Suite Dreams Project Transforms Rooms Into Spaces Of Healing, Recovery For Children

Southfield (CW50) - Suite Dreams Project was started by Kay Ponicall and Kris Appleby over 19 years ago, with a goal to help low to moderate income families transform rooms in their homes into spaces of healing, rest, and recovery. Suite Dreams Project works with children with critically-ill children and their families to create the "suite" of their dreams.

Each child is selected through applicants sent by local hospitals. The selection process looks at the child's health condition, as well as the financial and personal background of their family. After a child is selected, a team of designers and volunteers make the child's dream room come to life. The final step is revealing the new room to the child, hoping to put a smile on their face, and to also bring hope and comfort during a time of tremendous physical and emotion stress.

Suite Dreams Project partners with several organizations for supplies, furniture, and funding. Alongside the partnerships are the organization's design board. All of the members of this "Design Angels" board, are owners of design firms. The role of these designers is to collaborate and assist in the designing of the rooms for each project, as well as coming up with ideas to grow and improve the organization.

One of these designers on the board is Nicole Withers, Co-Principal of Jones-Keena & Company, an interior design firm in Birmingham. Withers joins Lisa Germani on Community Connect to talk about her role within the Suite Dreams Project and why she joined the Design Board.

To learn more about Suite Dreams Project, go to SuiteDreamsProject.org

If your design firm is interested in volunteering, go to Suite DreamsProject.org/giving

Watch COMMUNITY CONNECT, Saturday at 7am on CW50