80th Room Story

R's Story

R is a four year old boy with a beautiful smile and a mighty golf swing. He has a passion for sports, the Blue Angels and playing with his devoted Mom and Dad.

Adored by his Grandmas, nurtured by family, and loved by all those lucky enough to meet him, this little guy is simply adorable.

R is currently four years and thriving! But his journey through life has been filled with ups and downs and twists and turns. His parents advocate for him every step of the way to ensure he gets exactly what he needs to surpass every expectation. R was born with complex congenital heart disease that required open heart surgery one month after he was born. To complicate matters, he also suffered a severe subdural hematoma at birth. At the tender age of two-and-a-half he required another open heart surgery. R was born with DiGeorge Syndrome, often referred to as 22q11 deletion syndrome.

The 22q11.2 deletion occurs in approximately 1 in every 2,000 to 4,000 live births, although this is likely a gross underestimate of its prevalence. It is thought to be almost as common as Down syndrome. In addition, it is the most frequent cause of syndromic palatal defects, and it is found in 1 of 68 children born with a heart defect. Despite this prevalence, many physicians are still not familiar with the diagnosis or its extreme variability. Because of this, a family may search for years for an explanation for a child’s problems, as well as for meaningful help. Sometimes patients are in their late teens or even adulthood when the diagnosis is made, and many people never get properly diagnosed at all.

R was nominated for a Sweet Dream room makeover by his world-class pediatrician, Dr. Christine Wood of Coast Pediatrics in Carmel Valley. Dr. Wood is simply the best when it comes to finding quality care for your child. We're thrilled to be able to provide a room for her pint-sized patient!

We would like to thank Gensler and the gServe team for donating their time and talent to help Cecily's Closet complete our 80th room makeover. The team at Gensler reached out to their business partners and secured wonderful donations from the following companies: ScanTech Graphics for the beautiful sky wall graphic print and installation, Pablo Lighting for the touch-to-light table lamps,  Maharam for the custom fabric for R's bed, Interface for the beautiful carpet, Restoration Hardware for the sheets, sports ball holders and decorative letter "R". We would like to thank BKM for the bedding and Montbleau & Associates for the clear-coat finish on all wood pieces. Thank you to OCS Lighting & Control and USA Lightings and Bilton for the amazing LED tape light. Thank you to Creigh Photography for the original photography on the photo wall and ARC Document Solutions for printing photos for the photo wall. Thank you to Sherwin Williams for donating the paint for the custom runway and the Blue Angels sign and putting green platform. Thank you to TH&H Hardwoods & Hardware for their discount on plywood & finish materials and Frost Hardwood Lumber Co. for their discount on plywood & delivery.

The volunteer gServe team designed and fabricated numerous custom items for this room! From the CNC-cut custom wing structure light fixture to the custom putting green, to the aircraft carrier shelf, to the upholstered headboard and quilted pillow, to the adjustable video monitor arm mount, to the display wall for all of R's new signed balls and memorabilia. The feature wall was CNC-cut birch plywood shelving units to display R's airplanes, books and toys.  This is a room built with love by volunteers who give selflessly for the benefit of a child. Volunteers are the heart and soul of our operation and we are grateful that this team donated 100% of their time and talent to bring Miramar home for R.

Gensler designed the dream space and we think R's reaction couldn't have been more perfect! "This is awesome! This is a museum! This is like Miramar! Can we play in here? This is incredible!"

We think the big smiles and happy dance performed by "R" was the perfect thank you to this team who put countless hours into this room design.

In addition to Gensler, we had an army of people donating goods to support the theme. This extensive effort was led by Emily Dolton. We're not sure how she does it... but we're so lucky to have her on the team! Artist Emily Dolton is the mom of a child with 22q 11.2 Deletion. Besides volunteering as an artist with Cecily’s Closet, Emily works with San Diego Family Magazine’s non-profit Special Needs Resource Foundation of San Diego to produce the 900 resource Flourishing Families Guide. San Diego Family provided a bike for R. San Diego Family provided a bike for R and has been a proud partner of Cecily’s Closet for 5 years. Emily is grateful to Matthew Boomhower of Southern Cross Property Consultants for cutting out the wooden Blue Angels Logo for her to paint. Emily also painted the Gensler designed runway for R’s floor and organized donations of sports and Blue Angels related items.

