Kendra Ferguson, Local Marketing Specialist

Life Improvement Challenge!

MISSION: ACCEPTED & ACCOMPLISHED

Since 1992, thousands of futures have been changed forever by Children’s Home

Society of Florida’s Perinatal Program. Working directly with first-time moms and

their children, the program helps to break the cycle of abuse by providing individual

coaching and mentoring, weekly group support, parenting education, free baby clothes

and supplies from the “Mother’s Store,” and an overall support system.

As the winners of IKEA Orlando’s FY14 Life Improvement Challenge, the Perinatal

Program received a complete design makeover in July. The prize consisted of design

expertise, furnishings, and assembly by a team of seventeen IKEA Orlando co-workers.

The seven-room space now has a small kitchen, comfortable meeting space, additional

storage in the Mother’s Store, a children’s play room - with changing and nursing stations,

two shelved storage rooms, and a room dedicated to a new father’s program.

Children are the most important people to IKEA, and the new space has been well-

received. Just days after the implementation was complete, the staff shared with us that

they were able to provide a tour that earned them their largest foundation gift for the

Perinatal Program to-date - a check for $14,000!

They attribute a bit of that fundraising success to the inviting, functional, well-thought-

out space created by IKEA Orlando co-workers. Also, they’ve almost met their initial

yearly goal of 15 dads participating in their new Father’s program after only a month

with 10 registered and joining them regularly.

Jo Howard has overseen this program from the beginning – over 22 years now! Her

appreciation for the gift and excitement for the moms and children that will benefit is

evident. She extends a huge thank you and hugs to everyone at IKEA Orlando. On behalf of the co-workers at IKEA Orlando, we would like to personally thank all of our

customers who voted for this well-deserving organization to receive this gift. We wanted

to share the completed project with you. Please scroll through the next few pages to see

the rooms.

To learn more about the Perinatal Program, please click here.

Kitchen Space. Prior to the makeover, this room had a few file cabinets, with items

stored on top. There was a folding table, with bags of donated diapers hidden beneath it.

Now there are new IKEA kitchen cabinets with plenty of storage, small seating for the

children to enjoy snacks, barstools for the adults, a fridge and a microwave (not

pictured).

Meeting Space. Weekly group support happens here. Now there is a check-

in area, plenty of seating with chair storage on the walls, hand-sewn cushions

for babies that want to play on the floor, and a new TV and DVD player. Our

team also worked on the cute wall mural that will be used as a donor

recognition wall.

Mother’s Store. Hiding behind the KVARTAL panels is a room full of donated baby

clothes that are available at no charge to the moms in the program. Many of the moms

return gently worn baby clothes as their children grow, making them available for the

newborns. (#Sustainability)

BEKVAM spice racks

as children’s book

shelves?

That’s so

PINTERESTing!

Children’s Play Room. There’s so much to do! We hear that the slide, tent, and the

train tracks are favorite toys. One of the young girls is breaking gender stereotypes –

gravitating to the tools and play work bench! We loved that. Moms like having their

corner too. They can watch their kids play or nurse from the comfy POANG rocking

chairs, and use the changing table.

Father’s Room. Inviting dads to the space is new. To encourage them to stay involved

with the program, they too needed a comfortable meeting space. The group hopes to

later add a flat-screen TV to this room.

Storage. There are actually two rooms of storage with IVAR shelving, but we’ll just

show the one. They’ve already got the shelves mostly filled with donations – including

future birthday and Christmas gifts for the kids!