Piece Corps:Enchanted Makeovers Turns 10

Happy anniversary to Enchanted Makeovers!

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The non-profit group is turning 10 and its mission to help inspire homeless women and children by transforming the appearance and comfort of homeless shelters—including sewing rooms where residents can learn the healing power of stitching--is going strong.

Former residential decorator Terry Grahl is the founder and CEO of Enchanted Makeovers located in Taylor, Michigan, 15 minutes north of Detroit. Terry recognized the need for a shelter-makeover organization after a client showed her a homeless facility that needed help painting a wall in a dormitory where 30 women and their children could live for a year.

We first told you about Terry and Enchanted Makeovers’ transformative mission, including its Sacred Sewing Rooms, in our November-December 2014 issue. Helped by a national team that included Babylock, Indygo Junction and Madeira thread, Enchanted Makeovers created Sacred Sewing Rooms in five women’s shelters in several states. 

This year, the EM mission is focused on two residential programs, including the Dignity House, the first shelter/program with Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries for women escaping sex trafficking. Although each new installation is a rewarding transformation that keeps the EM/SSR mission moving forward, Terry still has vivid memories of the dreary shelter she saw 10 years ago that launched this effort.

The broken beds in that shelter were cast off from a prison, Terry recalls. The threadbare bedding came from a nursing home. The cribs were held together by duct tape. The pillows didn’t have pillowcases. Everything was stained. 

“It was a heavy hit,” Terry says. “I just wanted to make it go away.”