Thank you to Laura Cross from Bassett Furniture for leveraging her extensive contacts to get a beautiful full mattress donated.

Thank you to San Diego Family Magazine for their generous donation of an awesome bike!

Thank you to PaintGreen for coming in and kicking off the install process with a perfectly painted fresh coat of paint. The three color combo provided the perfect foundation for the custom wood and framed art. Jon Ray and his team work on every room and we can't thank them enough!

Local Junior Golf Champ Brooke Seay was able to score R 5 PGA Champ signatures on balls, a hat and a t-shirt!!
Brooke is a Callaway Jr. World Golf Champion (Age 10- 2011), U.S. Kids Golf World Champion (Age 12 -2013) and the San Diego CIF Champion and MVP (2015).

Special thanks to Sycuan Golf Pro Shop for providing the family with a round of golf, golf towels, Padres hat, Sycuan Pro shop merchandise.

Willie Tucker and his wife Nancy have a teenager who grew up on the green. They generously donated a special, child-sized golf bag, polarized sun glasses, specialty Tiger Woods hats, towels, golf balls and a signed Ladainian Tomlinson golf bag for Dad!

Retired Charger Quentin Jammer signed a kid’s football for R. Quentin and his family are partners in the local We Rock the Spectrum Kid’s Gym Franchise in Carmel Mountain. We Rock provides a place for kids on the Autism Spectrum and their friends and family to play in a safe and understanding environment.

The 22Q 11.2 Connection and the Cubs
Retired World Series winning pitcher Ryan Dempster (Chicago Cubs) has a daughter with 22Q 11.2 Deletion Syndrome. Ryan was nice enough to send a ball through the former director of his charitable Dempster Family Foundation, Michele Breedlove Sells. The Dempster Family Foundation has recently transferred their resources to the 22Q Family Foundation to continue the mission.

The Milsap Family has an amazing blog started by their eldest son about youngest son Mason. Mason has three genetic anomalies, including 22q 11.2. The Blog is called Cup of Noody (Mason’s nickname), and you can follow Noody on Facebook and Instagram. Noody is the unofficial spokesperson for the Tennessee Smokies, a Triple A Cubbies Team. Noody’s mom was able to score us a signed bat and ball and Elizabethtown, New York Woodworker Jeff Gavaletz of JMG Woodworking (the cousin of a child with 22Q), created a beautiful hand crafted home plate display rack.

Mark Grant, Fox News Color Commentator for the San Diego Padres, former Padre and former Cubbies Triple A player, invited the family to join him at a Padres game for a signed ball. Grant is also the dad of a child with Down Syndrome and a source of support for those with disabilities. Special thanks to Katie Williams for making introductions!

Rob Liwanag has been a member of the Championship San Diego Lions Australian Football Club for 15 years. Rob has a “nephew” with 22Q and was kind enough to get us a ball signed by the club. This is “Uncle Rob’s” third room contribution to Cecily’s Closet!

Thank you to the San Diego Sockers for donating a signed ball.

Thank you to Cherri and William Cary of Williams Aerospace and Manufacturing, Inc. Bill provided the beautiful wood model of the C-130 Fat Albert Plane. This is Cherri’s third room with us either as a donor or photographer.

Thank you to TaylorMade for their generous donation of a signed lithograph of a local golf course, a giant driver head and putter and three leather golf club covers.

Major Christopher Collins and his wife Tracey were instrumental in securing Blue Angels planes, a beautiful kite, lithographs, Sean Tucker litho and a signed Oracle Sean Tucker hat for the room. Major Collins is a United States Marine and former Blue Angels pilot flying in the number 3 and 4 slots. It is Chris’s actual flight suit that provided the jumping off point for the life-sized Blue Angel Pilot doll. This is their second Blue Angels themed room with Cecily’s and we thank Chris for his help on R’s room and his service to our country. Sean Tucker is one of the most celebrated pilots of our time. His stunts and “firsts” are too numerous to mention!

