This was an assignment that was pure joy to write! It was for a non-profit organization called Room for Joy and this business was inspired by a woman who was moved to action after reading Pastor Rick Warren's bestselling book, a Purpose-Driven Life. This article appeared on the front page of a community-based newspaper I freelanced at while living in Arizona.
Designer creates beautiful rooms and brings joy to chronically ill children through Room for Joy
These days, room makeovers are all the rage.
You have probably caught an episode on HGTV or A&E or read about a makeover in the home section of your local paper where a designer takes an unsightly room and transforms it into an efficient workspace, game room or perhaps a tropical retreat.
What about a room makeover that transforms how a chronically ill child feels or in many cases, how he or she heals? That is exactly what interior designer Tory Smock and her volunteers at Room for Joy are doing for children in Phoenix and the surrounding areas.
Mesa-based Room for Joy is a non-profit, faith-based organization that is like an extreme home makeover for seriously ill children. They are dedicated to enhancing the healing process of chronically ill children by providing them with a positive bedroom environment based on their unique interests and needs. This is what they did for 10-year old Sharon, whose bedroom now looks like a garden with flowers, butterflies and blue skies. It is beautiful to look and set up to meet her medical needs.
These makeovers are a passion for Smock, whose previous jobs included a 10-year career with Home Depot as an interior designer. She recently quit her last job to concentrate solely on Room for Joy. The idea came to her in 2003, after receiving inspiration from a program created by Rick Warren, a Southern California pastor who wrote the book, The Purpose Driven Life. She realized that while she loved the creativity of her career, it felt empty to her.
However, everything changed when she heard about a room makeover program for children in another state called Sweet Dreams. A light bulb went off and she knew this was what she was destined to do because it could combine her talent for interior design with her passion to help ill children. After researching the possibility of doing an Arizona-version of Sweet Dreams, she decided to start her own non-profit organization.
It has been a long road for Smock who says she has hit many brick walls on her journey. She got her big break in December 2005 when a pastor at the Central Christian Church in east Mesa heard the idea, made it into an outreach mission, and gave her the funds to makeover two rooms. With her funding in place and the Phoenix Children’s Hospital providing the names of children whose parents needed assistance, she was set to move forward.
“Our first two-day room makeover was for a 12-year old foster child named Andrea and I was deeply humbled by the whole experience,” Smock remembers. “This little girl had bounced around from home to home and for the first time in her life, she had a beautiful room that her foster parents said gave her so much enjoyment and made her smile. It was the first time she ever had a sleepover in her bedroom.”
“Sadly, in this case, Andrea died just four short months later,” Smock continued. “But her foster parents shared with me that she told them before she died, it was the happiest she felt her entire difficult life. After hearing the positive impact it made for this child, I was hooked.”
With her talents as an interior designer coupled with a group of dedicated volunteers and the community support from generous vendors providing everything from meals for the family while they are away to creating a special blanket for each child, Smock is prepared to continue her mission. However, one thing stands in the way and that is funding.
Smock realized that by breaking away from the church and operating as a separate non-profit entity, she has the potential to raise more funds for her makeovers. The challenge is that she has run out of money to finance each $5,000 room makeover and needs financial support to keep it going. The state of Arizona currently recognizes Room for Joy as a non-profit organization and Smock is working on finalizing her 501 (c) 3 tax exemption status with the federal government.
“I have seen first hand that our rooms are making a difference,” Smock said of the three makeovers they have done so far. “Children who were sick and had no desire to get out of bed each morning are now bouncing out of bed and having motivation to do things like inviting their friends over to enjoy their rooms. We have a list of children’s names from the hospital and we can’t wait to do the next makeover and the next.”
Whether you a business owner or employee, a parent looking to get your kids involved in earning money to help other kids, or just someone who has a soft spot for children, than consider donating to Room for Joy. Through your generosity and the talents of Smock and her volunteer team, you can bring joy to children who need a reason to smile. I am sure Pastor Warren would be proud of the influence he had on one woman looking to live a “purpose driven life”. Please visit their website at roomforjoy.com or contact Tory Smock at XXX.
