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Home Sweet Home: 909 Dillard Street
By Emily-Sarah Lineback, Connections
You met James and Lillie Marshall in the pages of Connections a year ago. The couple had resided at 909 Dillard Street in Greensboro for over 40 years, dealing with a myriad of major problems: a leaking roof, no heat, shoddy wiring and no working kitchen. "909 Dillard: From the Ground Up" (Connections, Winter '06-07) showed how Interior Architecture Department students, led by Robert Charest, IARC assistant professor, worked with the couple, the City of Greensboro and the community at large to design and build not merely a house but a home for the Marshalls.
As anyone who has moved knows, it's a job--especially when factoring in four decades' worth of accumulation. And beyond the physical task of sorting all that stuff, the emotional aspect is often the grander chore. Maura Nsonwu, academic professional assistant professor in the Social Work Department, and SWK students coordinated the Marshalls' move out and back, helping with physical and emotional elements. The Marshalls are enjoying their new home, especially their working kitchen, and continue to express gratitude to everyone who helped.
"Their story is so powerful," Nsonwu said of the Marshalls, and it's "powerful learning when students see how they can impact change in our society, right in Greensboro--two blocks from the university they can make a difference."
The students did see a difference, in the Marshalls and themselves. "One thing was quite fascinating," noted Dr. Ken Gruber, research and statistical service coordinator for HES. "Both the IARC and SWK students really identified with the Marshalls and had an 'extended kin' experience." The students seemed to look on the couple as they might their own grandparents, treating them and their belongings with great care.
"As social workers, we put the needs of others first," Minda Howze, a graduate student in the SWK program and last year's vice-president of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW)-SO. "When NASW was presented with this service project, there was never a hesitation to help; we just asked when and where." Howze said that the Marshalls, like many people who deal with a move, had "a difficult time parting with some of their stuff." From Here to There, a moving company headed by Judy Glasgow, gave professional advice not only on how to organize but offered expertise in attempting to get the Marshalls past their desire to put every former item back into their new home.
Another SWK student instrumental in transitioning the Marshalls into their new home was Precious Bell, who has since graduated from UNCG and is attending graduate school. She called the project "social work at its best."
"Movers we're not," Bell said. "It's not about moving somebody and when the job is done, go home and [say] 'I've done a good deed.' It's more than a good deed for the day."
"Professors give you theories, assignments...you take it in and put it on paper, but how are you going to handle a real-life situation?" Bell asked. "[Students] might not remember that theory 10 years from now, but they'll remember that experience with the Marshalls."
Nsonwu echoes Bell's words. "I continue to hear from students about how this has opened their eyes...this gives students a new lens. It also opens up possibilities of how we can interact in our communities to make a difference."
Gruber shared that it was personally exciting for him "to see an interdisciplinary project take shape" and to witness the departments' specialties being utilized and blended to best serve the Marshalls. The project's completion was a perfect demonstration of human environmental sciences at work in the world.
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