And thank you to the Rancho Santa Fe Foundation for generously granting Cecily's Closet the funds to keep our organization chugging along! Thank you for making our 80th Sweet Dream Room makeover a possibility!

R's Sweet Dream Room Makeover

gServe Team in Action

Thank you to ARC Document Solutions for donating the printing services for R’s Blue Angels photo wall. ARC has technology solutions for any document challenge, whether it is printing, archiving, or document management. Thank you for supporting Cecily’s Closet with your donation.

Thank you to Creigh Photography for donating original photographs for R’s Blue Angels photo wall. This local San Diego photographer captures the unique landscape and life from every inch of the county. Whether the subject is an unforgettable sunset or the Blue Angels flying over the annual Miramar Air Show, the level of detail applied to each shot shows a passion for both the art of photography and the beauty of San Diego.

Thank you to OCS Lighting & Control, USALightings and Bilton for their donation of Bilton LED tape lighting used at the wing structure pendant and around the headboard to make brighten our cloudy sky graphic wall. Founded in 1979, this lighting agency has grown into one of San Diego’s most respected agencies and has earned the reputation as the “go to” place for specifiers, contractors, distributors and the theatrical market. Their goal is to help inspire creativity by offering the highest quality lighting products that meet the requirements of virtually any project, regardless of scope, size, value, budget, type, and requirements. USALightings, which is the North American source for Bilton lighting products, aims to provide superior advice and knowledge in the specific niche of tape light, to provide new and innovative products helping specifiers to achieve their ambitious goals creating outstanding lighting solutions. Michael Strassfeld once said, "Light gives of itself freely, filling all available space. It does not seek anything in return; it asks not whether you are friend or foe. It gives of itself and is not thereby diminished." We are grateful for this trio of company’s giving spirits. The donated lighting brightens not only the room but also the spirit of this special boy.

Thank you to Gensler and the gServe Team for reaching out to Cecily's Closet and volunteering to complete a room makeover for our organization. This all-star team is no stranger to design. Gensler is an integrated architecture, design, planning and consulting firm—5000+ professionals networked across 46 offices—providing global reach with local touch. The time, energy, passion and commitment they put forth for this project is unbelievable appreciated by the family and our board of directors! Thank you Gensler and the volunteer team, gServe.

Thank you to our trusted partner, PaintGreen. PaintGreen was founded by Jon Ray, who has been painting since 1996. Jon ran a student painting franchise while going to business school at Seattle Pacific University. During this time, he learned that providing quality work and operating in an environment of integrity earned him referrals, was a great way to grow a business, and matched his personal values. Jon founded PaintGreen in 2006.

Customers receive high-quality painting for a fair price. Painters receive fair compensation and respect on the job. Suppliers get honest dealings.

Inside Emily Dolton's Head

Thank you to Emily Dolton for 50th time volunteering with our organization on rooms. Whoa! We would never have hit our 80th milestone without Emily's devotion to Cecily's Closet.

As the owner and sole employee of her company, Emily designs and creates color palettes, murals and faux finishes for clients big and small. 99% of her work is residential and 95% of it is word of mouth referral. Her
specialties include: an eye for seeing the base colors of any given neutral, exceeding client needs and wants, and making children grin from ear to ear!

Contact Emily for a FREE quote! She is passionate about helping her clients achieve their desired results. She can be reached at 858-366-3720!

Thank you to Interface for the carpet donation that made R's floor come to life. Interface believes that change starts with us and is transforming Interface from a plunderer of the earth to an agent of its restoration. Through this process of redesigning ourselves, we hope to be a catalyst for the redesign of global industry. Thank you for your donation to Cecily's Closet!

Thank you to Scantech for the amazing wall graphic which they printed and installed. To ensure the graphic would not create any air quality issues in R’s room, Scantech’s president, Kevin Gennerman, thoughtfully recommended it be printed with latex inks on HP PVC-Free paper based film which installs with water. Scantech has 50 years of combined experiences in bringing brands and messaging to reality, their tradeshow marketing team of designers, production and account manager will bring you exceptional solutions to your trade show objectives. Their creative staff and exhibit professionals will always consider the importance of your brand; help to explain your product development or services through an array of exhibit components suitable for your specific needs.

