The past few months have been busy at 180 Degrees' Brittany’s Place. As you may know, we had a full remodel of our St. Paul shelter for girls and young women who've experienced trafficking. Our heartfelt gratitude to the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) for working together with 180 Degrees and Brittany’s Place staff. We are amazed at their generosity. Their talent and contributions have: 

• Converted first-floor office space to create new bedrooms for more clients. 
• Remodeled the Welcome Room creating a much more inviting first-impression for new clients.
• Provided beautiful new rugs, textiles, and furniture for the lounge, main area, and bedrooms for added comfort. 
• Remodeled second-floor bedrooms, complete with new paint, sheets, and art.
• Retouched murals and placed new art installations in the lounge.

ASID and many other individuals and organizations helped transform and revitalize Brittany’s Place into a more comfortable and healing environment for girls and young women who've experienced trauma associated with sex trafficking.

If you need interior design, we highly recommend ASID and the other creative and generous businesses below.

Thank you for your donations, expertise, and support. Brittany’s Place feels more like a home for girls who have experienced unique traumas due to sex trafficking and violence.

Donations/Partners/Volunteers: 
American Society of Interior Designers team (ASID)
Adam Anderson of Decorators Service Co. for installing screen painting in Main Area. 
Mark Arfmann of MASK Painting for painting all of the walls. 
Michelle Ashe of Muska Lighting for donating lamps for bedrooms. 
Leslie Bentley of Satori Tile for donating tile installation. 
Jackie Cox of Tapis Décor for donating carpet installation in the Main Area. 
Chris Drigans of Benjamin Moore Paint for donating paint. 
Nancy Nelson Flom of Intersource for donating carpet tile for Lounge Room. 
Charlie Flynn of Francis King Showroom for donating two Ottomans for the Main Area. 
Shari Goodchild of The Tile Shop for donating tile and supplies for Kitchen Island. 
Kelly Grenell of Dixie Group for donating carpet installation in Main Area. 
Christine Happel of Ethan Allen Interiors for donating furniture for the Welcome Room.  
Denise Houk of Denise Houk Art for painting and photography. 
Jesse Korbson of J. Korbson Design for donation and installation of TV in the Lounge Room. 
Scott Needham of Express Window Fashions for treatment of windows.  
Dianna Sether of CA Closets for donation of throw and regular pillows. 
Jennifer Ruis of Fuse Showroom for donation of chair and ottoman for the Lounge Room. 
Frank and Anette Weber from Bob’s Binding for donation of rug pads for all small rugs. 
Brian Williams of Designers Concierge for donating an art install. 
Lisa Yahrmatter of Fiberseal for treatment of furniture. 

ASID Community Service Committee Members: 
Michelle Asche of Muska Lighting. 
Lisa Ball of Design By Lisa. 
Jennie Korsbon of J. Korsbon Design. 
Jenni Ruis of Fuse Showroom. 
Chris Schmitz of ProSource Wholesale. 
Karen Thullner of Watershed Design Group. 
ASID Leadership: 
Charlene Ackley as ASID Member President. 
Nicole Alatar of Sherwin Williams as ASID Director At Large. 
Kaitlyn Stokes of Crystal Kitchens as ASID PR Committee Member. 
ASID Designer Volunteers: 
Nancy Dahl Baker as Freelance Volunteer. 
Kali Bray from the U of MN as ASID Student Member Volunteer. 
Jennifer Darnell and Christine Happel of Ethan Allen Interiors. 
Piper Donlin as ASID Student Member Volunteer. 
Kelly Hayes Erickson of Carriage House Studio. 
Bonnie Folkerts as Freelance Volunteer. 
Terry Gustafson of Terry Gustafson Interior Design. 
Barbara Hafften of Barbara Hafften Interior Design. 
Mary Jane Pappas of Pappas Design. 
Laura Shikowsky as Student Member Volunteer. 
Nicole Sirek of Partners 4 Design. 
Angie Smith and Bridget Zack of DCTC as ASID Student Member Volunteers. 
Christine Tanaka of Harmony Interiors. 
Lisa Theis of EnTICEng Designs. 
Brenda Scherping Westphal of Scherping Westphal Showroom.

Girls who have been sexually exploited arrive at Brittany’s Place in the midst of severe trauma. They are in need of clothing, food, sleep, and safety. The healing process is difficult, and math classes might seem very irrelevant in the face of their struggles, but Rhonda McGinley has made her classroom at Brittany’s Place into one of honesty, integrity, and hope.

When you step into her classroom, you see a whole bookshelf of young adult literature, and her wall has photos of her dog and children. Rhonda teaches by providing choices and outcomes to the students in her classroom. This honest approach removes the power struggle between students and teachers, giving students the ability to control things within their world. Rhonda tells her students, "Don't be embarrassed if you don't know it, but be embarrassed if you do nothing about it." This saying empowers youth to have autonomy in the outcome they hope to see.

Rhonda and her students have adapted in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, but distance learning has been tough. Rhonda’s curriculum is for 6th-12th grade learners who prefer face-to-face learning, but she has been working through a virtual classroom using video meetings to continue her work with her students. She also works individually with students who may not be doing so well in class. 

Rhonda feels lucky every time she gets to be in the classroom. By being honest and creating a classroom where students have a lead role in their achievements, students are presented with experiences that help them open their world. They create connections with someone they didn’t know could be a supporting role in their lives; as Rhonda says, “Sometimes you develop that relationship and you don’t realize it.”

Brittany's Place is a 24/7/365 shelter for girls who are victims of commercial sex trafficking or at risk for sexual exploitation. Girls receive services specifically designed to meet their needs, address the harm caused by the trafficking, and move them toward recovery and self-efficacy.