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College students stylize three rooms in Salvation Army thrift stores using only paint and donated items.
Noah’s ARC Interior Design Challenge, a partnership between The Salvation Army Anaheim (Calif.) Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC) and the Orange County Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), organized three groups of students to construct 12 x 12 foot vignettes inside three Orange County Salvation Army Family Stores.
The students, who represented Westwood College, Art Institute and Interior Designers Institute, were challenged to use only donated items from The Salvation Army warehouse and paint from Sherwin Williams for the fifth annual event.
During the item selection process, students received a tour of the Anaheim ARC, which offers no-fee counseling, shelter, food, and work therapy programs. They received support and assistance from staff and beneficiaries in the warehouse and found unique items and accessories to complete their spaces.
“This event is a wonderful reminder that these items, like so many of us, have unlimited potential,” said Daniel Hauger, ARC community relations manager. “All that is needed is the time and effort to make the transformation.”
The students revealed their rooms to the public on April 12, and offered design tips on how to utilize Salvation Army purchases to create unique interior design styles.
Beyond raising awareness of the Anaheim ARC and the number of items saved from landfills, Noah’s ARC provides the students with portfolio experience. They can include their participation on their resumes, and document their creations on display boards recounting the before-and-after transformations. The students dedicated hundreds of hours, without college credit, to creating these living spaces.
“This was an amazing event,” said Angelica Oliva from the Interior Designers Institute team. “We gained a lot of information about how The Salvation Army ARC programs change lives, and the people in the program were so helpful at the warehouse. I’m a big believer in second chance programs.”
ASID instructors and administrators judged the contest. Awards were handed out in the following categories:
o Best Overall Design – Westwood College
o Best Theme/Genre – Interior Designers Institute
o Best Design Process Board – Art Institute
[gss ids=”7285,7286,7283″]The display items were silent auctioned to benefit the Anaheim ARC. The ARC provides no-fee residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation services to 175 men and women funded primarily through the sale of donated goods at Salvation Army Family Stores in Orange County. The Anaheim ARC has beds for 30 women and 145 men, and is located at 1300 South Lewis Street.
Many of the students became donors and supporters of The Salvation Army through the process, bringing donations from home during their visits to the ARC warehouse.
The sixth annual Noah’s ARC is scheduled for April 2014 in Orange County Salvation Army Family Stores. Follow @OCSalvationArmy on Twitter for updates.
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