Dream room makeovers and cooking for a crowd

Baker Tilly Wishes brings the resources of our firm and our people together to tackle big issues. Learn how team members Alberto Mancusi and Paul Clark are supporting home makeovers for kids with cancer and providing meals for neighbors.

Brightening rooms for sick children

Nearly 10,000 children in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer in 2023.

Assurance Manager Alberto Mancusi knows pediatric cancer patients need more than just treatment.

“These kids deserve a comforting space as they recover at home and Circle of Care provides that,” Alberto said.

Through their Art for the Heart program, Circle of Care builds full room makeovers for children as they undergo the recovery process.

Alberto first volunteered with the Art for the Heart program in 2015 and has since participated in nearly 20 room makeovers. Volunteer teams complete the renovation over the course of one weekend.

“About 15 of us will clean, paint, install closets and build furniture according to how the child dreams their room to be,” Alberto said. “After the hard work, it’s so rewarding to see their face light up as they see their new space — it’s very emotional.”

According to Alberto, each room renovation costs roughly $3,000, and the $10,000 Baker Tilly Wishes grant will help expand the program to more families in the Northeastern U.S.

Ending food and housing insecurity in Chicago

Paul Clark, senior manager in Growth Strategies, loves cooking for a crowd. He’s also passionate about giving back to his community. Through 20 years of volunteering, he’s found a way to combine these passions.

Housing Forward, which provides interim housing to residents of the Chicago area, has two overnight shelters available to those in need. Since the shelters lack kitchens, volunteers like Paul gather ingredients, prepare meals and deliver them to the shelter.

“I’ve been doing this long enough that I have it down to a science,” Paul said. “I can get all my ingredients from a restaurant supply store and assemble a full meal, load up my car, and drop it off within a couple of hours.”

Local volunteers and restaurants provide three meals a day for the shelter’s guests, and Paul participates several times each month. Occasionally, Housing Forward will send out an SOS message to all their volunteers, asking for an urgent food donation, and Paul has answered the call several times.

Paul said his reward comes from interacting with the guests and learning their stories.

“Most of the guests are coming into the shelter in the evening after work, they just need a place to stay,” Paul said. “People can struggle with housing for a variety of reasons, I’m happy organizations like Housing Forward are helping people get back on their feet.”