We have been creating makeovers for those in-need for nearly 25 years now. However, this project has been one of the most dramatic because of the health crisis that threatened Elijah's life during the makeover week. Please watch the reveal video, comment and share. Design can truly change things......
Watch Full Screen by clicking on the 4-small arrows to the left of Vimeo above!
Please leave a comment and Design Gives Back will donate $1 on your behalf to The Bone Marrow Foundation to help others like Elijah and Isaiah. Commenting open until February 15, 2016 (extended upon request). Please share on Facebook and elsewhere. Just let us know how many comments you receive per your website, or Facebook page. Please also have them comment here. We will donate $1 for each comment we receive at any of these locations. Email us a link to your comments page on February 15, 2016, to be counted.
One Comment from You = $1 donation from us at Design Gives Back
We would like to thank all of our sponsors, donors and volunteers. The heroism and kindness of your gifts to the Daniel family will never be forgotten. See the video for the entire list.
Thank-you to Spaces Magazine and Zim Loy, editor, Judith Fertig, writer, Aaron Leimkuehler, photographer, and Ashley Dowgwillo, social media, for bringing this story to the world -- as a feature called "Rooms to Grow" -- for December and January. Also, the images of Elijah and Isaiah by Darla Peters are stunning. Thank-you to D.L. Gleason, video director, for such an inspirational story.
How To Leave a Comment:Click on comments button -- lower right -- Fill out comment form, no emails are published. Also, a website is not required. If it doesn't want to "post", please click "preview" first, then, click "post".
Design Gives Back provides rooms for hope, health and happiness for those in-need. Since 1992 we have facilitated life-changing workshops, community programs and inspirational makeovers.
Today, our MiracleMakeovertm 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, arttherapyworkshopsforkids-at-riskand hope-filled homes for struggling families.
These MiracleMakeovertm television, internet, and print vehicles become ambassador and outreach for cause-organizations by helping to create awareness and funding. Our partners have included Habitat for Humanity International, Catholic Charities, The Starlight Foundation, Friends of Kids with Cancer, and many others.
Before: The focus of Colette's bedroom was this hospital bed.
Design Changes Things: When a room is falling apart it seems that things are hopeless. For Colette Gauthier, a cancer patient, this was especially true. So, in two and a half days, and on a tiny budget, we set out to change things. Transforming her rental house bedroom from bleak to beautiful helped her through chemotherapy. The restored and renewed space filled her with hope. A visual reminder that healing is possible for our homes ... and lives.
This Miracle Makeover was first published and aired by Guideposts Magazine to over 8 million readers and 30,000 views on the site and Vimeo. Since Guideposts' is now rebuilding we have just uploaded to YouTube for Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2015.
Documenting our makeovers is one of the most important aspects of what we do at Design Gives Back; making sure that the inspiring stories, recipients, volunteers, donors and amazing rooms are on film (or whatever digital really is) forever, is the goal. Aaron Leimkuehler is one of Kansas City's top interior design and architectural photographers. You may have seen his photos in Spaces Magazine, where he works with Zim Loy, Editor. You can also find him in world-wide books like The Chamber of Curiosity: Apartment Design & The New Elegance. Aaron has tremendous talent and is, also, a really good person. His photos of Elijah's and Isaiah's rooms will be worth the wait. Look for their upcoming publication. Thank-you Aaron for your time & talent!
Some things in life are just " meant to be." That was true of my relationship with Gloria Hamilton, one of the dearest friends, and a most faithful Habitat for Humanity volunteer. Gloria recently left us for that celestial plane, to take her place near Habitat for Humanity founder Millard Fuller, Dr. Martin Luther King, and other revolutionary lights, now departed. As a gifted public speaker, Gloria could bring down the house with the best of them; I have "God-bumps" as I write this, thinking back to her spirit-fueled talks that often garnered standing ovations. As a volunteer leader, Gloria was there for me without fail, over 100 days in the first year alone. She could have asked much, expected much...because she gave much. Gloria never pined for rewards, always just giving more, and, sometimes even bringing one of her amazing pecan pies. In the volunteering world, it is said that the purest hearts ask the very least. Based on that maxim, she was an alchemist's ideal gold.
