Sophia Magnanini 0:04
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Hello, 88.1 WKNC, Raleigh. The song you just heard was house of mango by surf ninja three. I am Sophia Magnanini, your host, and you are listening to Oak city move today, we are joined by a very special guest, Rae Marie Czuhai, Chief Executive Officer and CEO of the Green Chair Project, which is an organization that helps supports individuals overcoming homelessness, crisis or disaster through providing vital housing resources and other Home Essentials. First off, I just wanted to thank you for taking the time out of your day to come speak with me. And can you start by introducing yourself and your role at the green chair project.
Rae Marie Czuhai 1:10
Certainly, my name is Rae Marie Czuhai, as you mentioned. And I am the CEO of the green chair project. We are celebrating our 15th year this year, so I joined the green chair in 2020 February of 2020,
a month before COVID. So I jumped right in and got really busy.
Very quickly. I joined as the director of development, which is the chief fundraising person for the green chair project, and then
Jackie Craig, who was one of our co founders, retired in October of 23 and that is when I became the CEO. That's so cool for those who may not be familiar. Could you explain the mission of the green chair project? The green chair project's mission is to provide furniture and essential household items that make a meaningful difference in the lives of individuals and families overcoming hardship. Do you know what inspired the founding of the organization and how the vision has kind of evolved? Yeah, absolutely. It's a great story. There were two women who were in the real estate industry, who
realized that people had too much stuff in their homes, and so as they were helping people clean out their house to put it on the market, they would start saving all these extra items in the closet at their church, and would help People that were transitioning Jackie Craig, who was one of the co founders, she would help. She was also teaching leading a Bible study, and so she was helping women that were coming out of incarceration help them rebuild their lives. And so, you know, somebody would move into a new apartment and need things, and she would have extra things in this closet for the families. So they started in a closet and quickly moved out and realized that there was a huge gap in services for families. There were people helping them find housing. There were people helping them with their health and mental health and,
you know, helping them find jobs and helping them, you know, get re educated, or get clothing for new jobs and things like that. But there was not anyone that was helping people with furniture and those essential items that they need to make a house a home
Sophia Magnanini 3:34
That's such a cool story, starting off so small, and now it's turned into such a large scale project that has helped so many different people. Also very cool how it started off of helping incarcerated women. Yes, I think that's really interesting. Can you walk us through the process of how families are, what support they receive from you guys?
Rae Marie Czuhai 3:53
Certainly. So no one really comes to green share and says that they need furniture. They come to us through a referral from one of the 100 agencies here in Wake County, we have families that come to us from Salvation Army, from the Host Program at NC State. There are families that come to us from Urban Ministries and oak city cares. And just all the agencies that are in the Wake County area that help families find affordable housing, and so their case manager refers them to green chair, and once they have once they have the keys to their home, once they know when they're moving in, then they go online. We have a portal where they go shop with their social worker, and they get to go in and pick out the furniture that they want for their home. That's really very important to green chair is that families have have choice, and that they get things that they like and that they want, and there's a lot of dignity in that process and them having to be able to choose the things that they like and they want for their home. So once they receive that.
And the link to that portal, they go in, and we always have at least four or five different vignettes that we have created to put online. And so the furniture that we show on there has been donated by the community. So when people move out of NC State and they're finished with their pots and pans, or they don't use that bedding anymore, they bring it to green chair, and we curate it for these families. And so within 24 or 48 hours of the family selecting their
their furniture, they it's delivered to them in their new home. So we do delivery free of charge for the families. And so it's delivered. We also provide a bed for every child in the family with it's a new bed with a new pillow and with sheets and pillow cases. And there's a little link to NC State in this story that the sweeter dreams program started in 2017
2016 around that time, we had a wake. County social worker came to Jackie and said, you know, we really think that there's an issue with bedlessness for our students, or they're not. There's they're sharing a bed, they're not getting good night's sleep. We think that there's a problem. And could you help us with beds for kids? And she was like, Sure, let's, let's look into it. And her husband, who is Lee Craig, who is a professor at state,
helped with a study with some of his students. I think they were econ students, and they studied
the bedlessness situation in Wake County, and determined that they were between five and 6000 children every year in Wake County that do not have a bed of their own, that are sleeping with someone else, sleeping on the floor or sleeping with,
you know, on a piece of furniture that's not really meant to be a bed. So
I love that story, that little connection to NC State for that reason. So, you know, the students at state helped us figure out that there was a need, and we use that report every day to tell families about or to tell funders about the need here in Wake County.
