August 2005

Project Summary:

“A two day weekend project, that by all accounts, went way beyond the original concept and made this Oakville family of 6 deleriously happy.

The scope of the project changed constantly, as we found there were more repairs than anticipated. A crew of 34 dedicated volunteers renovated an Ontario Housing townhouse for a special family, which includes two girls with cerebral palsy confined to wheelchairs. All of the 300sq ft. Main floor + almost the entire interior living space received a face lift.

One special moment involved a wheelchair-accessible bathroom without a light or functioning taps. Resulting from repairing this room, Mrs Brakes will no longer have to help her daughters brush their teeth in the kitchen sink. This is one example of how their basic needs were met.

The family spent 2 nights at the Holiday Inn (free of charge) and were treated to such things as: makeovers, spa treatments, new clothes for mother and eldest daughter – something that is out of the norm for the mom who gives 24/7 of herself to her family.”

Testimonial

Hello Sera and Walls of Hope team,

I’ve been thinking of something to say to try and show at least a fraction of how appreciative I am of what you guys, as well as the group of volunteers, have done for me and my family to enjoy.

For years I have seen my mom watch shows like Trading Spaces and heard her say “I wish something like that could happen”.  Both her and my dad supply us with the necessities in life, but I know they would have loved to do something extra to make us more confident about ourselves and where we live.

My parents are aware of the beautiful houses that my friends live in and all their luxurious items that have and I’m sure they were afraid that when my friends came over to my house I was embarrassed with what we have.  I, however, was rarely embarrassed to have friends over and see the difference from their life to my life.

I knew my parents did the best they could, and that was all that mattered.  If my friends didn’t understand that, that was their problem, not mine.  Out of all of my friends, I think 1 or 2 didn’t understand and choose to judge me on it, but it didn’t bother me.  They couldn’t look beyond material things and see all the love and care my house held.  I was happy and so was my family that was all I cared about.

When we learned about Walls of Hope more, and started setting dates I could sense the excitement in my mom.  She was thrilled, but not so much for herself, for us.  That is when I learned of how unselfish my mom is, and hope to be just like her.  I was also excited.  New paint and flooring would make it great for a fresh new start is what I hoped for.

The finished project and what I had thought it would look like were two totally different images.  When I walked into the house I was blown away.  All the generosity in this community and kind-hearted people that were involved probably amazed me just as much as the makeover.

This showed me first hand people do care, and in the future I would love to be part of building hope for other families and showing them there are people that care in their community. Not only did the new look give us hope for a fresh start, but it also game my mom and dad a much deserved treat.

Getting the manicures and pedicures were amazing.  The getting pampered part was fun, but the best part of it would have to be the look on my mom’s face.  She never takes time for herself, she is 24/7 devoted to her family, and seeing how happy this made her is what really brought the smile to my face.  Same with Stephanie and Alicia’s reaction to their absolutely cool new room!

You guys really did a spectacular job, not only did you help spruce up our home, but you’ve lifted up all the spirits of everyone in my family.  There have been some tough times in the past, and to see everyone so happy made me feel so much at ease.  You are amazing people.  Kind-hearted and caring, I wish there were more people in the world like you.

Bringing this letter to an end I would just like to once again say thank you so much.  You did way more than expected and really, I don’t know how to thank you.

I am sure Walls of Hope will be very successful in the near future, and I would love to volunteer and make another family just as happy as you have made us.  This was much more than just a makeover; it gave us hope for a new, happy start.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart,

Love,
Nicole Brake