Blues Better Halves volunteer with Lydia's House

The apartment started out bare; just the necessary furniture, no more. But through the combined efforts of Lydia's House and the Blues Better Halves, the space was transformed. It was now ready for its new tenants - a woman who has faced abuse and her children.
Lydia's House, a local not-for-profit organization, provides transitional housing and support - including education, training and employment - for women who have faced domestic violence and their children. It was founded in 1994 and has counted the Blues Better Halves among their volunteers since the early 2000's.
This week the Better Halves helped ready an apartment for its new residents, furnishing it with not just the necessities but the special touches that make a house a home.

"I wish I could see their face when they come in, because they're going to be just overwhelmed that someone put all this love and care into their apartment," said Janel Uelk, who works in volunteer and support services for Lydia's House.
The family, whose identity is kept confidential for safety purposes, will be coming to the apartment from an emergency shelter.

"It's amazing that it's all ready for them because that takes one thing off their plate that they don't have to worry about," Uelk said. "'Where am I going to get beds? How am I going to get dishes?' I mean, some people we don't think anything about that, we just go get whatever we want, but they don't have that option."
Before getting to work on furnishing the apartment, the Better Halves stocked up on everything the family might need. And they didn't stop at just the basics - their shopping list included special touches to make it more inviting, including paintings, flowers and Easter baskets for the kids.

It's a special experience for the Better Halves, who frequently get involved in the St. Louis community. For Francesca Vangel, the fiancée of Blues forward Pat Maroon, it means even more as a St. Louis native herself.
"Being able to come back into my community is awesome," she said. "I love learning about all the organizations that I didn't know anything about and being able to help."

The help is important to an organization like Lydia's House, who welcomes volunteers in a variety of roles.
"[We rely on volunteers] a lot," Uelk said. "I couldn't get near the things done that I get done if I didn't have volunteers. Sometimes it's not as glamorous - we're cleaning, we're scrubbing, we're taking out the trash - and then we have to come in and make it beautiful. It's all part of the puzzle to make it great for families when they move in."
And the Better Halves are more than happy to help out however they can.
"The guys do a lot during the season, so we love to be able to come in and do our part for the community and be able to help people that are in need and people who need a little extra love and care, and give a lot of love to the city of St. Louis," Vangel said.