Illinois Chapter of ASID Receives National Community Service Award

Furniture World Magazine

The American Society of Interior Designers - Illinois Chapter (ASID-IL) has been awarded the first National Community Service Award by ASID. This distinctive honor will be presented to the ASID-IL Chapter at a special ceremony during Interiors 06: The ASID Conference on Design, which will be held March 16-19, 2006, at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel in Nashville, Tenn. The award recognizes outstanding achievement in design, while honoring the excellent community work accomplished by the local ASID Illinois Chapter. Mary Dluzen, ASID-IL Chapter president, will be in attendance and Suzanne Maviano, ASID, will accept the award on behalf of the Community Service design team at the gala on Saturday, March 18, 2006. Libations and hors d'oeuvres will precede an evening of fine dining, awards and celebration. Attire is black-tie optional. Tickets will not be available on-site and must be purchased in advance with conference registration at a cost of $150 each by visiting www.asid.org. "We are simply delighted to be the first recipient of the National Community Service Award. It belongs to our ASID Illinois chapter and the whole group, who contributed so much time and effort to give a little something back to the Illinois community," said Dluzen. "Suzanne and I are excited to bring back the award as it represents the concept of healing by design for us. Our goal for the project was to bring hope and dreams into reality for those less fortunate, and I'm very proud of our team for making it happen." The ASID-IL Community Service Committee consisted of the following members: Suzanne Maviano, ASID, team leader; Mary Dluzen, ASID-IL Chapter president; Jody Gruel, ASID; Mary Lou Kalmus, ASID; and Mary Murtaugh, ASID. They devoted some 500 hours of pro bono work, solicited products and services from ASID industry partners and coordinated efforts with the architects, specified products, colors and furnishings for the interior design of the newly constructed and remodeled 10,000-square-foot building housing "Southwest Women Working Together," located in Chicago, Ill. Southwest Women Working Together is a not-for-profit, community-based women's organization that serves women and children primarily from the South Side of Chicago. The group empowers local women by providing them with the tools and resources needed to lead self-sufficient and violence-free lives. The project was first brought to the attention of ASID-IL through Designs for Dignity of Heartland Alliance, formerly known as Supporting the Spirit Foundation, founded by Susan Fredman, ASID. ASID-IL's mission was to create an interior space that nurtures the spirit of those who come into the building in a safe, relaxing environment, and for the staff who help those in need. With very limited funds, the team specified and selected colors, carpets, tile, lighting, furniture and fabrics, art and accessories, refurbished donated furnishings, worked with an independent artist creating the entry mural, and also personally installed many items with the help of industry partners, including Mattingly Custom Finishes of LaGrange, Ill., and Chicago-based Harrington College of Design volunteer students. "The Illinois Chapter of ASID set the bar high and is incredibly deserving of this very first National Community Service Award," said ASID President Robert Wright, FASID. "We want to congratulate the entire team for their fantastic work and dedication to the Chicago community. They've set a great example of what can be done by working together for a good cause." For more information about ASID-IL, please visit www.asidillinois.com, or call the ASID Illinois Chapter headquarters at 312-467-5080. For more information about the Society, located in Washington, D.C., please visit www.asid.org or call 202-546-3480. ABOUT ASID-IL: The American Society of Interior Designers - Illinois Chapter (ASID-IL) is a non-profit professional association representing the interests of more than 1,600 Illinois interior designers, students and design industry partner members. Its vision is to be the voice of design in Illinois and to provide information through quality, timely communications, to educate its members and clients, and to expand and to support market expansion. The Chapter is lead by a volunteer board that includes the Chapter's president, president-elect, 5 directors and a student representative.