As part of the Habitat family of homeowners and community volunteers, Gloria became a member of our traveling troupe, spreading the word far-and-wide about the power of creativity to transform homes and hearts. One day, in the summer of 2000, Gloria and I sat talking in a cabin room (we were to provide a keynote address that evening for 600 Habitat staffers) in Rocky Mountain National Park. Looking up at a very tall peak, we shared a revelation, grabbing each other's hands and proclaiming simultaneously " we are almost to the top of the mountain!" Of course, referring to Dr. King's famous words. I am so grateful that just a few years later, indeed, the election of President Barack Obama, proved us right. And, "Glo" lived to see it. Like many African American women of her generation, she had lived through a whole lot.
Looking Back at the Habitat for Humanity DIY Workshops... a memoir excerpt:
"I had come full circle – from my own humble start to a successful interior designer of 15 years. And, it was time to give back. I held an estate sale, selling my worldly goods to fund the start-up project, working more than full-time, for a few years, without income. Later, we found help from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, and in the short term the volunteers, too, were generous and charitable. The "House of Belief" DIY workshops for Habitat for Humanity helped homeowners to have the furnishings, window coverings and amenities to make their Habitat house into a true home. I knew the empowerment that would result from the DIY philosophy. It had changed my own life. When you see that you have the creativity to hand-make a home for yourself -- and your family, you begin to believe in the potential to have the life of your dreams. One action of creativity creates more belief. Seeing is believing. A "House of Belief" becomes a source of personal and family inspiration. A visual reminder that creativity is our gift from the source that created us; a Divine heriditary substance that powers the spirit."
Creative Solutions: A salvaged fireplace mantel became a working fountain; a mosaic with our create-believe ideal was embedded in the wall; a crude concrete floor was painted with rock shards and poetry; castoff two-by-fours were turned into a primitive bluewainscoting; three-dollar thrift-store shutters were refinished for the window; a sisal rug was striped with island colors; and canvas for cushions was handpainted with personal symbols for the sofa.
A Miracle Makeover:We were given an abandoned drug-house to remake. The drug users had left remnants of their lives inside: family photos and once-cherished belongings. The very concrete had cracked, an apt metaphor for the decay of it's inhabitants. It needed a miracle. And so did we.....some needed a bigger vision of life. I asked the homeowners: "If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?" Many answered with excitement: "The islands!" Our journey of belief had begun. We set out to create a visual affirmation of their dream, a Caribbean cottage complete with a sandy beach-like front yard.
I invited 10 volunteer artists and designers to help me conduct workshops. That became 20 or 30 very quickly. Dozens gathered from throughout the city and helped in every way. Millard and Linda Fuller, Habitat's founders, came to see the house and loved the project. They wanted me to share it nationwide. I traveled with Gloria and others, presenting keynote talks, workshops and demonstrations about the project. Habitat affiliate volunteers from Fresno, California; Knoxville, Tennessee; Muskogee, Oklahoma; New Orleans, Louisiana; and many others attended a successful national training event, too. In all, more than 2,500 participated over three years, nationwide.
Color Courage: The color scheme for the living room was formed from the workshop question: If you could name a color to describe you, what would it be and why? The colors were then woven together to create the color scheme for the space. Each participant was represented by their designated color. Need color courage?A recent study of the happiest places in the world reveals that colorful cultures like those of Guatamala and India are happier than more affluent, beige-loving locales. Try thrifting, repurposing, and your favorite bright colors for a lift. When you spend little for the materials it is easier to try something bold. Financial risk can become a barrier to color courage. Repurposing provides a safety net, with less of a monetary commitment.
