Utilizing a donation from Dr. Marquis and monies from the Warm Welcome Gold Award, Laura Manicotti was able to renovate the Casa Juan Diego. In her own words, Laura describes the work that was done.
My project addressed the fact that Casa Juan Diego’s buildings are worn down and in need of renovation due to low funding and constant use. Warm Welcome Gold Award helped renovate 4 resident’s room in the Women’s home and make them more cozy by adding a fresh coat of white paint to the walls, fixing any issues with the room, and by adding unique curtains to each of the 4 rooms that were worked on. Beyond that, 4 more curtains were added to another 4 rooms that were not renovated. Furthermore, my project helped embellish the building by adding a colorful mural depicting Noah’s ark to one of the major common areas of the building, the downstairs play room.
I hoped that the renovation of the rooms and the mural would have made the Women’s home more homey and comfortable. This way all of the new immigrants that would stay in Casa Juan Diego in the future would receive a warm welcome into the United States. According to the volunteers that live in the Casa Juan Diego and help run the shelter, my project was successful at achieving these things. An interview with several of them revealed that they agreed that the fresh coat of paint and the curtains helped make the rooms more homey and comfortable. One of them expressed that the addition of those elements changed the rooms from simply a living space to a welcoming room. Another interview revealed that the children of the home really appreciate the mural in the play room. The volunteers have noticed that the children want to take better care of the play room and make less of a mess after they are done playing. The children have become more curious about the story of Noah’s ark and have looked for books talking about the story.
Overall, my project has successfully added elements to the Women’s house of Casa Juan Diego that make the home a more comfortable place to live for both the adults and the children.My project addressed the fact that Casa Juan Diego’s buildings are worn down and in need of renovation due to low funding and constant use. Warm Welcome Gold Award helped renovate 4 resident’s room in the Women’s home and make them more cozy by adding a fresh coat of white paint to the walls, fixing any issues with the room, and by adding unique curtains to each of the 4 rooms that were worked on. Beyond that, 4 more curtains were added to another 4 rooms that were not renovated. Furthermore, my project helped embellish the building by adding a colorful mural depicting Noah’s ark to one of the major common areas of the building, the downstairs play room.
Thank you so much for your donation. It was really critical in funding the painting of the rooms and the mural.
