Starting when Maria was a seventh grader, sixteen-year-old Maria Lilley has been designing, creating and selling hand crafted cards to family, friends and community members. Her inspiration and motivation behind such an artistic venture began when she first visited Opportunity House many years ago with her preschool teacher, Susan Harenza. For the past five years, Maria has used the profits she made from selling her artistic creations to purchase a gift, which she has generously chosen to donate to Opportunity House.
Maria and her sister Meg sell their hand crafted cards, of which all proceeds have been donated to Opportunity House in some way.
Last year Lilley donated a Weber Grill, and this year she donated two park benches for the outdoor seating area near our shelter. Maria’s involvement with Opportunity House does not stop with her charitable donations and hard work, however. One Saturday each month Maria, along with her friends from Atonement Church, can be found serving meals at Opportunity House. “It’s a great way to give back to the community,” says Lilley, who looks forward to doing just that for a long time to come.
Maria poses for a picture alongside one of the benches donated to Opportunity House during the Picnic in the Park event where a cookout was held for our residents on Saturday, June 18.