowed) will be even better!
Thanks to all the sponsors, volunteers and donors for making this years WWSSW at SHARE House Vancouver, a HUGE success!
Project Ambassador: Butch Reynolds
Chapter President: Shelia Yvonne Reynolds
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