Design Gives Back

Calling All Design Angels, A Little Boy Named "Charlie Santa" Needs Your Help

You may have heard about the up-coming MiracleMakeover Video Reveal Party. We will be sharing the story of a little boy who is probably a lot like your son, grandson or nephew; he loves cars, trucks and trains. Charlie enjoys riding his bicycle, too. But, he is different than most eight year-olds in two ways: he has brain tumors and he leads a toy drive to help kids in chemotherapy to have happier holidays. "Charlie Santa" was founded by our hero when he was just five and in his first round of chemo. This is one of the reasons he was chosen to be an ambassador for kids with Neurofibromatosis Type1, and a recipient of a Miracle Makeover. For a little about Charlie and his family see the video below and/or click on the dark text here.... I hope you decide to write a post for the internet-wide party the week of August 12-18; posting on Facebook and leaving comments will help raise more money for another MiracleMakeover for someone in-need. Read all about it here..... or HERE and be sure to come to see the heart-warming reveal video of the new rooms for Charlie, Liam and Katie that will be here August 12-18. Read the story of his room makeover at Guideposts.org.

You can join the Makeover Reveal Party here and at: Pink Saturday, Spiritual Sunday, Metamorphosis Monday & Country Wings in Phoenix. These beautiful bloggers are party hosts for August 12-18, Reveal Week.There are already many of you that have committed to write a post and spread the word. Remember, for each comment left during the reveal week, WE donate a dollar to help Friends of Kids With Cancer and for another Miracle Makeover for someone in-need. Your kind comments -- our dinero!

                                              VIDEO: Meet Charlie's Family...

       to embed this video click on the title of the video and select "share" and embed on the youtube site...

Volunteers of the Week: Muse Salon

 

                    
                                      
 
 
VOLUNTEERS OF THE WEEK: The Muse Salon Team -- owner Julie Roach, shown above -- provided mom, Kara Grady, a "day of beauty" during Charlie's MiracleMakeover week. See the "after" of lovely Kara on the little video just below. Kara really needed the renewal after the stressful years of Charlie's chemo. Thank-you Muse & Michele Mohr, too, for the manicure! xoxo 

Kelee Katillac and Design Gives Back Thank Lowe's for Help in Upcoming Miracle Makeover

(July 20, 2011) Kansas City, Missouri  

Lowe's has made a MiracleMakeovertm for Charlie Grady, an eight year-old in chemotherapy, extra special. The home improvement retailer provided everything from Valspar paint to trim moulding and lighting. Lowe's Lake St. Louis, Missouri staff helped on-site, as well. The colorful new room and makeover process have brought hope and happiness to the whole Grady family.

"Lowe's provides a level of service and personal attention that is unusual in today's home improvement marketplace. It feels like an old fashioned hardware store where folks are friendly and caring," said MiracleMakeovertm design host Kelee Katillac, adding "Their products are the best. I love working with the Valspar color-line. Having a broad color chart to draw from to create healthy and positive environments is important in helping folks get well. That is the power of color."

The Charlie Grady MiracleMakeovertm will appear in the August issue of Guideposts Magazine and on television and internet venues nationwide through September -- National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. The non-profit partner is Friends of Kids With Cancer.

Design Gives Back provides rooms for hope, health and happiness for those in-need. Projects help deserving individuals and families, as well as, the non-profit groups that sponsor them. Through inspiring video episodes and print stories you can see healing rooms for those who are sick, art therapy workshops for kids-at-risk and hope-filled homes for struggling families, to name only a few Design Gives Back projects.   

                              For more information email [email protected]    

Posted: DGB MediaTeam

Kelee Katillac and The Design Gives Back Trademark Welcome Jonathan Franc

 

                             

                            

                              

 

                                   Shown Above: The Glamorous World of Jonathan Franc Furniture 

When I founded Design Gives Back, many years ago, it was to create a trademark that would train, certify, and support the interior designers and design-loving volunteers that have been the fashion-forward boots-on-the-ground in affecting the hopes, health, and happiness of those that need better living conditions. Together, we have outfitted homes for struggling families, created rooms for foster kids, healing nests for women with breast cancer, and joyful senior's center "family rooms." Now, more and more designers are hearing the call and rising to the Design Gives Back mission. 

