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For the past two months, AT HOME has been overseeing a community effort to get five Habitat for Humanity houses furnished and finished. More than 30 designers immediately raised their collective hands to volunteer; retailers from Amini’s to Carol House, Benjamin Moore, Boa Construction, The Home Decorators Collections, The HomePort Collection, HomeSource Design Studio, KDR, Little Shop Around the Corner, Locks and Pulls, Saint Louis Closet Company, Weekends Only and Winslow Home, among others, have generously donated goods and services.
We’re now asking for your help. (Details await at the end of this amazingly wordy blog. Please. Hang in there.)
The five families benefiting are all working hard and doing their level best to stay ahead. It's been tough.
To give you a birds-eye view of these households:
House One is headed by a young couple—she’s studying to get her degree in criminal justice in the hope of becoming an FBI agent; a passionate cook, he’s heading to culinary school. The seven-year-old boy is a huge fan of both Kobe Bryant (of the Lakers) and Tony Hawk (of skateboarding). The three-year-old star of the clan is named Maleyah—and she’s crazy about the color pink.
House Two: The mother and head of the household works at the Drury Hotel. Her three sons keep her busy—and proud. The oldest is 13, a talented artist and an aspiring architect. The second son is 10 and is a huge sports (and video game) fan. The youngest, at 6, wears his “Cars” slippers as much as he can.
House Three: This single mom to two boys and one little girl works as an assistant clerk in the Division of Family Services. Her eldest is 11 and is a great help with the two younger kids. The only girl, 7, is really excited about getting her new bedroom, her new PINK bedroom. The littlest one is only 3 and according to the designers working on the house, “the cutest little boy in the whole world!”
House Four: This single mom works in a daycare center and has two toddlers: a bubbly little four-year-old girl and a darling one-year-old boy who is suffering from a condition, which will ultimately cost him his sight. Recently this mom’s own mother passed away so she opened her doors and took in her 17-year-old sister to raise as well. When she met with the designers she asked them “to make my dreams come true.”
House Five: This house is the only house with all females. The mother works as a bus driver. Her daughters (each more polite than the next) are ages: 16, 14, 3 and a brand-new one-month-old baby. (Oh, okay, the baby is simply adorable. Good manners are not quite in place, yet.) In this house, the designers are working hard to finish off the basement and give the little ones a place to play and a space for the teenagers to be with their friends.
The support from everyone has been heartwarming. And, I haven’t even had a chance to mention the marvelous Dr. Sandra Mims and her Oakville Elementary art classes (grades 3, 4 and 5). They’re painting old chairs and skateboards to put in the houses. Here’s an example of their work.
Finally (and if you hung in there long enough to get to this finally), we are asking you to get involved in our project. There are a number of oddball items—from towels to bedding, posters, lamps, rugs—that the designers still need to get the houses finished.
So, we turned to that age-old tradition of going to the store and registering for all their wishes and wants. It’s here. (Or you can access it by doing an advanced search and putting in under email: cmarshall@stlmag.com or the list ID: 012399101168836.) Then simply scroll down and if you see something you’d like to donate to the cause, add it to your shopping cart. After you check out, it will be sent to AT HOME offices and then the designers will pick up the appropriate piece for their house.
Each and EVERY donation is GREATLY APPRECIATED.
Please consider helping us … by helping others.
