Before . This teen needed to escape family violence and was taken in by an extended family member. In a busy apartment she was given this "sunroom" as her space. A bed was needed and these old shower curtains were not providing much privacy from the adjacent apartment building. After We hung lovely curtain panels to create a cozy, private area for reading and sleeping. This solid wood bed is a mate's bed, so its large drawers underneath provide perfect storage space. A

Before . This room was used for storage but it did contain the frame of a bunk bed that could be used as two twin beds. After We assembled the twin bed, added a new pillow top mattress and linens in her favourite colour, purple. The window had wooden slat blinds in white so we just hung white sheers with purple pompoms on a silver rod. A fuzzy purple bedside rug completes that side of the room. A lovely white dresser and bookcase hutch were donated just in time for thi

Before This twin was to have her own room for the first time. But the room was currently being used to store her grandparents' belongings. . After We assembled the twin bed they already had and bought her a lovely new mattress. Topped with new linens, pillows and a comforter in her favourite colour, it looked great. A donated pink rug was perfect for the space. The sheer white curtain with pink pom pom trim looked pretty over the white blinds. We also brought in a whit

Before This room was in the top floor apartment of a very old building. Each wall was either cement or lath and plaster and needed some patching. The window wall was only 5'9, and the other end was 7' wide. Between the two was a boxed in chimney . The room held the only closet in the whole apartment. This only child really wanted a bunk bed to share with a friend. . After We patched, primed and painted the room a light blue (her favourite) with white trim. Mom helped h

Before These three teens had just moved to this apartment from a shelter and had no furniture. Each had a pillow and a blanket but the floor was not a comfortable bed. . After We provided a wooden bunk bed with new mattresses, linens and pillows. The top bunk has a new duvet and cover made by one of our volunteers. The boy using the bottom bunk wanted to use his fleece blanket. The oldest teen got a twin bed with headboard, box spring and mattress. We added linens, and

Before Two brothers share this unfurnished room. They each have a pillow and blanket but no furniture. . After Matching maple beds were sourced and delivered by two of our wonderful volunteers. We provided new mattresses, box springs, linens and pillows. Apparently, the space by the window gets chilly, so we were delighted one of our donors gave us a flannelette sheet set. The wood dresser and the hangers we supplied were enough for their freshly laundered clothes to b

Before This room still contained old craft supplies not being used, plus outgrown toys and books. This girl had no bed frame so was using an extra box spring to boost the height of her bed. The room had no closet so storage was an issue. . After First we brought in a bed frame no longer needed by her brother. We topped it with one box spring and a new mattress. Dressed with new linens, pillows and comforter, it looked great. Now there was also space under the bed for o

Before This mature teen was older than our normal age range and we were working with her siblings. Though her basement bedroom was furnished, the double box spring and mattress sat on the floor. . After A generous donor gave us a lovely, solid pine bed complete with head and foot boards. We added new pillows and cases which she really liked.

Before This basement bedroom was small and dark with no closet. It would only hold a twin bed but this teen's legs were too long for it. The metal bed frame was very uncomfortable for his feet and ankles. The old vinyl chair was far too big for the space but the lovely mid century modern dresser was perfect. However, the ceiling fixture and outlets had not worked since an electrical storm the previous summer. . After The first order of business was to repair the electr

Before This young man had a box spring and mattress that were fine, but they needed a frame to lift them off the floor. He also needed clothing storage and most of all, he needed a desk for homework and studying. . After The bed got a sturdy frame and a solid maple headboard. A dresser and lots of hangers provide storage for clothes. The lamp can be used to read in bed, or can be moved to provide additional light on the desk. What appears to be a small cabinet actuall

Before This bed does look pretty good, but it was cracked right down the middle. The mattress had been very much used by others before it was given to the girls. Also, these sisters really wanted to sleep apart. . After We brought in matching dark wood beds and added two pristine mattresses that had just been donated. We topped them with new linens, duvets and pillows and used the existing curtains. We added new pink and white bedding and fit a a lovely white dresser betwe

The generous women of Stouffville's 100 Women Who Care wanted to have their children understand that not all children are as fortunate as they are. They also wanted their children to realize that together, by donating a small amount of money, they could make a difference for children in need. So 100 Children Who Care brought $10 to a meeting. They listened to 3 members of their own group describe an organization that could use their money. In the end they voted to donate

A welcoming group of women from Westmount United Church in Orillia holds regular Craft Days at their church. The $30 entry fee for crafters pays for lunch and dinner. The thrifty women in charge of the event usually manage to have funds left over which they donate to good causes. At Room for a Child we have been the grateful recipient of donations from this event. This is a great example of fundraising to help those in the wider community.

The generous folks at Ethan Allen have kindly donated a number of items and we are most grateful. The latest offering included thick duvets and fluffy pillows. Their accompanying letter is here.

The members of Troop donate funds to meet specific needs in the community. A campaign is posted on their site www.hitroop.com for three days and the funds are then used to meet the identified need. These generous people are proof that collectively, we can all make a difference. Twice now Troop has chosen Room for a Child to be their recipient. Since we always need new mattresses, both campaigns focussed on that. Troop donors have now purchased a total of three brand new

This young mom and her two young children lived in a roomy basement apartment. But then the hot water radiators leaked and both bedrooms were flooded. Mould quickly formed on their mattresses and they had to be thrown out. Their landlord was not willing to repair the problem. Before The boy had slept on mattresses stacked on the floor. The bigger bedroom was shared by the mom and her young daughter. After the flood, a friend gave them a couch to sleep on. But there was

Before Two sisters shared this small bedroom but a third sister had to sleep alone downstairs on the living room couch. They needed proper beds and sleeping space for all of them. Also, the window curtain was attached to the wood frame with pins/tacks. After A sturdy wood bunk bed was the perfect solution to accommodate all 3 sisters. We brought in a box spring, mattress and headboard. We also added linens, pillows and a comforter. The curtain was rehung on a new pole

Before These siblings shared a small bedroom. It was clean and tidy but they were sleeping on the floor. There was a long window curtain tacked to the window frame but it could not be pushed aside to let in light. After We provided bed frames, box springs and good headboards for each child. Then we topped the beds with nice sheets, pillows and comforters. We rehung the curtain above the window frame on a new curtain rod.

Before This family had been given a double bed and a single bed but no mattresses. There needed to be space for all 4 children. A 3 year old girl was sleeping in this toddler bed in the parents' bedroom. She needed to share the other bedroom with her siblings. After We first brought in a solid wood bunk bed with new mattresses, linens and comforters. The 3 year old would sleep in the bottom bunk while her older brother slept in the top bunk. We provided a mattress, pillo