Be Brave. Be Bold. Be You!
We were so honored to be working with the International Interior Design Association, IIDA on another project! We are passionate about improving the lives of children with special needs, and their devoted siblings. We learn something special after every project, but during this makeover we learned some new tricks of the trade directly from the experts! From the kick-off brainstorm session to planning the design, we were the students getting to watch the professional design process unfold. Our team was in awe of how this crew of dedicated creative and caring people curated a space that was comfortable and calming for Grace. We heard about Grace and her little brother Joey from a social worker with Rady Children’s Hospital’s Palliative Care program. We learned about Grace's little brother Joey, a sweet three year old boy who is diagnosed with a chromosome anomaly. He has seizures, is fed by a g-tube, with a history of chronic lung disease and is dependent on a tracheostomy to help him breathe. Unfortunately Joey's health has taken a devastating decline recently, and he was moved into hospice care. Due to Joey being medically fragile, he is in his home most of the time being cared for by his mother or an in home nurse. Our team decided that both Grace and Joey needed a boost! Joey's 7-year-old sister loves her adorable, big-eyed brother immensely. It can be hard as a sibling to watch your beloved buddy suffer so much, and so often. Siblings of children with special needs have special needs themselves. Their sister or brother with special needs will get a bigger share of attention. While having a special needs sib presents challenges, it also comes with opportunities. Kids who grow up with a sibling with special health or developmental needs may have more of a chance to develop many good qualities, including patience, kindness, acceptance, compassion and empathy for others. Grace has watched (and helped) her devoted mother care for Joey around the clock. Mom is a night-nurse at Rady Children's, so she knows a thing or two (and more!) for how to take care of a medically fragile child. Mom does everything she can to support her two children. Joey has not had an easy road, with frequent hospital stays, health scares and the dependence on multiple machines to survive. Our team was very excited to spoil Grace and surprise her with a room makeover during this challenging time. And of course, Joey was not left out! Joey received a bunch of new goodies for his crib and room, including a sensory blanket, mobile, movies and an adorable mobile for him to look at! We are grateful to IIDA for taking on this big project. our volunteers who are truly the heart and soul of our organization. In addition to getting to know the family, making frequent visits to help organize and plan, the team garnered an amazing army of businesses to donate to this special room. More than twelve businesses shared very generous donations to transform this room into a dream space for Grace. The team even did some covert fundraising via GoFundMe to purchase a heavenly chair, where Grace can cuddle up with mountains of pretty pillows and a book to get away from the stress of her life. And of course, thank you to PaintGreen for once again providing the perfect backdrop for this room makeover. And thank you to our fearless Project Lead from the Cecily's Closet Team, Kelly Wesseln, for making sure the planning efforts, on-site visits and busy 4-day install went smoothly from start to finish. We have the best team in the world and we're inspired to be working with IIDA. Thanks for making Grace's Sweet Dream room makeover possible. Grace's Sweet Dream Room Makeover
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Thank you IIDA
Thank you to the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) for helping us complete our sibling room for Grace. We had a crew of dedicated volunteers on this project, but it would not have happened without the amazing leadership of IIDA Project lead, Tammy Miller. Thank you to IIDA team members, Joelle Yazzolino, Erin Bilz, Jennifer Sun, Jessie Pooler John Kuehl, Jessica Newman & class at The Art Institute of CA-San Diego for working so hard to transform Grace's room into a calm, tranquil and peaceful retreat. If you look at the room closely you'll see professional touches everywhere - from the privacy designer wall, to the trundle bed, designer dream chair, stylized pin striped walls and more. We appreciate you digging deep into your list of vendors who generously contributed everything from lighting to carpeting, stools to paint, signs and more. We were over-the-top excited when IIDA surprised us with an announcement that they were covering every cost associated with the room makeover! We know Grace and her family are going to enjoy this space for years to come! In addition to having the leadership of IIDA we were lucky enough to have wonderful donations pouring in.
Thank you to Rachelle Wittmayer from Momentum Textiles for donating the beautiful Chant fabric.
Thank you to John Freese from SCI Lighting for donating the fabulous desk lamp by Envirobrite.
Thank you to Ymisserah Eddinton from BKM for donating the stylish and functional four-drawer file cabinet by Steelcase to help keep this busy family organized.
Thank you to Patti Wentz for donating four acoustic wall panel boxes. They gave the room a modern edge. 
Thank you to Jessie Pooler for donating the Showbiz carpet.
It warmed the room and provided a beautiful color contrast to the fun walls. 
Thank you to Kimberly McCready for donating the beautiful Gamut fabric.
Thank you to Amber Preciado for donating the mirror film and install for the project that made the sliding closer doors pop! Thank you to Chris to from Miramar Signworks for the font design and install on the beautiful closet doors. 
Thank you to Peter Gaeta for the donation of the flat paint for the perfectly painted lines on Grace's walls. These stripes added an extra zing to the room.
Thank you to our longest standing partner, PaintGreen for once again providing the perfect paintjob for this room to pop!
Blue Gate Construction
Thank you to Johnny O'Brien from Blue Gate Construction for all of his hard-work. Installing, hanging, lifting and making sure everything was safe and secure for Grace.
IIDA Volunteers in Action... |
Cecily's Closet