Island Dreams: Habitat homeowner Janice Busbee sewed her first curtains and valance cut from a Hawaiian shirt. Pillows painted with scenes from the dreams of the homeowners here, to play music – and a thrift bookcase fitted with picture doors. The artist volunteers often worked collaboratively and with the homeowners to express an idea, object or area. It is nearly impossible to accurately credit each contribution as they are so mixed together; the ideas, inspirations and actual hands-on work coming from many people and directions. You will find the key-contributors featured below, and in the book, House of Belief.
Here are some of the original creative volunteers and Habitat homeowners from the Kansas City, Missouri pilot project. Thank you for all you contributed! Also, thanks to the many sponsors and partners. Over the years, literally hundreds volunteered, city-wide. Nearly 17 years since the beginning, you are not forgotten. From the bus-loads of school children, to the many small business donors, thank-you...over and over again.
Front Row (seated): Gary Aragon, Gloria Hamilton, Mary Harbin, Pat Gilmore, Tammy Smith, Crystal Shook Second Row: Keisha, Laura and Andy Rowzee, Ruth Webb, Jodi Stoner, Mike Savage, Tamiko Brooks, Janice Busbee, Winston Slider, Sonja Brown, Brian Shook, Jackie Denning, Claudia Cooper, Darlene Parker, Phyllis Harris, Ladedra Edwards Back Row: Meisha, Evadene Judge
NOTE: See the stories in House of Belief: Creating Your Personal Style. This project is one of 12 beautiful stories and interiors for affluent and limited incomes alike. House of Belief is for all of us.
Post: Kelee Katillac
P.S. Gloria, don't forget that pie recipe, I am looking forward to it, when we meet again.
Thank-you to KC Magazine, for sharing the Design Gives Back story and mission. The team loves you! You are now an honorary Design Gives Back partner. Read the story here: THIS IS KC.
The new book The Architecture of Change: Building a Better World, is a must read for those desiring to change the world one brick, sofa or garden at a time. The book is a tour-de-force of those who have pioneered meaningful design and community environments over the past 20 years. A compilation of the late Kingsley Hammet's essays from Designer/builder magazine, you will find the inspired work of architects, designers, community organizers, gardeners, artists, chefs -- and others -- proving that creativity combined with heart, can change the world.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Design Gives Back co-founder, Kelee Katillac , is featured in The Architecture of Change for her work as (we think) a revolutionary interior designer! XO to you KK
An Editorial Review:
"The call for change is everywhere, yet how to define it and how to achieve it remain vague. The Architecture of Change: Building a Better World is a unique book that documents how ordinary people have the power to transform their environments. It is a celebration of human diversity and a call for increased attention to our communities. This inspiring book explores the issues of equity, alternative forms of living, new concepts of urbanism, and the power of social networks."
~ Governor Bill Richardson, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Congressman, Secretary of Energy, Governor of New Mexico, and Nobel Peace Prize nominee
Design Gives Back™ provides rooms for hope, health and happiness for those in-need. Since 1992, we have facilitated life-changing workshops, community programs and inspirational makeovers. We believe that a small budget can mean big creativity. The ideas you will find here are the outcome of give-back generosity by our kind donors, corporate sponsors, and volunteers.
"Design Gives Back welcomes all that love to design, build or decorate. Our mission is to help those in-need to have more positive living conditions. Hope comes when walls turn from cracked and peeling, to smooth and colorful. The ability to see life differently is prompted by a change in one's surroundings. Cancer patient Colette is an inspiring example of the process. We see her world go from negative to positive in just a few days. Planning a brighter future -- a new job, loving relationships, healthier habits -- is easier when renewed rooms prove that renewed lives are possible for the tired or homeless. It is in this way that design volunteers become heroes, angels and missionaries."
Moms do it ALL. Their lives are one long illustration of what it is to "give back." Why not let a fun DIY project give a mom you know what she most wants for her day: just a little moment with her family, a day to remember. A recent survey revealed that many moms don't receive a card or present on holidays, even though they give so much to everyone else. With Mother's Day just a few months away, consider a kitchen spruce-up as a gift this year. It is possible even on a tiny budget, like the project shown below.
