Gracing Spaces has helped the community turn a place into a HOME, with their commitment to the community they have made it stronger with their care. We social workers help clients get into places, Gracing Spaces makes it a HOME! Without Gracing Spaces our clients would not have a beds, couches, kitchen and other household items that can be expensive when one re-enters housing.
— Ken Christenson (FACETS)
Who We Are
Our Mission
Until everyone has a home, Gracing Spaces will furnish houses to turn them into homes to bring hope to the people we serve.
We welcome volunteers to share the joy of gracing spaces with us.
We accept donated furniture and household items, refurbishing and giving them a second life.
We partner with families in Northern Virginia seeking a new start.
We invite you to join us and transform an empty apartment into a home!
How We Got Here
Twenty years ago, Kathie Baumgart was preparing for her daughter's bridal shower. Instead of throwing a traditional shower, Kathie's daughter challenged her and her creative friends to organize and perform an "extreme make over" on a community room of a half-way house for women. Kathie's group of friends transformed the community room in one day, and returned 3 more times over the next year to finish decorating the entire half-way house. What Kathie and her group couldn't know then, was how that experience would inspire them and many others to continue that type of volunteerism in the community for years to come.
Gracing Spaces evolved for the next 20 years into a large ministry of Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Fairfax and Clifton, serving thousands of our neighbors in need. In 2022, we became an independent charitable organization with the same mission. We carry on the legacy of our founding volunteers: there is need, there is abundance, there is ability, and we bring these things together.
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to your program and team of volunteers for the consistent support you have provided families in our community through the years. As a school social worker managing many needs, your program’s efficiency in assisting families quickly, and the kindness and warmth displayed by the volunteers’ interactions during pick up is commendable.
— Mercedes T. Tikoyan (Fairfax County Public Schools)
Success Stories
A Tale of Two Chairs
A few weeks ago, a couple of chairs were donated.  They were structurally sound, but the paint was chipped and they looked a little tired and worn.  One of our newer volunteers,…
Our Linens Ladies
As an all-volunteer organization, we literally could not do the work of Gracing Spaces without our volunteers, so every few weeks, we are going to highlight some of our volunteers…
An Aunt’s Courage
A young couple with two small children had a stable life. They had jobs and rented a two bedroom apartment, but things changed abruptly when the woman’s brother-in-law died of…
Words Can Hurt, But We Can Help
Right before gathering to pack our weekly orders, Gracing Spaces received a last – minute request from one of our favorite social workers. One of her students, a kindergartner, was…
Makeover in the Summer Heat
This week was a little different at Gracing Spaces. Most social workers had June 19th off because of the holiday, so we decided to take a break from our normal…