Michigan Makeovers That REALLY Make A Difference
Terry Grahl, founder and president of Michigan-based Enchanted Makeovers , says it’s all about “beauty and love.”
But besides love, it takes perseverance, hard work, commitment and money to transform a dormitory for at-risk, abused and neglected adolescent girls into an environment that invites them to rebuild their lives.
Over the past year, Grahl led a team of nearly 200 volunteers and donors who contributed their time and money to a transformational project at Vista Maria, Michigan's largest private, non-profit residential and community-based treatment agency for adolescent girls.
Dozens of local Enchanted Makeovers volunteers painted, sewed, hung mirrors and inspirational signs, and installed new lighting fixtures and closet doors in 11 bedrooms. Numerous others from across the nation and around the world (some from as far away as Singapore), created beautiful handmade gifts such as slippers, dolls, stuffed animals, journals and embroidered pillowcases...
On Sunday, November 15, 2009, the final details were revealed to the 20 girls (ranging in age from 13 to 18), who call the dorm home.
Enchanted Makeovers is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization founded by Grahl; it transforms shelters for women and children into heartwarming havens.
“It’s all about using beauty—down to the smallest of details—to show each girl that she’s worthy of love,” Grahl said.
The dorm transformation marked the final chapter in the 10½-month-long project that included a Celebration of Cooking Event in June. Enchanted Makeovers volunteers also helped the girls plant and harvest a vegetable garden over the summer.
“Enchanted Makeovers isn’t just about dorm makeovers and pretty gifts,” Grahl said. “Although that’s probably the most visible of our outreach efforts. We’re also involved in numerous other events that are designed to build strong relationships and great memories with the women and children who live in the spaces we transform.”
Grahl’s journey into shelter transformation work began in January 2007 when she was asked to help paint at Grace Centers of Hope, a shelter in Pontiac, Michigan.
An award-winning interior decorator, Grahl immediately saw the potential in the dreary, dimly lit, sparsely furnished rooms. The women and children living there were searching for hope, and Grahl felt God calling her to help fill that need.
“Transforming the shelter took more than just my decorating skills,” she said. “It required finding and organizing enthusiastic volunteers and donors nationwide to help me carry out my vision. Six months later, the makeover was complete, and it was amazing. Even more amazing to me was that I had found my true calling. I wanted to use all of my talents and skills to provide refuge, solace and hope to people in need.”
Grahl hasn’t looked back. She has completed two additional shelter transformations since then, while also working on numerous other outreach efforts. One example is Project Traveling Sanctuary, an outreach in which Grahl has helped organize volunteers from around the world to make handmade pillowcases with inspirational cards and small gifts to send messages of faith, hope and love to women and children living in shelters.
For the girls living in Vista Maria’s Myriam House dorm, Enchanted Makeovers’ 2009 Vision Project was a powerful statement about the generosity of strangers and the unlimited potential of the human spirit.
“Many of these girls haven’t experienced much love in their lives, so this project means so much to them,” said Amy Adamson, unit manager at Vista Maria. “I have no doubt that it will go a long way toward giving the girls hope and inspiring them to reach their potential.”
See the transformation here:
Related links:
Enchantedmakeovers.org