The Lahser Pre-Vocational Center on Dixie Highway has a new look inside, thanks to local designers.
“It definitely makes a difference in there,” said Hollie Gyarmati, owner of 3AM Interior Design. “This makes it a nice space where folks can relax, a place to have fun.”
Gyarmati was chosen as the south central regional winner in the national Design for a Difference contest.
The designer nominated Lahser, a nonprofit providing services to adult individuals with disabilities, for her makeover project.
As the regional winner, she was awarded $2,000 for the project, and also rallied donations from local businesses. They raised more than $10,000 in additional goods and services for the center’s makeover.
‘I have been so impressed by the support we’ve received from other local businesses thus far,” said Matt Pfeiffer of Northern Flooring and Interiors, which sponsored the contest locally. “The International Design Guild’s Design for a Difference contest is a great way for Northern Flooring and Interiors to give back to our community.?
Selected from over a hundred entries, Gyarmati’s design was chosen for its design appeal and ability to have a powerful and positive impact on the winning charity.
The new design is fun yet functional and provides an engaging environment for the individuals with disabilities who attend the program.
The project has been in the works since mid-August, and was unveiled on Nov. 3.
“It’s breathtaking, knowing what it was before,” said Sharon Williams-Tyson, program supervisor at Lahser. “Seeing the reaction, how happy it makes them, that’s what it’s all about.”
Gyarmati will also be one of four designers from across the country who will join national Design for a Difference spokesperson and celebrity designer, Mark Brunetz, at the $25,000 grand prize makeover in Kansas City at Operation Breakthrough this Thanksgiving.
The makeover effort for the Lahser Pre-Vocational Center continues, with an online drive at www.crowdrise.com/lahsermakeover/fundraiser/southcentralwinner. Wish list donation items include leather sofas, chairs, and recliners, glider rockers, folding tables, stackable chairs, artwork and posters, and games, books, movies, and CDs.
The community is also invited to come to the center to help with service projects. Call the center, 5871 Dixie Highway, at 248-623-3067.