Thank you to Maharam for the “Flock” felt fabric donation to upholster R's custom bed headboard and for use in the custom quilted pillow. Maharam is recognized for its rigorous and holistic commitment to design as a leading provider of textiles to architects and interior designers. Maharam embraces a range of disciplines, from product, graphic, and digital design to art and architecture. Thank you for your generous fabric donation.

Thank you to San Diego Family for the donation of a new bike! San Diego Family has been San Diego County’s best parenting resource since 1982. Our mission is to enhance the quality of life for San Diego County families by providing information and resources that support the importance and pleasure of parenting. Our readers are parents and caregivers of children ages 0–18.San Diego Family Magazine is a free monthly publication with circulation of 100.000. It is distributed to more than 1,700 locations throughout the county.

In addition, they formed a Special Needs Resource Foundation of San Diego is our nonprofit charity under Section 501(c)3 corporation established in 2014.

Thank you to Pablo Designs for their light donations. Pablo Designs, founded in 1993,is a lighting company specialized in refined designs that reinterpret light in its many forms. We are grateful for their donation this amazing space!

Thank you to Bassett Furniture in San Diego for generously contacting their partner, Tempur-Pedic, and securing the donation of a full mattress for R's new bed. One visit to a store and you realize that Bassett is much more than a furniture store. Their skilled Design Consultants are dedicated to taking the guesswork out of decorating. They’ll help create custom furnishings, define your decorating lifestyle, establish a budget, make a house call, or simply offer an opinion…all free of charge. Plus, they support organizations like ours and we are very grateful!

Tempur-Pedic believes everyone deserves a great night’s sleep. It’s what drove the original “Swedish scientists” who spent years perfecting a NASA® invention into TEMPUR material. And it is the passion that drives us today, as we create new and better sleep products that continue to change the way the world sleeps. Thanks for making sure "R" has sweet dreams in his new big boy bed!

Thank you to TaylorMade for their generous donation. TaylorMade Golf Company is a global company, we strive to become an integral part of the community by demonstrating our leadership in the area of corporate citizenship and contributions to the community. We believe that a healthy community is important to all of us. TaylorMade Golf Company continues to develop, build and sustain relationships within our local community and throughout the United States.

Thank you to Montbleau & Associates for their generous donation of providing a durable and professional spray finish clear coat to the custom wood items made by the Gensler gServe Team. Montbleau & Associates is one of San Diego’s premier architectural woodwork and fine furniture makers. They are a professional team of approximately 120 craftsmen, project managers and engineers established by Ron Montbleau over 35 years ago. Their team is
experienced and skilled in manufacturing architectural woodwork, corporate furniture and casework for large hospitality and commercial projects. We are so grateful for your support of this special project!

The generosity of the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation has been experienced and well documented over the years by a wide variety of charitable and civic groups and individuals throughout San Diego County. Thank you for your support of Cecily's Closet.

Thank you to bkm OfficeWorks for their donation of the beautiful pintuck duvet which created the floating cloud look of R’s bed. bkm also donated the duvet insert, sham pillows, and sham covers which all completed the final look. bkm collaborates with vendors that use green products and methods to provide workspace solutions throughout southern California. Their designers, managers, sales, movers, and installers all work within their showroom which is currently the largest of its’ kind in San Diego at 23,500 square feet. We truly appreciate their generous team in pitching in to allow our idea to come to fruition!

Thank you to Restoration Hardware for their donation of the Vintage Airplane sheet set, which no Blue Angels room would be complete without. RH also donated several sports display racks, which elegantly showcase all of R’s sports memorabilia. Restoration Hardware is a home furnishing marketplace that serves as a curator of the finest historical design the world has to offer. Their collections of timeless, updated classics and authentic reproductions provide a unique point of view and an unmatched combination of inspired design, high quality and unparalleled value.