Last year's Design Gives Back Award recipient, Enchanted Makeovers, led by Terry Grahl, offers design help at shelters for battered women; providing comfortable spaces. Kamonda Phillips, in the previous post, just designed a suite for The Ronald McDonald House and also led an intercity creative workshop for disenfranchised kids; working all of last summer, using only the funds, and materials she could gather together. Volunteer Sherry Mirador teaches sewing workshops so poor teens will have the ability to put together a home that is functional and creative. Kim McCole of Daisy Cottage blog fame has so beautifully demonstrated that Goodwill is a retro-style treasure trove and has encouraged us to rely on the creativity in our hearts rather than the money in our wallets. Rhoda, the intrepid DIY loving classic designer from the Southern Hospitality blog did a super lovely makeover at a homeless shelter. There is a recently formed group in Atlanta called Room Service Deserving Design Delivered, and they do much the same.

Some of you resourceful designers collect furniture from the curbs to remake or to use in workshops. Many of your Saturdays have been spent in Habitat for Humanity neighborhoods and on build sites, getting paint covered or saw dusty alongside the new residents who are there earning their homes through sweat equity hours. It has been my delight to teach workshops, certify those that want a more holistic design approach, and lead national projects for interior designers and design volunteers, who feel the call to "give back." In the book House of Belief, I shared the DIY interiors program I started in 1997 for Habitat to provide skills and inspiration for the new owners to turn a house to a home. I found -- through that endeavor -- that you generous souls are many and your hearts are huge.

Recently, the high-design furniture company Jonathan Franc has heard the Design Gives Back call as well. Meredith Xavier of the Ligne Agency has launched a PR campaign called Design Gives Back -- it has a ring to it :) -- to bring attention to the furniture that ten designers are promoting. Jonathan Franc will make the pieces upon order and donate a portion of the proceeds to a designated charity. Good idea! I hope they take many orders and give lots of money to good causes. So, I say "yes" to the fabulous Jonathan Franc company, allowing them to gently use our trademarked moniker for their campaign until December 31, 2011. After all, the most important thing is to allow designers to "give back." Like those I mentioned earlier. Because, the world really needs them.

In an upcoming post I will be showing the designs of the Jonathan Franc Furniture Campaign.                                                                                

Posted: Kelee

New Design Gives Back Affiliate Creates Rooms for Ronald McDonald House

         

Lowe's Colors

Top to bottom:

Weathered Glass

Bamboo Reed

Farmer's Market

 

You may remember the wonderful interior designer Kamonda Phillips of Geopology Designs I featured previously.  She created a summer workshop series based on my book Kids' Rooms for Believing and Belonging. Well, now she has taken her practice a step further and designed a suite for the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte. "My goal was to make it soothing and peaceful," she said. The living room shown above reflects those intentions. The background colors were the same throughout the project. So, the designers had to work to personalize the space. I have included some of my favorite Valspar colors on the left that are in Kamonda's palette. The addition of orange red as an accent color is  "energizing"  to body and spirit. Great job Kamonda-- you have earned your Design Angel wings! Making you an official DGB Designer Affiliate. Big Hug! ~ Kelee

                           To learn more on DGB Designer Certification email us at:                                                                          [email protected]  

 

McCarthy Building Companies Partner With Design Gives Back

  

 (Kansas City, Mo.) McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. have partnered with Design Gives Back for room makeovers for a family fighting cancer. The McCarthy Heart Hat Volunteers assisted Kelee Katillac and the MiracleMakeovertm team to create a room for hope and happiness for Charlie Grady, age 8. Charlie has brain tumors as a result of a condition called Neurofibromatosis Type 1. 

  The new rooms for Charlie and his brother Liam, age 9, will be featured in the August issue of Guideposts Magazine. Also, a video episode of MiracleMakeover will air on television and internet channels.The features will also show a room designed for their sister, Kaitlin, age 13. MiracleMakeover host Kelee Katillac is a leading expert in therapeutic interior design. She included the whole family in her makeover process. "When a child sees he can change a room, he begins to have hope his health can change too, said Katillac. September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Find out more at the non-profit makeover sponsor Friends of Kids with Cancer. Lowe's of Lake St. Louis and Residence Inn by Marriot/St.Louis-O'Fallon also participated.

              
 

Volunteer of the Week: Shannon Lightfoot. Shannon is a McCarthy professional computer-aided-design guy. But, we found out he has many skills. He painted and crafted with the best of them. Thank-you Shannon for caring!

Posted: DGB Media Team

Welcome to Design Gives Back...Our New Home is Under Construction

We are so happy you found our new site. Thanks to your support we are growing quickly. You will notice that we have just started importing the furniture from our previous home. We will get our rooms assembled quickly... preparing for our next MiracleMakeovertm Blog Week August 12-18, 2011. You will find more about it posted below.