In lieu of packages under the tree, an Orlando couple tackled a project at The Center over the holidays. Ryan Salyer is a Center board member who has been with his partner, Danny Justice, for ten years.
“My partner and I decided to do something for The Center instead of doing Christmas presents for each other,” Salyer said. “We decided to redo the lobby and front desk area because when you come in the front door, that’s the first impression you have of The Center, and we wanted it to feel welcome and inviting.”
The scope of the project included ripping up the old floor tiles, acid washing the brick they found underneath, putting four coats of finish on the floor, repainting the walls with a new color and flat finish, scraping the popcorn ceilings and new crown molding around the top. The project has been underway since Dec. 23 and the goal is to complete it in time for a Jan. 6 reception for County Commissioners Linda Stewart and Bill Segal. The only component that won’t be finished is a new front door, which has been ordered but won’t be installed until after the Jan. 6 event.
“We’ve been working every day and some days we put in 12 hours,” Salyer said.
The couple donated all of the materials and labor, worth close to $2,000. Several volunteers also assisted in the execution of the project.
“We were very excited for them to sacrifice their personal Christmas for the good of The Center,” said The Center’s executive director, Randy Stephens. “It shows how the community is starting to pitch in and realize The Center is something that belongs to everybody.”
Salyer said he hopes their work will inspire new improvements projects, and said another board member has already mentioned that he and his partner night renovate a room down the road. He is also inspired, and said they’re getting a bathroom in working order and wants to tackle the kitchen next.
“Couples have donated stuff [in the past], but nothing to this extent,” Stephens said. “They actually were there on hands and knees scrubbing and hanging and being there all hours of the day and night.”
Stephens said the difference is dramatic.
“Everybody’s noticed it,” he said. “We also remodeled the area where the volunteers operate from and they’re more excited than anybody because it looks so nice and clean.”
