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A New Braunfels woman was named L’Oréal Paris’ national honoree at the cosmetic company’s 17th annual Women of Worth program, which celebrates leaders of nonprofits that aim to make their communities better.
Susie Vybiral, 53, was recognized for Room Redux, which transforms the bedrooms of abused children into places of refuge.
In November, 10 women leading nonprofits across the country were named Women of Worth. Each received $20,000 for their organizations and a shot at an additional $25,000 for being the national honoree. The public then had one month to vote for the national honoree in an online poll.
The winner was announced in a star-studded ceremony Dec. 1 in Los Angeles. Actress Katherine Langford, star of the Netflix series “13 Reasons Why,” read out Vybrial’s name.
This is the “before” appearance of a child’s bedroom that was transformed by Room Redux, a New Braunfels-based nonprofit that revamps the rooms of children who have experienced abuse. The idea is to provide the children with a place of refuge.
Courtesy Room Redux“She actually said it exactly how I envisioned and heard it all 30 days of the voting in November,” Vybrial said. ” ‘The L’Oréal Paris Woman of Worth 2022 national honoree is Susie Vybrial,’ ”
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The ceremony is streaming at womenofworth.com. Nominations also can be made through the site for next year’s awards.
In addition to the cash, the Women of Worth winners receive mentorship and exposure for the work of their organizations.
“The impact that this award has on Room Redux is absolutely monumental,” Vybiral said. “Not just the money. But also the fact that L’Oréal Paris cares about children who have faced sexual abuse, trafficking, exploitation, sextortion, all of these things. They’re really helping build an even bigger platform for us to come alongside one another and work together to stop what’s happening to our children.
“And with the grant, we’re able to transform the rooms and lives of 25 more children. It’s huge.”
The group received a $10,000 grant from Spurs Give last year, which was the largest donation it had received to that point.
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Room Redux grew out of Vybrial’s psychology studies. When she was working on her master’s degree, she worked as a family advocate at the Children’s Advocacy Center. Every day, she heard horror stories about the lasting impact of abuse on children.
This is what the bedroom looked like after Room Redu’s volunteers were done with it. The project was dubbed “Safari So Good.”
Courtesy Room Redux“The parents and caregivers would say, ‘Yeah, she’s in counseling, kind of starting to open up, but she’s not sleeping in her room. She hasn’t slept in her room in five years,'” said Vybiral, who expects to receive her doctorate in the next year. “Or, ‘He’s doing all right in counseling, but he still doesn’t have friends over, he mopes, his grades are bad,’ things like that.
“And it seemed to make sense – let’s change their environment. And not just change it, but actually make it a sanctuary for them and a place that they love and that they feel safe and they want to be.”
Working with a few other people, she transformed two rooms of children who had endured abuse. The response convinced her that there was a need for this service, and she worked with volunteers to establish Room Redux. Shortly after forming a board and receiving nonprofit status in 2019, Room Redux was spotlighted on The Skimm, a national newsletter aimed at women, and caught fire.
Chapters have since opened all over the country, and plans are being made to bring the organization to Ireland, Israel and Kenya.
“The goal is, there will be a chapter in every city, every state, every country,” she said.
So far, 186 children’s rooms have been transformed.
“Every single room is tailored specifically to that child,” she said. “We find out what colors they love, what colors they hate, what they want to be when they grow up, what they’re into, what they like, what would they like in the room. And then that’s how we put the design together.”
The rooms also include signs bearing uplifting messages reminding the children of their value, she said.
Room Redux, a nonprofit based in New Braunfels, has transformed nearly 200 bedrooms of children across the country who have experienced abuse. Each of the rooms is given a name; this one is Got Vibes.
Room ReduxTeams of 10 to 12 volunteers, all of whom undergo background checks, work on each room.
“We go on a day the child’s not there and totally transform their room, and then we split before they get home. They never see us,” she said. “To break the cycles of abuse, they need to look at the world through a different lens, one that’s not so scary, and see that people love and care about them who don’t even know them and expect nothing from them.”
The organization is developing a television series about its work. The plan is to shop it around to various networks and platforms soon, she said.
“It’s a great way to spread the word about what’s going on with our kids and how to better help them,” she said.
dlmartin@express-news.net | Twitter: @DeborahMartinEN