CHICAGO, June 21, 2006 -- Interior Design Students at Harrington College of Design will receive on the job training and school credit this summer through an internship with Design at Home, a non-profit organization founded in 2004 by Harrington graduates Bree Burkett, Rebecca Scrivener, and the late Maria Bruno.

Design at Home works in conjunction with the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) and CHAC, a private company created to administer the Chicago Housing Voucher Program, to reward and support Chicago families who have broken the cycle of public housing by purchasing their first home.

In response to the widespread elimination of public housing in Chicago , the founders of Design at Home were compelled to assist families in easing the transition from public housing to first time home ownership. “Design has tremendous impact on peoples' lives,” said Burkett. “Our interior design education at Harrington stressed the value in creating balance, unity, functionality and comfort as a reflection of the home owners' personality, taste and life style.”

The families benefiting from the efforts of Design at Home are carefully chosen by CHAC, and have put forward an extraordinary amount of effort to obtain their first homes. They play an active role in the project by selecting the room in their home most important to them.

After initial meetings with the family, Design at Home collaborates with the Harrington interns to create two proposed designs. “By involving the family in decisions right from the beginning, we ensure that this new room will make a real difference in their lives. We want to make sure the family is able to get the greatest amount of satisfaction from the process—and the finished product,” said Scrivener.

Under the supervision of Harrington faculty member Mary Beth Janssen, the interns are charged with managing the full scope of the design project including the build out scheduled for August 2007. Melissa Botello, Vicky Kampwerth, Ashley Langan, Samekh Masden and Rose Woods are the five Harrington student interns working with Design at Home this summer.

The Harrington and Design at Home partnership began in 2006. Harrington provides administrative support and resources; fundraising events; and internship opportunities for Design at Home.

“Social responsibility is one of our core values at Harrington; it is a privilege to support the students and alumni collaborating on this remarkable program,” said Erik Parks, president of Harrington College of Design.

Harrington is hosting its second annual fundraiser for Design at Home. Everything but the Kitchen Sink! , a progressive dinner benefit, will take place on July 20, 2007 at three Chicago loop design showrooms. Attendees will start the evening at 6:00pm with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres at Manifesto, located on Wells Street . A buffet will be held at bulthaup where design boards will be on display to provide a glimpse into the students' proposed design for this summer's family, and desserts will finish at Lightology. A silent auction will also be featured.

Event sponsors include bulthaup, Dominick's, Jordan's Food for Thought, Lightology, Manifesto, and Vortex Enterprises, Inc. Advance tickets are $60, $65 at the door, and can be purchased prior to the event by sending checks made payable to Design at Home to: Harrington College of Design, 200 West Madison St., 2 nd Floor, Chicago, IL 60606, attn: Nelson Sears . Additionally, anyone who is unable to attend the event but is interested in supporting the project and the efforts of Design at Home is asked to submit donations, also made payable to Design at Home, to the address listed above.

About Design at Home

Design at Home is a not for profit organization dedicated to rewarding and supporting families who have broken the cycle of public housing and purchased their first home. Design at Home provides them with interior design services, including designing one room of their new home for them. This helps these families jump start their new life by creating a deeper sense of ownership and place.

For more information, call 312-697-8044 or visit www.designathome.org.

About Harrington College of Design

Harrington College of Design is a four-year college that offers flexible scheduling for a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Interior Design, an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Interior Design or Digital Photography and a new Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Communication Design. Harrington is committed to creating the next generation of design professionals to lead and serve the global community.

Harrington has been a member of Chicago 's design and higher education communities since 1931. Located at 200 W. Madison St. , Harrington seeks to foster an environment that maximizes students' intellectual and artistic potential. The majority of the faculty is practicing interior designers, architects, photographers and fine art professionals.

Harrington is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools to award associate degrees and bachelor's degrees. The college is also an institutional member of the National Association of Schools and Art and Design (NASAD). Harrington is recognized as a private college by the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), and is authorized by the IBHE to confer baccalaureate and associate degrees. The Interior Design Program leading to the Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation, www.accredit-id.org, 146 Monroe Center NW, Suite 1318, Grand Rapids, MI 49503-2822. 

For more information, call 312.939.4975 or visit www.harringtoncollege.com.

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