3. Team Members
Mark Borowicz
Director Workforce & Community Development
Blackhawk Technical College
BLUE
“Leadership is not a destination - it is a continuing
evolution of learning and evaluating.”
6. Team Members
Leslie Vaughn
Records Supervisor
City of Janesville Police Department
GOLD / GREEN
“If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you.”
-Fred DeVito
7. Team Members
Chris Zillman
Commercial Banking Relationship Manager
Johnson Financial Group
GREEN / GOLD
“A true leader doesn’t just talk the talk, they
walk the walk.”
8. Why this Project?
â—Ź Support the youth in the community
â—Ź Support the effort to bring awareness to homelessness in our community
â—‹ 1,200 homeless school aged youth in Rock County
â—‹ 300 of which are unaccompanied homeless youth
â—Ź Support those that might be suffering some of the greatest effects of COVID-
19
â—Ź Complete a project that has a long-lasting and direct impact
9. Project 16:49
â—Ź Project 16:49 represents the number of hours and minutes between school
ending one day and starting the next
● Mission: To empower Rock County’s unaccompanied homeless youth to take
action to achieve their goals
â—Ź Vision: Every unaccompanied homeless youth in Rock County will have the
opportunity to become a contributing member of the community
â—Ź Project 16:49 has two home locations, a boys house in Janesville and a girls
house in Beloit
â—Ź The Robin House: Named after Robin Stuht who was the homeless liaison for
the Beloit School District and she was one of the people responsible for
creating
10. Program and Project Alignment
As part of their participation in Project 16:49, youth in the program prepare an
individual goal plan that addresses seven key areas: housing, education,
employment, life skills, physical and mental health, community connections, and
cultural & personal identity formation.
The Self Reflection and Relaxation room aligns with two of the seven key goal
plan areas of Project 16:49:
â—Ź Physical and Mental Health
â—Ź Cultural and Personal Identity Formation
11. Scope of Project
Phase 1: Self-Reflection and Relaxation Room
â—Ź Remodel an underused living room. This included painting and furnishing the
entire space.
â—Ź Each item chosen specifically for room based on principles of sensory rooms
and to promote relaxation and self-development.
Phase 2: Porch Upgrade
â—Ź Clean up and furnish an unused covered porch area. This included new patio
furniture for the porch space, which is visible from the Self-Reflection &
Relaxation Room.
Phase 3: Personal Development Classes
12. Project Timeline
â—Ź October 8, 2020 âž” Team G2L met with Project 16:49 about potential projects
● December 2, 2020 ➔ After an initial concept didn’t fit with the team’s vision, a meeting
was held at the Robin House and a new project was identified - the front room to be utilized
as a “Self-Reflection and Relaxation Room”.
â—Ź January 27, 2021 âž” Team G2L met at the Robin House to scope out the project, identify
proper measurements, concepts and items to be included in the project.
â—Ź February 25, 2021 âž” Rock LDA - Team G2L Facebook page is established with information
about the team and project. Fundraising efforts begin with online donation campaign.
â—Ź April 16 âž” Team G2L spent the afternoon at the Robin House beginning the transformation
of the room and started purchasing many items online
● April 30 ➔ Team G2L put in a few more hours of “hands-on” work at the Robin house
â—Ź May 7 âž” Final work afternoon at Robin House
â—Ź May 10 âž” Reveal Day!
13. A Self-Reflection & Relaxation Room Is:
â—Ź A specially designed room which combines a range of stimuli to help
individuals develop and engage their senses
â—Ź Effective in helping individuals with anxiety and stress to calm down so they
are better able to focus
â—Ź A safe and private environment that allows the person using it to explore
and interact without risk or judgement
â—Ź A space where a person can build up their confidence and explore their
abilities at their own leisure
â—Ź A space for people to go to relax and decompress
â—Ź A space to promote positive coping skills
20. Budget and Fundraising
â—Ź Budget of $5,000 was determined based on the identified components needed
for the Self-Relaxation and Reflection Room
â—Ź Facebook Team Page and donation page were established to help market the
team and secure funds through personal and professional relationships
â—Ź Donation letters and Corporate Sponsorship levels were established to create
opportunities for contributions to be recognized
â—Ź As of May 10th, the project has raised $5,130 or 102.6% of budget goal!
â—Ź Contributions include the following:
â—‹ Corporate Contractors, Inc (CCI) = $1,000
â—‹ Stateline Community Grant = $1,000
â—‹ John and Becky Wong =$1,000
â—‹ Johnson Bank =$300
â—‹ Facebook Donations = $1,180
â—‹ Individual Donations = $ 550
â—‹ In-Kind (Harris ACE Hardware for paint & supplies) = $100
29. Tammy DeGarmo and Hannah Haakenson with residents of the Robin House
30. Resident Responses and Feedback
â—Ź Favorite piece âžś Hanging Chair!
â—Ź Appreciation of research done regarding sensory rooms
â—Ź Ability to darken room for relaxation
â—Ź Like the calming colors that compliment each other
â—Ź Happy to have a space for privacy and meditation
â—Ź Looking forward to enjoying the outdoor space on the porch
â—Ź Hope for humanity
32. Lessons Learned
â—Ź Scope of Homelessness
â—Ź Flexibility was Essential
â—Ź Positive Attitude
â—Ź Tunnel Vision
â—Ź Passion âžś Makes it FUN and EASY to SUCCEED!