Ashley: Our MLK Day was a great event for all of us to work together on. It was a long day, but at the end of it we were able to say that we really did something special for the future residents of Grace House. I feel very good about the changes we made to the home, and I believe we accomplished many of the goals we made for ourselves at the beginning of the planning stages. MLK Day was meant to be a “day on” and not a day off, and I feel it was ON!
Brian: I’m not sure any of us understood how much work we were getting into, but we got it done. All of it. We worked ourselves silly with painting, construction and cleaning. Residents of transitional housing are often tossed aside by society. To know that we affected the residents' surroundings in a positive manner gave a great feeling of elation.
Claire: I think this project was very true to Dr. King’s legacy of service and commitment to the community. It was an honor to make Grace House more of a home for the women and children who stay there.
Erin: We quickly realized that we had an enormous amount of work ahead of us. Paint started to go up, everyone worked feverishly to make sure we got everything done, and our nine-hour project quickly became a 14-hour day. By the end we were sore and beat, but darn proud of what we had accomplished.
Jennifer: Being able to serve on MLK Day felt great, we really worked hard give the women of Grace House a home.Joanna: A person’s environment is going to be what helps them grow. The impact of a simple piece of artwork on the wall is astounding. When their world is upside down it puts a person at ease to walk into a room that looks and feels comforting. The changes we made to Grace House are sure to foster some change-positive attitudes and allow the women living there to refresh their sense of self-worth. I am honored to have been part of a project that offers the residents a new take on transitional housing.
Megan: The impact of our project really hit me as I began to write our thank-you notes to donors. There were so many people whose generosity made this project a success. We received donations from people who lived hundreds of miles away from Grace House, who didn’t have to help, who didn’t know us and who didn’t have to care. These people stepped up and made our project possible. Without them, all of the hard work in the world wouldn’t have mattered. We could not have served Grace House without them.
