We recently opened a second office in historic Marietta, Georgia. It’s our first location outside of Indianapolis, where founder Jeryl Mitsch started the company in 1990. From our earliest days, building connections and relationships within the community has been one of our guiding principles.

Located not far from our Marietta office is The Center for Children & Young Adults (CCYA). Serving multiple counties throughout the Atlanta metro area, CCYA provides a home for youth who have been abused, neglected, and/or abandoned. The three-building campus offers four residential programs in a dormitory setting for youth ages 12-20 in need of shelter, treatment, care, and guidance.

Mitsch Design is proud to support CCYA and the launch of a pilot residential program, Rise Up Studios. Previously a 9-bed dormitory-style residence, the building has been transformed into seven studio apartment-style residences with eight beds for older kids to learn how to live on their own with the safety net of the CCYA community. Each studio apartment opens to a shared common area with a full kitchen and lounge area. Mitsch Design donated interior design services for the finishes in the apartments and common areas, as well as furniture and accessories selections.

Kim Borna, CEO of CCYA says this kind of program has never been implemented in the state of Georgia. “We believe the results are going to be quite remarkable and will show that providing a safe and structured environment for 18-20 year old residents will best prepare them for living on their own.” Much like real apartment communities, interested residents must submit an application, clean and maintain their homes, and follow community guidelines or risk losing the privilege of living in the updated space.

Several Mitsch Design vendors graciously donated or discounted materials or products for the project, and our Atlanta team enjoyed two days on-site bringing a colorful hand painted mural to life in the shared lounge area.

CCYA is still in need of many household items to outfit the Rise Up Studios. If you’d like to shop from their Amazon Wish List, items will be sent directly to their location. Monetary donations are always welcome via the CCYA website. If you’re in the Atlanta area and interested in volunteering with CCYA, you can learn more here.

The Center for Children and Young Adults is a nonprofit 501c3 organization that provides safe and suitable housing, youth development activities and comprehensive supportive housing services for at risk homeless and foster care youth who have been abandoned, abused, neglected and/or sexually exploited. Nonprofit EIN # 58-1451180