PUBLISHED JULY 21, 2016
Divas bring warmth, color to Mary & Martha House home
By LOIS KINDLE
The Aqua Viva Divas hosted its 3rd annual makeover of a Mary & Martha House property in Ruskin on July 13. The effort was part of the group’s ongoing mission to serve others in need through good works.
“The Divas are a chapter of the Blue Thong Society, an organization that inspires women to connect, inspire and mobilize to make a difference in their communities,” said Jennifer McCafferty, chapter president. “We connect socially, but with purpose and intent, to make the world a better place.”
This year’s project included the makeover of four common rooms — a dining room, two living rooms and a foyer — in a transitional home occupied by three women working their way through the Mary & Martha House Bridge to Permanent Housing program.
“The Divas have a special affinity for Mary & Martha House because we relate to or empathize with its cause of helping women in crisis who are dealing with homelessness and abuse,” McCafferty said.
Ten members of the Aqua Viva Divas donated existing items from their homes and spent more than $1,000 of their own money to purchase two Ottomans, new artwork, two TVs and additional home décor.
The Home Depot donated paint, rugs and ceiling fans, and Divas member Lori Crossley purchased food to fill the kitchen pantry.
Two Divas husbands, referred to affectionately as the “Blue Boxer Bunch,” provided free labor. They included Mike “The Gas Man” Fabbro, of Air & Gas System Specialists, and Wayne Crossley, of SouthShore Handyman Services.
“They were enlisted by their wives to do the heavy lifting,” McCafferty said, smiling. “We could have done the work without them, but it would have taken us three times as long.”
Michael Regan, of Papys Home Services, painted the walls of the four rooms.
As it was, the Divas team spent seven hours cleaning; hanging artwork; assembling shelving, setting up rooms and reorganizing the kitchen pantry. McCafferty and Divas member Kim Sellers even power washed the home’s exterior.
One of the women living in the home returned from school at the end of the workday to find her living quarters freshly updated.
“She came home while we were still there and was overwhelmed with everything we had done,” McCafferty said. She told us it actually looked like a home now, instead of just a place to live.
Mary & Martha House officials also were elated with the makeover.
“This is not the first time the Aqua Viva Divas have come in and transformed living space for our clients to make it more welcoming, bright and homey,” said Laurie Herring, the nonprofit organization’s program and housing director. “We love them and are so grateful for the support they give to Mary & Martha House and the women and families we serve.”
“We were more than happy to do it,” McCafferty said. “Our members decide on what the Divas will do each year. We’ve worked the phone bank for the Humane Society of Tampa Bay; participated in the American Cancer Society Relay for Life and South Shore Walk to End Alzheimer’s; and hosted a Christmas toy drive for A Kid’s Place in Brandon.
“Mary & Martha House is one of our favorite projects,” she continued. “I’m sure we’ll take on something similar next year.”