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Featured Home: Springs of Life Constuction

“While earning your daily bread, be sure you share a slice with those less fortunate.”
~ Author Unknown

Ian and Petty White have without a doubt taken this quote to heart. Springs of Life Construction exists so the White family can not only earn their daily bread, but so they can also share loaf upon loaf with others.

Building Quality Homes for a Great Cause

Ian builds homes for a living and is the owner of Springs of Life Construction. He is a journeyman carpenter and has been in the industry for more than 35 years. Over the years, Ian has built many residential homes of varying styles and sizes and he has worked on a number of commercial projects. However, one of the most important building projects he’s completed has literally saved dozens of lives.

In 2004, Ian went on a short-term mission’s trip to Zambia. It was on this trip that he came to the realization that he wanted to do something to help the children of Africa. It was on this trip, that the idea to build homes in Canada, sell them and use the profit to develop a children’s home in Bukura, Kenya was born.

Two years later, Ian founded the Springs of Life Children’s Home and in 2007 they were able to start accepting children. Sadly enough, children that come to the home have mostly been abandoned. They’ve been left in sugar cane fields, on the side of the road or in someone else’s hands because the family is not able to care for them. Almost 160 children have been saved, nursed to good health and eventually adopted since the inception of the children’s home.

“When I went over the first time, there were a 12 to 15 babies in the hospital. They weren’t finding homes for them so they were dying and just being replaced by more dying babies. If we don’t take the kids, a lot of them will die. They just won’t make it,” Ian said. Ian and his wife Petty are in the residential construction business, in order to support the children’s home. In the summer months, they live and build houses in Brandon and in the winter they live in Kenya and work at the children’s home.

Ian and Petty worked hard this summer building two houses. The first is a 1300 square foot bi-level at 20 Frobisher Crescent. With quality work from local companies such as Brandon Drywall, this carefully crafted home has four bedrooms, including a beautiful on suite off the master bedroom. The kitchen features a walkin pantry and beautifully crafted cabinets and island by Rosehill Woodcrafters. The open concept floor plan with vaulted ceilings in the main living space allows for great family interaction or entertaining.

“I take pride in my work and I do it to raise money, but I do whatever it takes to do a quality job. I do my best and strive for excellence,” Ian said. With many years of experience, Ian does as much of the construction work as he can, and hires other skilled trades people such as Hard Scabble for his exterior work.

As well, he shops local by purchasing his building materials and fixtures from Rona in Brandon. He is onsite on a daily basis and closely supervises every project to ensure it meets the highest professional standards.

The second fundraiser home that Ian and Petty built this year is at 19 Ericson Crescent, also in the Woodlands area. This spacious home is a similar size and floor plan to the dwelling on Frobisher Crescent. Both properties feature a large foyer, a two-car garage, a large driveway, garden doors to a beautiful backyard deck and basic landscaping. These ready-to-move-into houses are perfect for any family to turn into a wonderful home. Contact HomeLife Home Professional Realty in Brandon for more information on these homes today.

Buying a home built by Springs of Life Construction gives the homeowner the satisfaction of purchasing a quality built home complete with a new home warranty, as well as the pleasure of knowing that they played a role in significantly helping others.

At the same time, many children and their families thousands of miles away in Africa can be rest assured that the Springs of Life Children’s Home is there for them. Proceeds from Ian and Petty’s fundraiser homes are used in various ways to support the children’s home. There are many operating costs including wages for the 23 caregivers, food and formula, laundry expenses and rent. Ian and Petty also hope to build a new facility in the next few years so that they will no longer have to pay rent and so that they can build a space that is designed specifically for a children’s home.

Just knowing that someone is there to feed these children, care for them and love them goes a long way. So, whether it’s in Africa or in Canada, the White family is dedicated and devoted to working hard to build a foundation of hope for children that might not otherwise have any.

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