A Project of Florida  ReCycleD

 “FURNITURE EXCHANGE AND REVAMP”

Shuman Juvenile Detention Center Community Service Project

 Allegheny County Shuman Juvenile Detention Center has partnered with Habitat for Humanity / Restore;  The National Council of Jewish Women  / Thriftique;  St. Vincent de Paul Society  / Sharpsburg and Construction Junction to advocate the importance of art in our lives and communities in a first of its kind “Furniture Exchange and Revamp Community Service Project”.  Designed and operated by Gerry Florida of Florida Recycled, Ms. Florida works with the support of Allegheny County Shuman Juvenile Detention Center, The Juvenile Detention Association of Pennsylvania, The National Partnership on Juvenile Services and The County Commissioners of PA along with a growing list of generous donations of furniture and supplies from individuals, profit and nonprofit organizations.

Distressed furniture is delivered to Shuman Center where it is artfully refurbished and returned to the donor organization for sale in their resale shops. Individual donations are gifted to a donor organization of choice.  Habitat for Humanity is one of the first organizations to come on board with the project donating the first four pieces of furniture for restoration.  Shuman Center residents prepped the donated pieces through the process of sanding, priming, painting and hand decorating each item.  A light coat sealant was used to preserve the furniture before it’s return to Habitat for Humanity where it was displayed in their Grand Opening in their Swissvale resale shop.  The original total resale value of the four pieces donated was twenty two dollars (22) ...the four pieces sold within the first hours of the Grand Opening to one lucky buyer for a total of two hundred and sixty dollars (260)! In the first eight weeks of operation over twenty pieces of furniture have been donated with the completion of twelve artfully revamped pieces. One Hundred( 100) percent of proceeds benefits the donating organization's community service projects!

 The Furniture Exchange and Revamp Project exemplifies the therapeutic and rehabilitative power of art.  Schools and communities painfully withstand budget cuts that jeopardize art sustainability as government, profit and nonprofit support slowly erodes. We believe that we all can be make a difference and make our voices heard to positively influence funding cuts that negatively affect our lives, education systems and culture.  Aside from the obvious music, theater and visual arts are many unsung benefits to the ways we all routinely use art in our daily lives underestimating the limitless careers where training in creative ability, problem solving and idea generation become the springboards for a host of possibilities. The residents of Shuman Center proudly serve to model an innovative community partnering exemplifying the importance of “giving back” through art as they journey through recovery in preparation to re-enter our communities as viable productive citizens and creative individuals.

Project Benefits:

*Asserts the importance of art in the vitality of our personal, professional and economic lives.

*Exemplifies efforts to deter arts budget cuts that create voids in our schools & communities.

*Affords opportunities for creative partnering bringing people, recovery & communities together through art.

*Advocates community awareness for the rehabilitative needs of at-risk populations.

* Supports recycling of materials addressing the environmental concern for fewer waste products entering landfills.

* Provides a wide range of community service support through programs supported by the donor organizations.

 

Furniture Donations:

• Habitat for Humanity, Swissvale

• The National Council of Jewish Women, Lawrenceville

• Vincent de Paul, Sharpsburg

• Vincent de Paul, Swissvale

• U-Haul, Pittsburgh

• Construction Junction, East Liberty

• Private Donors:       Maria Piantanida / Susan Benn / Dorothy Lampl / Maria Kyros Menneti

• Over 35 Allegheny County Employees responded to the “County Call for Furniture” with generous donations. Thank You Allegheny County!

 

Paint & Painting Supplies:

• Sherwin Williams Paint Store, Forest Hills

• Lowes, Waterfront

• Construction Junction, Wilkensburg

 

Furniture Storage:

• Store Express, Braddock Hills

 

Volunteers:

• Rebecca Hudock, Deputy Public Defender, Juvenile Division

• Stephanie Jimenez, Intern University of Pittsburgh

 

Furniture Delivery and Repair:

• John Oravik, Oravik Industrial Mechanical Consulting

• Eric P. Lazor, Finish Line Mfg.

• John Florida

 

Misc Supplies

• Pittsburgh Center for Creative Re-Use

Our future includes community service consideration for residents involved in the project.

Thank You to Our Generous Contributors for Your Unwavering Belief and Support!

 

Visit Our Work!

Construction Junction

 Habitat for Humanity

Thriftique

Florida Recycled Facebook

The Transformative Power of Reuse