Omar’s Bedroom Makeover
UPDATE!!! During the weekend of 11/16-11/18/12, a team of Blissful Bedrooms volunteers – TEAM OMAR – made a double dream come true for Omar and his little brother Mario. So many wonderful people came together to help make it happen. Thank you Team Omar and Omar’s Angels for opening your hearts to beautiful Omar and his sweet, loving family. Together, we have forever changed their lives with this act of compassion, and they have definitely changed ours. The ripple effect – well nobody knows exactly how far reaching it will ultimately be, but we expect it will be very big!
Please scroll down to see photos of the entire makeover experience from beginning to end! Take note of the amazing craftsmanship and original art work that went into creating Omar’s dream bedroom, i.e, Omar’s soccer ball headboard, footboard and hospital bed enhancements, the graphic design image of a robotic soccer player based on Omar’s favorite team next to his bed, the custom-made desk to accomodate Omar’s wheelchair, the ceiling fixture sculpture, the loft style spaceship bed for Mario, the custom-made window shade, the hand painted planets and more…. It’s hard to believe that this makeover spanned only three weeks from it’s inception (our first visit to Omar’s home) to completion (the Reveal), and that the majority of the work took place over a three day weekend by a team of beyond extraordinary and faithful volunteers!
Omar’s makeover represented our 15th makeover and we can’t wait to get started on #16. Please consider pledging your support for our next makeover if you are truly inspired and moved by the results. Did you know that our organization is completely comprised of volunteers. We are just everyday people who want to make a difference in the lives of individuals who face bigger challenges in life than we do. We are using our time, resources and talents to walk our talk and we are having a great time doing it! Nobody gets paid in our organization and we depend on the generous donations of others to support this beautiful work. Just take a look at the donor list below……it’s pretty long, isn’t it? That’s because our makeovers, in general, are manifested by many, many modest donations from $20-$100. We love that because that means community and caring and that’s a whole lotta love that is being imbibed in each and every makeover we do. That’s not to say that we don’t jump for joy and smile our hearts out when a bigger donation comes our way
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We are very excited to introduce you to Omar, the recipient of Blissful Bedrooms makeover #15! Omar is a very sweet, loving and expressive young man who is 20 years of age. He is challenged with cerebral palsy which makes him reliant on a wheelchair for mobility and completely dependent on others for all activities of daily living, such as eating, transitioning, bathing, toileting, dressing, etc.
Please take a few minutes to view the photos from Omar & Mario’s makeover weekend, which include Before & After photos of their bedroom, pictures of the details, the family’s reaction to the Revealing of the boys’ bedroom, the Reveal party celebration with past Blissful Bedrooms makeover recipients, friends and supporters and the volunteers in action transforming the bedroom.
In addition, you will see some beautiful photos from Omar's very first "live" soccer game on Sunday, November 11th. Omar had the time of his life on this beautiful, warm afternoon, and the only thing brighter than the weather was his joyful mood. Much gratitude to the Yonkers Portuguese American Soccer Team for opening your hearts and your soccer field to Omar and Mario. Omar proudly sat at the bench with the guys and watched the game intently as his favorite team in red won 5-0!! Every time a soccer player passed the bench, they gave Omar a high-five making him feel like he was part of the team. Omar truly felt like one of the guys, especially with the personalized red soccer jersey they gave him to match theirs.
After winning the game, the team invited Omar and his friends back to the club for a delicious lunch. Omar, of course, sat with his team and talked soccer and other guy stuff as they celebrated their victory together. Before the day was over, the team made Omar their honorary captain and put a band on his arm with the letter C. This made Omar light up and we know he will cherish that meaningful gesture and gift for a long, long time to come. Both Omar and Mario left with a soccer ball signed by all the beautiful and awesome members of the Yonkers Portuguese American Soccer Team, which are now displayed in their brand new bedroom. Thank you so much to the Sagona & Morris family, as well as Omar’s cheerleaders: Jessica, Michaela, Vanessa, Alex, Madeline, Karin and Meg, for making Omar’s happiness a priority. Photos, of course, by Alex (www.alexographer.com)
Team Omar
Brian Belliveau
Bekah Coulter
Madeline Dudek
Alex Dvoryadkin
Aaron Gailmor
Tony Gamino
Yair Gelb
Martha Gold-Dvoryadkin
Michele Golom-Polgano
Brian Golub
Christopher Gonzalez
Ania Gozdz
David Gromet
Harry Lacoste
Meg O’Dwyer
Sally Paul
Tom Puertas
Vidalina Quinones
Libby Mae Russell
Clay Nelms
Brad Sagona
Donna Sagona
Karin Sagona
Adam Seim
Sarah Seim
Vanessa von Hessert
Thank you to all of the generous ORGANIZATIONS/BUSINESSES and INDIVIDUALS who supported Omar’s bedroom makeover by donating funds, services and/or materials. This makeover could not have been possible without your help!
