Not all heroes wear capes

A group of friends, a couple of pizzas, and a backyard. This was the beginning of an idea Paul Latour had to give a friend living with multiple sclerosis more accessibility to her backyard. But after a few phone calls, that working pizza party turned into a major renovation. With the help of 27 local companies, 65 volunteers and 10 bands, the $25,000 project was completed in one day — with a budget of only $380.

“That changed my life forever,” says Latour. “Sending me down this road.”

Latour is the founder and CEO of HeroWork Program Society, an organization that teams up with local companies to carry out renovations for local charities without funding in their budget to maintain their facilities. Referred to as a radical renovation, HeroWork organizes a workforce of volunteers for a single-day, weekend, or multi-weekend event to repair an ailing building while creating a huge community event.

Many of the volunteers are construction company representatives, while others have little-to-no experience with a hammer, simply enthusiasm for supporting local charities.

“It’s a modern-day barn-raising in which community members come together,” says Latour. “We’re a charity that renovates other charities, because many of them are rundown.”

Recognizing that poorly maintained buildings make it difficult for charities to deliver essential services to our most vulnerable community members, HeroWork was created in 2011 and performs two radical renovations per year.

The latest renovation was for the Mustard Seed Street Church which took place in the fall of 2018 with an office rebuild and the creation of the Dignity Market. What was once a food hamper program is now a unique shopping experience for users of the program, allowing individuals to shop and select their food items.

“It gives people dignity, choice, and selection,” says Vance Smith, project technologist at Read Jones Christoffersen (RJC) Engineers Ltd. “Some vulnerable people may not own a can opener, so they can’t always eat what’s given to them.”

Smith, who is also a superintendent for HeroWork projects, says RJC has provided structural engineering, drawings, and design for the past four radical renovations.

“We sent teams of engineers to work alongside the carpenters,” says Smith. “We removed the load-bearing wall and installed a 20-foot support beam to open the space up.”

For this project, the warehouse was reconfigured to provide an expanded second floor and convert the main floor into a grocery store-like atmosphere. The expanded second floor adds three new offices and a staff lunchroom built over the warehouse.

The Dignity Market features new energy-efficient freezers and coolers, display structures, and lighting, as well as upgraded plumbing and electrical wiring. The old offices were upgraded to include skylights, flooring, and furniture. The staff room features a kitchenette with new appliances, cabinets, furniture, lighting, and flooring.

The team from Durwest Construction Management framed the main level, framed and sheathed the mezzanine floor, and demolished second-floor walls.

“We were eager to participate once again,” says Allison Greaves, human resources lead at Durwest. Greaves says that the company first got involved with HeroWork a year ago and it was such a positive experience that they were happy to work with them again.

“HeroWork is such an excellent organization that not only benefits local charities but also creates a great sense of community,” she says. “It gives us an opportunity to work with the great people of our city, including Paul and the HeroWork team who are so organized. Every project is different, and we look forward to what 2019 will bring.”

Gordon N’ Gordon Interiors Ltd., who provided and installed the drywall for the Dignity Market project, had 16 of their employees on site over three days. Ryan Allman, operations manager for GNG, says this was their first experience participating in a radical renovation and certainly not their last.

Drywall support has historically been a challenge for Latour and his team, so they were thrilled to present GNG with a 2018 Golden Hammer for their support on the latest radical renovation. Other Golden Hammer recipients included VICA members RJC Engineers, Tri City Finishing, Thomis Electric, and Playsted Sheet Metal.

“On this job, most of the work we did is hidden above the ceiling or behind the drywall,” says Eric Ulrich, operations manager for Playsted Sheet Metal, who completed the HVAC and duct work, and installed the electric furnace and fans. Ulrich says Playsted usually makes financial donations to Mustard Seed but participating in the renovation allowed them to give back in a more unique, hands-on way.

“This was a great opportunity for our team to get involved in a way that didn’t just involve writing a cheque,” Ulrich says. “We appreciate what they do and we’re just happy to help out.”

Latour believes HeroWork is an innovative and unique organization because no other organization does what they do. They perform the renovations at a fraction of the price — costing each charity approximately 30 per cent of the approximate project value. Latour recognizes and stresses the importance of having a renovated, professional charity because not having the proper infrastructure can negatively affect their bottom line.

“When charity buildings are diminished and in terrible condition, it reduces their efficiency, it can be a blight on the neighbourhood, and it’s a bad space for their clients,” Latour says. “There’s a connection between good infrastructure and the ability to carry out your mandate and realize your vision. And that’s our specialty.”

Vance Smith summed up a shared sentiment about working with HeroWork. “Everybody had such a great feeling working there,” he says. “We put it in a full day’s work, and we all left happy because we accomplished something greater than ourselves.”

The next radical renovations are scheduled for June 2019 with Our Place's Therapeutic Recovery Community and the PEERS Power Up facility in the fall. Learn more about HeroWork by visiting herowork.com.

VICA 51