Blessed Trinity Graduates Awarded Homes by Hendriks Technology Awards

In recent years, we have seen an increased amount of highschool students going on to attend Universities in areas such as science and business. We believe that the construction and trade industry is not one to be overlooked when students are choosing their path after they graduate highschool. This is why we have teamed up with Blessed Trinitiy Catholic Secondary School, a highschool in Grimsby with many construction and design courses, to provide students who are planning to enter the construction industry with extra monetary support as they progress through their post secondary education.

The team here at Homes by Hendriks have introduced two awards that are given out annually at the Blessed Trinity graduation ceremony. The students who are proceeding into the construction industry after graduation are the only ones eligible for these prestigious awards.

We were proud to award Joshua Posthumus the Construction Technology Award. He will be attending Willowbanks College in the fall to study Heritage Conservation. Joshua is a hard working student who has always impressed his construction teachers. We are very excited to see Joshua enter the industry and for him to showcase his talent on a larger scale. 

We were excited to award Rhiana Hendriks the Design Technology Award. Rhiana is a very creative individual who is always eager to learn more. She will be attending Ryerson University in the fall for Interior Design. We are sure that she has the capabilities to flourish in the industry and bring exciting new creations to her future workplace.

We would like to congratulate these two recipients, as well as the entire class of 2012 on their outstanding work and accomplishments. We wish the best of luck to all of the students attending post secondary school this year!  

Humanitarian Build Family Update!

It has been just over six months since Ron, Yvonne, and Rhiana Hendriks of Homes by Hendriks along with over 180 other volunteers through the Ontario Homebuilders' Association completed the Humanitarian Build in the Dominican Republic. If you didn't read our previous blogs about it, the Humanitarian Build's main goal was to build six houses for needy families living in a very poor area (called Aguas Negras) around the Puerto Plata area, it was a huge success!

We recently received an email updating us on the family we built the house for and wanted to share it with you. It was really neat to hear how this week long charity build totally changed the course of six families' lives...

"Masamina (grandmother), Fabio Huma & Jose Lynn and children: Christopher, Miguel, Angel Luis. According to Fabio, everything has changed for his family because of what they experienced during our time with them. Until 'Team Marz' came along, Fabio only dreamed of being able to give his family a new home. Now he feels that they truly have a new found happiness and hope because of their new home. The old house had endless problems and Fabio spent a lot of time and money trying to fix them. Now that he has peace of mind on the state of his family's home, he is free to do other things. Fabio is grateful for all the things the team gave his family, and he vowed to us that he will take good care of them. He remembers speaking Spanish with one of the team members and hopes they have not forgotten him. His family had a lot of fun and laughed a lot with the team. He said that Canadians have good hearts because of their willingness to help. In his own words, he expressed how it is incredible for him to see how God has taken care of his family. Fabio designs and installs metal canopies to houses. It helps to keep the rain out of the house and he has even put a small one on his new house. He hopes to one day make more and sell them in a shop. He wants his children to complete school and become professionals."

Goodbye 2011…Hello 2012!

Happy New Year Everyone! What a year it has been for Homes by Hendriks looking back on 2011. Everything from a new website, two community builds, several awards and prestigious acknowledgements, Rudi's 20th year working at Homes by Hendriks, and celebrating 50 years in business! It's hard to think that we can top all of that but 2012 is shaping up to be a great year as well.

We are looking forward to a busy spring, especially with all of this mild weather we have been experiencing lately, it has made working outside quite pleasant! Looking ahead to 2012, we have completed the LEEP/TAP consultations and are now moving forward with the initiatives we have established through the program. It has been a very informative and educational project that we, along with three other local builders, have greatly benfited from. Click here to learn more about the LEEP/TAP program.

The Wells of Hope - Build for Hope is nearing completion and will be put on the market for sale soon. Click here if you are interested in the house or wish to learn more about the build project.

Lastly, we have added photos of our two most recently completed projects. Click here to view these featured project photos.

Harbourview Transformation

Riverview Estate

Wells of Hope - Build for Hope

What an Experience!

We returned from our trip to the Dominican Republic through the Ontario Home Builders' Association Humanitarian Build and what an experience it was! On November 22nd, my wife Yvonne, our daughter Rhiana and I left for Puerto Plata not really knowing what to expect. Our plane touched down late that evening and after a brief orientation and a short night sleep we loaded up on the back of an open truck with the rest of our team members and headed for the barrio (slum) named Aguas Negras which in Spanish means "black water". I found out the hard way what the black water really was after stepping off the path and sinking half way up my shin in black sludge, it was like stepping into a septic tank. So much for my new work boots. The living conditions are horrible but the people are so friendly and welcoming.

Our association was there to build six houses for some of the families most in need and they were selected by the organization named Hero Holidays. The house we built was for a family of seven. It was very small, about 450 square feet due to the small lot size. The local contractor, Harrison, had most of the block walls up when we got there. We needed to finish the front wall and proceed with forming the top of the block wall with whatever scrap wood we could find. After that, we could then pour concrete into the walls to tie the structure together. All the concrete and mortar was mixed by hand in the middle of the street which Yvonne, Rhiana, and other team members were doing. Everything got hauled inside by using bucket brigades (people getting in a line and handing off buckets to the person next to them down the line). The weather was very hot and humid that day and we were glad we had the morning shift. After a short trip back to the resort and a dip in the pool we where ready for another day. After 4 days passed, the houses where completed with the eager help of the local people. The houses were very simple with stained concrete floors, block walls with a smooth parging coat painted a bright color, corrugated steel roofs, and a concrete shower and toilet. A dedication ceremony was held on Sunday when  the keys were handed over to the families. The whole community was there to watch and participate. It was a very emotional experience knowing that these families now have a dry and safe place to live. I would recommend that everyone should try doing this at least once in your life, it is truely a life altering experience. Posted by Ron Hendriks

Here is what OHBA President Doug Tarry had to say about the Humanitarian Build...

“This was an exhilarating, fulfilling and awesome experience. Our Humanitarian Build is an extension of the wonderful philanthropic work that our
members are involved with each and every day in their own communities across the province.”

Please visit these great links to see more from the Humanitarian Build!

www.humanitarianbuild.com
www.thestar.com.blogs/galebeeby

Humanitarian Build in Dominican Republic Officially Underway!

Tuesday late afternoon our own Ron, Yvonne, and Rhiana Hendriks, along with over 180 other volunteers through the Ontario Homebuilders' Association, landed safely in the Dominican Republic to kickoff the weeklong Humanitarian Build in Puerto Plata. The 2011 OHBA Humanitarian Build and Conference has the main goal of building 6 houses for needy families living in a very poor barrios (called Aguas Negras) around the Puerto Plata area. As it was officially the second day of building today, Rhiana Hendriks (Ron and Yvonne's daughter) had this to say about the first day of the Build...

"We finished one day and are about to start the second! Gonna be a hot day but all the houses are looking good! We have been laying blocks, forming, and hauling lots of fill for the floor. Living conditions are very poor and there is garbage everywhere! Should be a good day and just thought I'd let you all know what we are up to!"

If you want to stay up-to-date with the Humanitarian Build, please check back periodically. You can also visit these great links to get information, recent updates and blogs from the people down in Dominican, and view videos from each day of the Build!

www.humanitarianbuild.com
www.thestar.com.blogs/galebeeby
www.facebook.com/pages/OHBA-Humanitarian-Build/225976494079016