Builders inspired by a local boy unite in support of St. Luke’s Ronald McDonald Family Room®
Companies and Individuals who supported The House That Jack Built: A-1 Insulation ABC Disposal Accurate Concrete
OVER 40 INDIVIDUALS DONATED THEIR TIME
Ackley Floor Coverings Blue Grass Enterprises Brad Baker Neighbor Insurance Bults Floorcovering Cantebury Kitchens Cedar Landscaping Cedar Ridge Homes CR Millwork Craftsman Concepts Diamond Vogel Paint ESP3 Fairfax State Savings Bank Harris Heating & Cooling Helm Construction Home Appliance Iowa Stone Supply John Novak MacArthur Company Novak Electric Preferred Energy Ralston Construction RAM Plumbing Rathje Contruction Raynor Door Red Rock Developing ReVos Wel Truss & Lumber Rob Prokop Painting Skogman Realty Space Options Stonebrook Homes Stull Drywall Superior Roofing Taylor Flooring Thompson Floors Tom Whinery Carpentry Tri County Gutters Xavier Wrestling Team
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Cedar Rapids homebuilders Wes Howard and Dave Vanous had an idea. They knew about the struggles faced by their friends Marty and Jen Hoeger when their five-year-old son Jack was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer in 2005. Since then, the Hoegers have organized an annual I Know Jack event to raise money for cancer research and services. What if we could build a house, thought Howard and Vanous, sell it and turn the profits over to I Know Jack? They sprang their idea on Marty Hoeger over lunch in 2014. “I was overwhelmed,” admits Hoeger. But after considering it, Hoeger responded, “What would you think about giving the money to the Ronald McDonald Family Room instead?” As a member of St. Luke’s Foundation board, Hoeger knew funds were needed to create Eastern Iowa’s first Ronald McDonald Family Room at UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s Hospital. He and his wife also understood first-hand how vital a facility like that is for families battling cancer. “We used the Ronald McDonald House in Rochester, MN, when Jack was being treated at Mayo Clinic,” explains Marty Hoeger. “It was a lifesaver for us.”
The House St. Luke’s Ronald McDonald Family Room, which opened in January 2015, serves as a home within the hospital for families with a critically ill child. They can eat, sleep, shower, or simply recharge, while remaining steps away from their child. “The decision was easy,” says Vanous. Both he and Howard liked the idea of keeping the dollars they raised in Cedar Rapids to help local families. They decided to call their project The House That Jack Built, because Jack Hoeger was their inspiration.
GE NE ROS I TY
Subcontractors who were told “anything you can do to keep costs down” quickly got onboard. “All the subcontractors were happy to help,” says Howard. “Some didn’t just give profits, they gave everything.” When Ralston Construction was asked to submit an invoice for excavating the basement—work valued at several thousand dollars—owner Mark Ralston replied, “Don’t worry about it. There is no bill.” In all, more than 40 companies and individuals donated materials and labor