Sophia Magnanini 7:15
No, that's awesome. I love how much community goes into the green chair project, like how you're saying NC State, and then a lot of people how they get referred from these different agencies, they know that their clients are going to be safe with you guys. And I, like you were saying, also feel like it's very important you guys give them a lot of dignity. And like a lot of these families, don't really want to reach out, because they don't want to be seen in a certain light, even though they should never have to worry about that. But, of course, there is, like some stigma, but the way that you guys are, and also in 24 hours, that's amazing. It really gets them. They get they get a start on their new life right away.
Rae Marie Czuhai 7:55
A lot of people talk about hope, that that's what, and I wanted to go back and say, when you were talking about the community, is, that's part of our name is the green chair project. And project is, is to stand for the community. That is what the community does for us, and in bringing furniture and and all the other resources that are in the community to support us,
Sophia Magnanini 8:19
That's amazing. I was going to ask you about the sweeter dreams program, which you did go into that I think is also a very, very important thing, because that is something that isn't really thought about. A lot of people think that it's like, as long as they have the roof over their heads or something, that's all they need, but it's really important what you guys are doing making sure that all these kids get their own spaces, their own time, because that also allows them to also have this hope, where they're like, Okay, now I can start. And it kind of sets them on this, like, good path. Speaking of communities, I know the green chair project works with a lot of partners and agencies and nonprofits. Can you share a little bit about how those relationships work? More in depth, I know you're saying earlier how it's they refer a lot of the clients to it, but
Rae Marie Czuhai 9:02
Certainly there, we just recently had a family come over from the Salvation Army. She and her daughter had gone to the Salvation Army, and they were there for about three or four months before they could find a place to live. And so their social workers said, We found her a place to live. We've got it all set up. We've got your apartment set up. They've got, you know, she'd gotten her deposit and everything. And she looked at her case manager and said, Well, it's great that I have this place, but I don't have any furniture. And she said, Well, right next door is the green chair project, and they're going to help you with furniture. And so we got to meet her and her daughter, and it was really, it was really nice to hear her story, you know, from being at the Salvation Army, and her bedroom that she was staying in at the Salvation Army kind of overlooked a green chair project, because we're right next door. We're neighbors. And she said, I saw your business every day, and.
Didn't know what y'all did. And, you know, there you were right kind of underneath me the whole time, you know. So that was just very special for us to hear that, you know, she,
she had, you know, really sought solace and protection at the Salvation Army, and had gotten it there. And she was so grateful for her time at the Salvation Army, and then they helped her find a place to live, and then we were able to help her. So there's so many stories like that that happen every day. You know, from you know,
there's young adults that are coming out of foster care, that are aging into, you know, adulthood, and they have to find a place to live, they're out of that program. And so we work with the Hope Center at pull in to do that. We work with a carrying place in Cary. We work with oak city cares when they're helping families or individuals that are coming out of homelessness. So there's so many programs in Wake County, we're so lucky to have all of these partners that are here for our community members, and we just kind of play that little fill in that gap at the end where, you know, they've they've gotten their housing, and they've gotten,
you know, a new place to live, and we can come in and bring them the essentials of home, dishes and pots and pans so that they can prepare a meal for their family. And those are kind of all things we might take for granted. But you know, those are things that they need to be successful in their in their new home.
Sophia Magnanini 11:34
That's amazing, because this ladder of different programs and agencies that they go through, and then you guys are sigh of relief at the end where it's like now we have all these things we can finally just start focusing on their life. Yeah, yeah, that's amazing. And with different like partners, how do you connect with donors and volunteers to keep the mission thriving?
