RUTLAND—College of St. Joseph, in partnership with the Rutland County Women’s Network and Shelter (RCWNS), is celebrating the completion of a major community service project that renovated an apartment at the shelter.
Throughout the fall semester, 35 scholars in the Provider Program completed more than 600 hours of service to renovate an apartment at the RCWNS under the organization’s “Adopt a Room” program.
The new, 1,000-square-foot apartment is fittingly named “The Provider Place.” Like the other transitional apartments offered by the shelter, the Provider Place will serve as a safe, welcoming place for women and children fleeing domestic violence to stay for an extended time period.
“Students were involved in all aspects of this project, from designing each room of the apartment to the actual renovation of the apartment itself,” said Meggan Lloyd, CSJ’s community engagement coordinator. “Students painted, installed backsplash and flooring, ripped up carpet, and built shelving.”
With the help of Stafford Technical Center students, the college presented a virtual tour of the apartment, discussing the process and celebrating the results at a reception on Jan. 14 in Tuttle Hall.
CSJ’s wellness assistant Kimberly Griffin, who worked alongside Lloyd, noted the benefits of the project to not only the community but students as well.
“It was a project where our students can see a difference they made from beginning to end, from dreaming of paint colors to seeing a fully finished, renovated kitchen,” she said. “It was also fun for students to learn new trades, like design, to some extent. We took the bus to get off-campus, so it was also learning to use the public transit system and other life skills.”
The greater Rutland community once again showed its support with donations of materials and time. “Many organizations and individuals in the Rutland community were incredibly supportive in their generosity to the project, and the project wouldn’t have been possible without their support and encouragement,” Lloyd said.
