Our 6th Room Makeover
On March 18, the FT Cares Foundation, along with 5 of its volunteers, helped makeover a space for a young man diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in October of 2021. Matt, who is 17, got a teen hangout room, full of LED lighting, sports-related artwork, movie-style seating, an ivy wall (yes, ivy!) and games (dartboard, etc.) for Matt and his brothers!
Here's How it Works: The recipient and family leave the house. The volunteer team and Special Spaces personnel get to work. We'll have from 9-5 to transform the room. In this case, we painted all walls, two coats, painted a special wall with blackboard paint, hung a wall of ivy, helped hang TVs and mirrors (6 of them!) added LED lighting and whatever else was needed. Matt and his family came back to see his transformed man cave space and absolutely loved the new space. Seeing Matt react to his man cave was worth every single minute we spent doing the transforming work. A special thanks to Dave Sievertson, Rachel Williams, Jennifer Grzeskiewicz, Jessica Segreto and Laura Riedel who joined Lisa, Debbie and Jane in getting this room done!
Who is Special Spaces? Special Spaces exists to help kids who are cancer patients get a dream room to provide them with a safe place to recover, heal, sleep, play....in other words, a very special place to just be a kid!
Children with cancer spend a lot of time away from others: time in the hospital, visiting different doctors, receiving painful treatments, feeling tired and nauseous. Often times they can experience feelings of isolation. The Special Spaces team meets with the family to learn about the patient and what he or she would like for their special space. All supplies, including new paint, new furniture, window treatments, closet organization, medical storage, painted murals and custom décor, to name a few, are brought by Special Spaces on Makeover Day. A team of dedicated volunteers shows up on the day of the makeover, the family leaves, and by 5:00 p.m. the room is ready to be shown to the young man or lady for whom the room has been created.
How Long has Special Spaces Been Doing This Work? Special Spaces was founded in 2004 in Knoxville, TN. From that beginning, and starting with one makeover, Special Spaces has grown into a national volunteer organization. There are currently 19 chapters in 13 states. Currently, over 1100 dream makeovers have been granted. As Special Spaces puts it “We measure our success not only in quantity, but in the quality of the experience. We are proud to be a high touch, high impact organization that changes the lives of children in our communities.”
Special Spaces: We do this....One Child. One Room. One Day....at a time.
Chapters: Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Wisconsin
Check out some of the previous room makeovers that Special Spaces has created!