Rae Marie Czuhai 11:54
We could not do what we do without our volunteers and our donors. They are what makes the green chair run. We have volunteers that have been here for 15 years. They've been with us as long as we have been an organization. So that's amazing to know that there's so many people in this community that want to give a day out of their week to come in, but we have a core group of volunteers that come in each week, and then we have groups of volunteers that come in and help us do special projects. They'll help us put together dressers or sand tables and chairs and help us paint furniture and do all of those things. So we have groups from corporate groups that come in and do team building activities with us to do some of those major projects. And then we do, you know, talk to different groups, different civic groups. We go out and talk to them, to tell them about green chair, remind them that when they're moving to bring their furniture to green chair or we have a drop off every the second Tuesday of every I mean, the second Saturday of every month, We're open Monday through Fridays for drop offs, but on the second Saturday of each month, we're now open for drop off from 10 to two, so the community can can drop off things. And we also have a truck that will pick up items. If you live in Wake County, we have a truck that will come to your home and pick up the extras that you have. If you have two of the essential items that we need, then we can come by and pick that up for free. So yeah, that's how, how people give and support, yeah,
Sophia Magnanini 13:23
yeah, that's awesome, because especially you guys going to pick up stuff, because I bet a lot of people may might be busier not have the chance to go out there and actually give the stuff. But that is just creating another kind of step to make sure that everyone gets what's needed.
Rae Marie Czuhai 13:39
We want to make it as easy as possible for people to donate their furniture. So absolutely,
Sophia Magnanini 13:44
Oh, that's awesome. And I know that the mission involves a lot of sustainability, gently reusing gently used furniture rather than discarding them, is very important. And why is this environmental piece important to you guys as well?
Rae Marie Czuhai 13:58
Just because, you know, we see so many pieces of furniture that just have good life left in them. They're still good, they're still valuable, they still have
they can fill a gap for somebody. They can they can provide something for somebody. And you know, we want to make, you know, our environment
sustainable for the next generation. And so when you can reuse something, or put a, you know, fresh coat of paint on it, or, you know, clean it up and repair it, um, then that's just giving it another life and extending the life cycle of that and keeping it out of the landfill. So that's that's very important to us as well.
Sophia Magnanini 14:39
I feel like it's also kind of nice how these it's kind of being passed down these different furniture. So it's like they all have these different stories. And it's kind of comforting being like, this is something I know has helped someone in the past, and now it's helping me.
Rae Marie Czuhai 14:54
That is so true. There are so many people that have trouble, you know, separating for something that might have.
Have a sentimental value to them, or it might have been something that was passed down to them and their family. And, you know, they really don't need it anymore. They've got a new one, or they want to get rid of it. But, you know, have kind of like that guilt, or just don't want to get rid of it. And we talk to people that are here every day that are donating a lamp or donating something that was their grandmother's that meant so much to their grandmother, but maybe not mean that much to them, but they know that their grandmother would really appreciate knowing that it's going to help someone. And I was the same way with my grandmother's sofa. I had my grandmother's sofa, and I was like, you know, I wanted a new sofa, but I was like, wow, I you know, is it hard? It's hard to get rid of things that you know have sentimental value to you, and so
you know, knowing that it was going to another family made it so much easier for me to to let go of that and and help someone else in this in the same way.
Sophia Magnanini 15:53
Yeah, I totally agree. Because, like you were saying, especially with sentimental things, it can be really hard, but just knowing that it's going to help someone and not just be thrown away is exactly, very important. And I wanted to ask you if, during your time at green chair, if there was any recent success stories or moments that kind of stuck out to you, or just any, they don't have to be recent, just kind of any story that's really,
Rae Marie Czuhai 16:19
yeah, there's so many, so many very poignant stories
I will it was it occurred to me
something that had never occurred to me, but we did one of the Very first families that came through our
our program. She was shopping for
she was she was picking out her bedding to go with her bed, and I asked her what her favorite color was, and she didn't really know. She
said nobody had asked her that question before, and it just kind of like broke my heart that, you know, here was this young girl that was turning 18 years old and getting ready to move in her apartment, and that she had never really picked out anything that was her favorite color before. And,
um, I just remember as a young person, you know, like my favorite color was purple, and everything I had was purple, and how, you know, I just was like, I was dumbfounded that, you know, I was just like, this cannot be that no one has ever asked this child, you know, what her favorite color is. So it was very sad for me at the moment, but then
the fact that she said, Well, you know, I really love pink. And I was like, well, great, and let's find you some pink things in this building. And so we were able to find her a pink comforter, and, you know, pink towels for a bathroom. And so, you know, those little things that I take for granted, or that we all might take for granted,
just means so much to them and to families that are, you know, that have experienced homelessness or never had things of their own, and what a difference having items of your own can make. And you know, just sharing, you know that hope for them, that they they have have things that they need and can do good things and pay it forward. Hopefully,
Sophia Magnanini 18:25
That story is almost making me tear up a little bit, but that just shows how you got like you were saying, there's so many things that we take for granted, but you guys are helping to give back this dignity and sense of self to these people and helping them start their new own life where they get to kind of make their own decisions and think that, hey, this is what I like. This is what I don't like. I can finally focus on this or this and not have to worry about all these other things that were probably the main points of their lives for a long time.