Omar’s Angels
Individuals
Brenda Allen
Debra Alger
Jessica Amadeo-Guzman
Chelsea Arbutina
Patrick Barrett
Rochelle Bell
Jennifer Belliveau
Benjamin Bernstein
Annabelle Berrios
Simon Bollinger
Frank Carbone
Nancy Cardozo
Ciretta Carroll
Shirley Castano
Magaly Claudio
Joyce Cobb
Kat Corbett
Rene Daniels
Mark & Carin Denat
Katherine Deats
Alberto delMoral
Monika DiNapoli
Fabia Durant
Siham Erragh
Francesca Erts
Sandra Esguerra
Nancy Feher
Latasha Ford
Carol Frazier
Suzanne Gerstein
Thomas George
James Granello
Brian Griffin
Christine Hagen
Eric Hanna
Ayodele Higgs
Audrey Hopson
Virginia Incalcaterra
Vera Jones
John Kernaghan
Denise Kimberg
Yvette Kimberg Calenda
Ronald & Miranda Koss
Samantha Mannegio
Shirley Mansukhani
Ilene & Michael Martin
Janet McNamee
Kim McPherson
Roberto Molina
Kimberly Montini
Daphne Obas
Bridget O’Dwyer
Lincoln O’Brien
Kim Oransky
Melody Pfieffer
Jose Pinheiro
Jose Pinheiro, Jr.
Kim Oransky
Juan Ovalles
Kane Park
John Peruzzi
Jose Ramirez
Terry Peppin
Maria Rinklin
Libby Russell
Doug Rutsch
John Sheridan
Aileen Salvante-Martin
Laura Salvato
Jessica Santikul
Arlene Santos
Matthew Septimus
Roseann Simmons
Marc Stolz
Adrienne Stortz
David Sutherland
Robin Taylor
RoByn Thompson
Cristian Daniel Torres
Christopher Toy
Meredith Traquina
Jane Uzzell
Jose Vargas
Michele Velotti Golom-Pologano
Zuzana Vojtek
Linnea von Hessert
Vanessa von Hessert
Thomas Weiner
Jonathan Weingarten
Jessica Williams
Companies
Ablenet (Mary Sagstetter) - www.ablenetinc.com
Apple Visual Graphics (Adam Sturm) - www.applevisualgraphics.com
Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Company, Astoria, NY - www.brooklynbagelandcoffeecompany.com
EmbroidMe (Maria Emma) - www.embroidme-midtownnyc.com
Film Biz Recycling - www.filmbizrecycling.org
International Caterers of Distinction - www.international-caterers.com
Lawrence & Sandra Post Family Foundation
Murals Your Way (Cathy O’Brien) - www.muralsyourway.com
Orangepiel (Michael McCool) – www.orangepiel.com
Portuguese American Community Center for Education, Inc. - www.ypacc.com
Yonkers Portuguese American Soccer Team
Shannon Associates LLC (Peter Bollinger) – www.shannonassociates.com
Tekserve – www.tekserve.com
The Luis & Alma Charitable Foundation
Zaro’s Bake Shop - www.zaro.com
Thank you to the Companies and Individuals who have adopted Blissful Bedrooms donation boxes, and to the generous and giving customers/people who contributed to the boxes. You helped us manifest Omar's dream bedroom!
Donation Boxes
Astoria 31st street market
Bel Aire Diner
Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Company
David Gromet
Double G Pharmacy
Family Corner
Film Biz Recycling
Green Line Market
Igloo Cafe
Just Burgers
Meg O’Dwyer
New York Times
Omega Liquor Store
Rosario’s Italian Deli
Stamatis
The Bagel Shop
Zorba’s Souvlaki