Good Works Makeover

One thing HLA's basement activity room needed was a design job. As our Good Works Makeover expert Elaine Griffin says, "It was a ‘DDD'—depressing dungeon dugout." The kids loved their room—the place for everything from photography and sign-language classes to that essential teen activity, lounging—but there was no getting around the windowless cinder-block walls, cracked linoleum floor, and cold fluorescent lights.

This time, Good Works came with a twist: Elaine would try to execute the entire project using materials bought on eBay®, the huge Web marketplace. When she approached the company, says John McDonald, director of its home-decor category, eBay was happy to donate her picks. Some vendors, once they found out about HLA, sped up delivery times and donated shipping fees.