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Lisa Sherman - Home Stager & Redesigner - Salem Oregon - Interior Aura

Stay in the Game with the Most Valuable Partners in Service

Prudential recently hosted a vendor fair prior to their awards banquet on Tuesday, June 9th. Over 55 vendors displayed goods and services that benefit Prudential Realtors and their clients.

Professional stagers are a Realtor's Most Valuable Parners in Service!! By connecting with a professional stager, Realtors will hit a home run with their clients every time!

Realtors visited the Mid Valley Professional Stagers (MVPS) booth and walked away with several souveniers that are sure to help them remember the M.V.P. theme. We used softball fabric as a table runner/topper, utilized gloves as business card holders, provided property score cards for Realtors to use when evaluating their client's listings, and MVPS trading cards that provided our contact information.

Realtors also had the opportunity to play a bean bag toss game to enter a drawing for a complimentary consultation.

A huge THANK YOU to Prudential for including Mid Valley Professional Stagers as one of their Most Valuable Partners in Service and for the opportunity to participate in a second year of their annual vendor fair.

You can make a difference with volunteering - phase 2

Last week I blogged about phase 1 here of a recent volunteer project and I promisted you an update on phase 2 of the H.O.M.E. Youth Resource Center... so here it is.

The following weekend, January 31st, three members of Mid Valley Professional Stagers (MVPS), along with the generosity of one community member and three men from the National Guard, we tackled the removal of carpet and the pad throughout the main and upper level of the resource center. Two local contractors also contributed services by relocating the washer, dryer and 2 refrigerators as well as installing a wonderful storage solution for the teen's backpacks.

With hammers, pry bars, gloves and masks... we were ready. Over the years, a different carpet had been added to each room, giving it an eclectic mix. Much of the carpet pad was so old that it just fell apart. Based on the large volume of traffic and condition of the carpet, it appeared to be 15+ years old. We were thrilled to find hardwood flooring underneath that was in pretty good condition.

The following week, donations for area rugs, 2 new sofas and miscellaneous items were received to help provide warmth in the transformed spaces.

Above is a group photo of the carpet removal team and below are a few action shots from everyone hard at work. As you can see, the men handled the majority of the "muscle" part and us women were the staple removers and clean up crew. We were tired (well exhausted, really) and dirty... but another day that resulted in a HUGE difference for the H.O.M.E. Youth Resource Center and the at-risk teens it services!


Article submitted by Lisa Sherman with Interior Aura. Copyright 2009.

You can make a difference by volunteering

At the end of 2008, the members of Mid Valley Professional Stagers (MVPS) decided to take on a community service project. There were many worthy organizations to choose from, but in the end the H.O.M.E. Youth Resource Center was selected. H.O.M.E. is a day shelter and outreach center for at-risk teens. The shelter provides assistance with homework, meals, a place to wash clothing, obtain needed clothing as well as serves as a refuge and safe haven.

Prior to the project starting, there were several meetings to discuss how the staff and teens utilized each of the spaces as well as how we could help them improve the day shelter. The combined goal was to improve function and maximize the home's potential to best serve the teens.

PHASE 1: A volunteer crew of Salem Area Professional Organizers (SAPO) as well as a couple of the MVPS members gathered on Saturday, January 24th to do the initial purge, decluttering and organize mission. There were nearly a dozen in attendance but we accomplished the work of 20! Items were sorted into keep, donate and toss piles. All donations were provided to another Salem area non-profit organization. The day was extremely productive and we all enjoyed our time spent together while making a difference!

Here are a few more photos to share our day...

Thank you to all of the Salem Area Professional Organizers who graciously donated their time - we greatly appreciate you!!

A report on phase 2 is forthcoming... stay tuned!!

This article submitted by Lisa Sherman of Interior Aura. Copyright 2009.