When Ann Cummins and her friends got tired of volunteer work that involved baking cookies or answering phones, they created an organization that utilized the skills they enjoy.

In 2003, Decorating Interiors Volunteers At your Service, was formed, Cummins said.

The organization not only reforms the living spaces of disadvantaged families, it provide the furnishings.

"We want to help people build a nice nest," she said. "Everyone needs a pleasant place to come home to."

Cummins, 46, believes everyone wants a sense of pride in their home. And, if families have a nice place to meet, maybe they will spend more time together.

"Our reward is the reactions on the family members' faces," she said. "Life's been hard for them. They've been beaten down. Our work appeals to their human side and helps enhance their self-esteem."

Cummins, who resides in the Tower Oaks subdivision in northwest Houston, said she got the idea for the organization while she served on the board of a battered women's shelter.

The organization, Footsteps in the Sand, was located in Houston and is now defunct. It was a nonprofit housing project where battered women could reside, she said.

Cummins led a group of around 40 people to fix up the living rooms of all 14 of the duplexes in the project.

Each team, which consisted of from one to five people, chose a home and made over the living room with a budget of $500, she said.

Items and finances were donated by businesses, churches and individual members of the community.

The effort was so gratifying, the organization wanted to do more, so it started to do the interiors of houses, she said.

The group decided to transform one house at a time. To date, the decorating organization has redone 32 houses, Cummins said.

Group members come from across Houston, but a large number reside in Tower Oaks, she said.

"We really enjoy being together while we fix up the homes."

Social service agencies nominate the families the decorating organization assists.

These agencies include groups such as Habitat for Humanity, the Fort Bend County Women's Shelter and the Veterans Administration, she said.

"We give them a hand up, not a hand out," Cummins said. "They're helping themselves, but they still need some more help."

When a family is nominated, Cummins and her helpers visit the home and measure the rooms and windows. The family members are interviewed to find out what kind of decorating style they prefer, she said.

Then the transformation begins.

The family will be asked to leave the home for approximately 24 hours.

When they return home, Cummins said the expressions on their faces range from surprise to elation.

"It's not just the response of the adults that's so rewarding, but the joy and pride that show in the faces of the children," Cummins said.

Even though the organization is making over entire houses, they still keep the budget at $500.

The group gets items from thrift shops, garage sales and retailers. The latter have donated resources such as paint, lamps and window hardware, Cummins said.

The decorators also work with The Furniture Bank, which is located near the Texas Medical Center in downtown Houston. The nonprofit organization collects and distributes "gently used furniture" free of charge, said Oli Mohammed, executive director.

Mohammed said he loves the things Cummins and her group have accomplished.

Cummins gets whatever furniture she needs from The Furniture Bank and, over time, replaces the items.

"Ann is one of the most outstanding human beings I've ever met in my life," he said. "She's caring and compassionate."

Susan Glass, who worked with the organization on its first project, said she lives a block away from Cummins.

"Ann loves helping others," Glass said. "She's one of the most giving people I've ever met."

Paper: Houston Chronicle
Date: Thu 02/16/2006
Section: ThisWeek
Page: 6
Edition: 2 STAR