Making Room to Flourish

RITI Makes Room through Creative Expression & Activities
By Sofia Freed, RITI Creative Assistant Intern

The art class was not the place to come if you wanted to sit in solitary silence. I could hear the laughing voice of Jincy, a former caterer turned intern turned Guest Advocate of Room in the Inn’s Recuperative Care Center, echoing down the hall. Stepping into the soft blue room filled with round tables and an abundance of art supplies, I pulled up a chair beside a man who had arrived just the week before, fresh from the hospital after a traumatic car wreck. When he first came, he relied on a wheelchair, but now he stands on his own. They’re engrossed in conversation about Billy Joel, the melody of “She’s Always a Woman to Me” reverberating around the room as the four others hum along.

“Now tell me, why don’t you have a Texas accent, Jerry?” Jincy asks, her familiarity with each guest evident in her tone. She has grown to know their backgrounds, their challenges, and their triumphs.

“It’s because I’m supposed to speak the language of the world,” he replies, adding more green paint to his pot. He points out that it matches his eyes, shirt, and shoes. “I’ve always had a connection to the color green.”

Beside me, a man strokes his paintbrush slowly across the surface of his pot, displaying the patience of someone who takes great pride in his work.

“What a great color choice,” Jincy remarks to him, prompting a smile as he wipes up a bit of lavender paint that has dripped onto the table.

Later, while sitting in her office, Jincy confides in me that he was awaiting some important medical news.

“He’s been very antsy. So when I saw him this morning, I thought hands-on activities would be good for him. And I think it was. It calmed him.”

She explains that activities like play therapy, anything tactile, help people express their emotions and shift from the panic area to the temporal lobe.

“Everybody here’s got trauma. I look up a lot of evidence-based practices and a lot of interventions that are proven to help people with trauma. It’s what I was trained to do.”

It’s evident as we sit in her office chatting that she genuinely cares for the successes of each person.

For her, Room in the Inn is more than just a shelter – it’s a space where individuals’ needs are recognized and addressed with care. Her willingness to tailor experiences to the unique circumstances of each guest highlights the organization’s profound adaptability and commitment to holistic support.

Her office is filled with various potted plants and pictures lining the window. One of the guests from our earlier art project walks by her office door.

“How are you doing, Terrence?” she calls out. He jokes back, and I am amazed by the change in his demeanor. I recall our previous encounter the week before when he expressed feelings of regret and abandonment during his hospital stay.

Jincy explains, the calm that comes through these small offerings of creative expression can’t be captured by data and gauged.

“The success of these activities is not quantifiable.” 

In light of this, she emphasizes the necessity for Room in the Inn to expand its programming.

She doesn’t want the guests’ time at RITI to feel restrictive. “I hope to give them opportunities to express themselves through creativity.” This hope led to Jincy personally leading a weekly creative time for Recuperative Care Guests with activities that range from art projects to mindfulness exercises like meditative breathing.

Other recent volunteer-led programming includes a journaling workshop, art classes, afternoon board games, a women’s health workshop, support groups, karaoke night,  paint and sip (non-alcoholic), holiday festivities, and more!

Creating a hospitable and creative environment sows the seeds for a thriving community and happy people.