Better Homes and Gardens' Do-It-Yourself magazine featured this project and it received the honor of appearing on the cover. Thank-you to Susan Andrews for creating the partnership with BH&G to help this deserving family. We worked with Jody (mother of five), and her family, to brighten the space and make it symbolic of motherhood. Her life in non-profit work had been all about giving. Now, it was her moment. Really, aren't all moms non-profit workers? This kitchen started out a dismal, barren gray and received a cheerful makeover. A group of give-back minded craftspeople helped Jody to have this special space. Jody and her family worked together with the team. The thrifty and nifty projects included:
A Floral Color Palette: The geranium pink, delphinium blue and daisy yellow for the walls and cabinets were all taken from Jody's favorite flowers. Paint averages $14 a can – so have a painting day to enliven mom's space.
Refacing The Old Cabinets: Master kitchen designer, Steve Heiffus, volunteered his talents for the reinvention of the cabinetry. New doors added to the existing cases made for a budget-friendly fix-up.
Salvaged-Tin Backsplash: Recycled turn-of-the-century tin ceiling was used as countertop backsplash and wainscoting. Tin backsplash: $150.
Fireplace Settee: A bricked-over fireplace had a bench added to it to make it functional for the table. Our dear friend, the late Phyllis Harris, gave it a distressed and crackled finish. Phyllis also helped create the accent colors for the new cabinet doors. Materials cost for a paint crackle kit: $75, DIY!
Paint Canvas Chairs: Jody painted blue denim and white canvas slipcovers in her symbol for family – bountiful fruit. Worldwide, fruit baskets are a symbol of prosperity. Think of your own symbols to use in more meaningful decorating. Kelee Katillac showed Jody how to draw and transfer a simple painted pattern to the canvas. Jody had never painted before. We think she is a natural. Don't you?
Small budget makes big creativity: Old chairs get fresh slipcovers. Fabric costs per chair: $45. The slipcovers are machine washable – great for families with kids. Andy and Laura Rowzee helped by sewing them for us. Rowzee Upholstery has always been a talented and giving business in Kansas City, Missouri.
Heirloom Curtains: Hand-embroidered sheets were cut into thrifty and nifty cafe curtains. Sheet for 4 windows: total $90.
Cabinet Dress-up: We added a set of vintage glass doors to match the 1915 pedigree of the Edwardian Home and a "feature door" with photos of Jody's mother as a child. Door and glass costs: $250/door. Our friend, craftsman Lew Edmister, worked on the tin splash and doors. His daughter, the talented Kelly Edmister also helped out.
* This kitchen and story were featured on the cover of D0-It-Yourself magazine, a Better Homes & Gardens publication. Susan Andrews, field editor, helped make it all possible by creating the partnership with the magazine. Lois Benge-Fortin provided administrative support. Kathy Wismer, too.
The 1915 apartment that is the home of interior designer Kelee Katillac and architectural designer Steve Heiffus' studio has been honored with a 10-page feature in the September issue of House Beautiful magazine. To see and read all about the Katillac Couture Collection: romantic fabrics, finishes and home furnishings, go here. Pick-up a copy to enjoy the photographs, as well as, the other amazing projects House Beautiful is showing. Katillac hopes designate a portion of the proceeds from her forthcoming collection to Design Gives Backtm projects.
Photo/House Beautiful/Bjorn Wallander
DGB Team Post
Happy Pink Saturday!
8/10: Thank-you DGB Team and House Beautiful for this honor! I wanted to check in with some of our biggest supporters -- the "Design Angels" over at the Pink Saturday blog .... lets visualize another great "Miracle Makeover" we can join together-in during the coming year! I miss you all... and appreciate you. Group hug.... corny as it may be... xo Kelee
P.S. Read the latest about Charlie -- just below here.... and Colette is doing well too!