Reaching out

This week I was fortunate to meet the founders of, and hear about a wonderful foundation based here in my small town.  There are not enough nice things to say about the founder and her family, and the work "Spread a Little Joy Foundation" has done, and continues to do.

About

Spread A Little Joy Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to making wishes come true for adults with life threatening illnesses, while offering their families lifetime memories, resources, and support.www.spreadalittlejoy.org

Mission

Spread A Little Joy Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to making wishes come true for adults with life threatening illnesses, while offering their families lifetime memories, resources, and support.
It was founded in memory of Joy Holmes Brown who lost her courageous battle with cancer in November 2010.

Biography

When our mother was diagnosed with terminal leiomyosarcoma cancer, she felt helpless, scared, and frustrated. We realized the only thing we could do was to help keep her spirits up, and in an effort to do so, we chose to try to fulfill as many of her wishes as we could.
Through the efforts of family and friends, we were blessed to be able to make many of our mom's dreams come true. Watching her smile and laugh while she enjoyed these experiences was not only beneficial to her, it helped us as a family. We were making memories to last us a lifetime. Through our Spread A Little Joy Foundation, we now hope to pass these gifts on to others in need.

Company Overview

Non-profit organization based in Kansas City founded in 2011.

Description

We offer patient driven wish fulfillment in an effort to give the patient (our dreamers) spirit lifting experiences, and to give their families memories of a lifetime.
By creating a network of supporters we hope to be able to call on people to assist whenever their particular skills or connections are needed. 

Like their facebook page here.
Visit their website here.

Multipurpose

I've been working on a new project.  I have the opportunity to do a pro bono project, turning an old church, into a useful multipurpose building for youth group, a contemporary service, and a coffee and snack area.  The church has owned this building for a number of years, and it is currently largely unused.

The decor needed to be geared towards young adults, in the 20-30 year range.  The color pallet I chose is elegant and modern.

I gave the church two options for the coffee and snack area.

The first option kept the small two piece bath that is currently there.  Flipping the sink from the main room into the office and adding cabinets on the back wall for more storage.  Opening up the window, and adding a small 10" counter for setting coffee pots and other items on.

The second option would be a bit more expensive as it would mean taking down the walls to the bathroom, capping the toilet and using the plumbing for the sink for the plumbing for the new kitchen sink.  The cabinetry would extend on two sides of the room giving more storage space and more prep space.

The main space would be visually divided by the furniture in the room.  The church requested pub height tables and chairs.

At the opposite end of the space is the baptismal.  It is currently blocked off and not working, but the plans are to fix it, and revamp it so it can be part of the decor.  My plans are to remove the current orange painted paneling and to drywall the entire wall, painting it off white so it can be used with projectors.  The paneling in the baptismal area is to be replaced with faux barn wood. And finished with a Styrofoam cross created by the youth group.

The current ceiling fans need to be replaced, and new carpeting throughout!  I am excited to hear back from the presenter to hear which option the church chooses, and to hopefully be involved in the remodel process!