Rae Marie Czuhai 18:57
Exactly,
Sophia Magnanini 18:59
yeah, and that's that's amazing. And did want to ask for those listening who feel inspired, how can they get involved, whether through donating, volunteering or spreading the word, if there's any websites or numbers that they
Rae Marie Czuhai 19:13
Our website is the green chair project.org
and most everything you need is there. You can click in the upper right hand corner to donate furniture, to donate resources, to learn more about the organization. You can call you come for a tour.
If you're interested in coming for a tour, just give us a call, and we can schedule a tour and learn more about our volunteer opportunities as well. We have volunteer open houses, generally quarterly. But if you you know, have a group that's interested in doing something that's always fun, to get a group together to come, and we have opportunities for groups to do anything from work in our guard, we have a small garden. And,
you know, do.
Something like that. Or to help us prepare bath baskets. Each family gets a bath basket with towels and a shower curtain. Or to help curate, you know, our furniture packages that we photograph and put up on the website. So there's lots of opportunities for volunteers here at the green chair.
Sophia Magnanini 20:17
Awesome. Previously you mentioned how usually to if they want to donate. It's Friday through Monday through Friday, and then Saturdays 10 to two,
Rae Marie Czuhai 20:26
the second Saturday of
Sophia Magnanini 20:28
second Saturday,
Rae Marie Czuhai 20:29
Saturday and Monday through Friday.
Sophia Magnanini 20:31
Everything perfect.
And are there any upcoming events, drives or campaigns that you'd like to promote, or anything?
Rae Marie Czuhai 20:38
Um, we just finished our celebrating our 15th anniversary, and we will have a back to school campaign in August, where we will
be doing a donation drive, and we'll have a match, a one for one match of any gifts donated for sweeter dreams, which is our bed and crib program. So that will be happening in August.
Sophia Magnanini 21:01
Oh, perfect. My final question is, what do you hope people take away after learning about the green chair project?
Rae Marie Czuhai 21:08
It is my hope that everybody that hears this will tell a friend or tell somebody. Word of mouth is the best way for people to learn about green chair, I think, grab a neighbor and learn more about green chair. If you have extra furniture, bring it to us. If you know someone that needs a bed, you know, have them. Refer to us so that we can can help them get a better crib. And then,
you know, just reminding people that we're here, that when they have extra things in their house that they don't need anymore, to please consider green chair as a place to donate.
Sophia Magnanini 21:46
Awesome, no, perfect, the green chair project as a whole. You guys just do so much for the community, and I feel like very under appreciated, almost, because, of course, you guys aren't really asking for this recognition, just doing everything that you do is recognition in itself, and like enough, but you guys really do so much for the community, and it's just really amazing. And
Rae Marie Czuhai 22:07
well, thank you.
Sophia Magnanini 22:08
And I just wanted to thank you again for coming and chatting with me about the green chair project and all the community and what it does for the community and everyone that goes into it as well. It's just, it's amazing.
Rae Marie Czuhai 22:19
Well, thank you so much for this opportunity,
Sophia Magnanini 22:21
of course, thank you for listening to Oak city move once again. I'm your host, Sophia Magnani, and if you're interested in listening to this episode again or to past episodes of the show, you can go to wknc.org/podcast
and make sure to tune into our show every other Monday On WKNC 88.1 FM, Raleigh. Have a great day.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
