It is said that one’s home is their castle.
And inside the castle, the bedroom is the sanctuary.
But, for children battling cancer, the bedroom is even more than a sanctuary: It is a place of rest, of healing, of recuperation and of reflection.
It’s a space where the very power of positivity can truly make all the difference in the world.
For one amazing local nonprofit called Special Spaces, creating a dream bedroom for a child with cancer is its sole mission. The group recently completed its 55th such bedroom for a local child.
Headed by director Shari Caruso, Special Spaces provides a dream bedroom makeover and design for children fighting cancer who live in Lorain County or Cuyahoga County and are between the ages of 2 to 19.
Anyone wishing to nominate a child easily can do so on the nonprofit’s website at www.SpecialSpaces.org.
Special Spaces origin
Special Spaces was founded in 2004 in Knoxville, Tenn., by Jennifer Swain, who, at the time had no intention of the nonprofit becoming a nationwide organization, Caruso said.
However, the concept took off and now there are 12 chapters in 10 states.
Fate took a turn when Caruso was interviewing a prospective member at a Rotary meeting to discuss the prospects’ community service record.
“And they shared this story about work they were doing in Wisconsin with Special Spaces, and I jumped all over that and said I need to get a chapter in Greater Cleveland,” Caruso beamed. “So, in 2006 or so, we brought it here, but still so many folks have not really heard of the organization.
“When a child is diagnosed with cancer, it can change their world. The activities that they used to enjoy may look and feel different. They may not be able to do the things they really love.
“They don’t play soccer, ride bikes, go to prom or attend school. And, they spend a lot of time away from others — time in the hospital, visiting different doctors, receiving painful treatments, feeling tired and nauseous, and often times being isolated.
“So, our goal is to provide these children with a special space where they can not only sleep, relax and recover, but also play and enjoy just being a kid. A custom bedroom designed just for them.
“Whether they are dreaming of a princess castle, a butterfly bedroom, a pirate ship or a sports theme, we transform the child’s existing bedroom into a place that only they can imagine. A place for them just to be a kid.”
Caruso’s heart
Caruso is a former high school home economics teacher at Rocky River High School.
When she became director of the Greater Cleveland Special Spaces, she admits to having more heart than helping hands or funds.
She did what any good teacher would do, and that was to reach out to former students and colleagues to help her get started.
During her tenure as an educator, there was a class called service learning, so many of her students were familiar, not only with her passion for helping, but also the nuts and bolts, quite literally in this case, of successfully managing a nonprofit organization.
“I had absolutely no funding, but my husband smiled and told me that I’d figure it all out,” Caruso said. “I reached out to my friends and colleagues and said that I needed this or I needed that, or I need help building this or do you have a television?
“And I’m blessed by those around me who would help to build beds or paint or just anything I could possibly need. I’ve always been service oriented and when I retired I thought about what I loved most about teaching and what I really loved and missed the most was giving back.
“Special Spaces just smacked in the face when I heard about it and I knew that was going to be my mission. It really has changed my life and I’m so happy to hear and share the stories about the kids and the families we’ve been able to help.
“There was one teen boy that we recently did a room for who has just been to hell and back. We got a call from his mom recently that he would be in his room with his friends laughing and playing video games and that it was the first time she heard her son laugh in years. It’s incredibly touching, and just the best feeling you could possibly hope to get.”
The work is done by teams of dedicated volunteers and Caruso said they still need volunteers, particularly those who are handy with carpentry and other skilled trades that could be applied to interior design.
All furniture, fixtures, custom decor and other bedroom items have to be new and of course, donations of cash always are welcome.
The average cost of a bedroom makeover is about $8,000.
Caruso points with pride at Cleveland-based Sherwin-Williams that provides her team “all the paint they could ever need,” and also the local Lowe’s franchise which has sponsored rooms and provided helping hands and materials.
She said she actively is looking for more corporate sponsors and partners, businesses that would like to make Special Spaces their corporate philanthropy, and folks that want to support the kids through their Amazon “Wish List.”
The application process is fairly straightforward and can be done online.
Once an applicant is approved the team meets with the child and parent to determine exactly what they need and exactly what they want.
