They were lucky enough to recently receive a grant that will help them house people in 24 apartments with HIV/AIDS who find themselves homeless after lengthy hospital stays. "This is really needed because we run into this problem frequently. The grant covers a tiny bit of furniture, but nothing else." said Melissa Grove, Executive Director for Legacy Counseling. But that Melissa is one crafty gal.
There's a difference between a house and a home and Grove dreamed up a households good drive and competition that she called Ready Set Home! to get the other items needed for their first 10 apartments (sheets, frying pans, towels, etc.) and bring out the interior designer in us all.
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| The winning apartment. Who wouldn't want to live here!? photo: LeeAnne Locken |
A few weeks ago teams competed to "set up" an apartment and the winning team won a wine tasting for 20 at their home from Premier Wines of Plano. There was a team of "Function" judges who went through and judged the apartments based on if the kitchen had basic utensils and gadgets, if there were sheets and bed linens, etc. They included: David Taffet (Kuchling Award Winner 2013 for Black Tie Dinner and staff writer at the Dallas Voice) Jeff McKnight (Red Party Chairman and Designer at Emily Summers Design Associates), Justin Anderson (Legacy Board Member) and Justin Anderson (CAPS, Corporate Operations Manager Quest Asset Management, Inc.) Along with my sidekick, LeeAnne Locken, I was asked to be a celebrity judge to determine which of the 10 apartments in the competition was set up the best for the clients who were moving in from an aesthetic standpoint. The day ended with a delicious dinner at Lockhart BBQ where all teams were thanked and fun prized awarded. Congrats to The Welcoming Committee led by committee head Pat Salvaggio for taking home the grand prize of the creating the best over-all apartment.
They have 14 apartments left to furnish and design and the next go-around of this event will occur on November 17. To learn more about Legacy Counseling and how you can get involved, visit https://www.legacycares.org
