Support two worthwhile causes, Make-A-Wish OKI and the HBACEF, and enter for a chance to win a Home for the Holidays or a cash prize

By Mimi Vanderhaven

Excitement is building for the Home Builders Association (HBA) of Greater Cleveland’s third annual “A Home for the Holidays,” a partnership between the HBA’s Charitable & Education Foundation (HBACEF) and Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana (OKI).

Again this year, the two groups have created an opportunity for someone to win a custom-built home in North Royalton—this time valued at $669,000.

The 2,517-square-foot ranch, complete with a walk-out basement, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and a 3-car garage, is being built by Edgewood Homes, a custom builder owned and operated by Mike Kandra in North Royalton.

Tickets are $100 each and proceeds benefit Make-A-Wish OKI and the HBACEF, which supports charities such as the Greater Cleveland Fisher House, Special Veterans in Need, Homes for Our Troops, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and Make-A-Wish.

The HBACEF also offers scholarships for students entering the construction industry through the HBA’s Workforce Development Program. Within the next year, there are also plans to start introducing the Home Builders Institute’s (HBI) new Pre-Apprenticeship Certificate Training (PACT) program to Northeast Ohio schools. The program is a course that was approved in February 2021 by the state of Ohio construction curriculum.

Making a Difference
“In our first two years, even in the face of the pandemic, we raised about $330,000 for each of these two charitable organizations,” reveals Brenda Callaghan, executive director of the HBA of Greater Cleveland. “We’re excited to be working with Edgewood Homes again this year for the chance to give away a gorgeous home in North Royalton.”

This year’s home is located in the Pine Hill development at 5460 Brookhaven Drive.

“We’ve had so many local suppliers and contractors step up to help this year by donating or highly discounting labor and materials,” Brenda says. “And again this year Sheely’s is providing all the furniture and custom designing every room. This home is really going to have the ‘wow’ factor. It’s similar to a California transitional-style modern farmhouse, but much more contemporary.”

In fact, about 50 companies have contributed to the endeavor (see the sidebar accompanying this story).

Although tours of the home will be coming in December, tickets have already gone on sale. To get yours, visit HBAHomefortheHolidays.org. The winning entry will be drawn on New Year’s Eve.

About Make-A-Wish, OKI
The mission of Make-A-Wish OKI is to create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses, and about 80% of wish kids beat their illness and live typical healthy lives. “Once in adulthood, many wish kids say their wish marked a turning point in their road to treatment and recovery,” Brenda says. “And because this group focuses on our region, we’ll be helping kids in our own back yard.”

Make-A-Wish OKI has granted more than 19,000 wishes in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. Due to Covid-19 restrictions on travel, a record number of children are still waiting for a wish, but during the pandemic, the group still granted hundreds of wishes for things that didn’t require travel, like online shopping sprees, room makeovers, puppies, gaming computers, playhouses, virtual celebrity meet-and-greets, and more.

The program is about more than granting wishes for critically ill children, it’s also about healing. A recent national impact study revealed that wishes give children renewed energy and strength to fight their illness:

• 74% of wish parents say the wish marked a turning point in their children’s response to treatment.
• 96% of medical referral sources observe increases in wish kids’ emotional health.
• 81% of parents observe an increased willingness by their wish kids to comply with treatment protocols.
• The children we serve often live in a climate of “no”— no friends, no sports, no playing outside, etc. But Make-A-Wish says “yes” to something they deeply want and that “yes” is very powerful.

About Workforce Development
The HBA’s Charitable & Education Foundation (HBACEF) supports many different organizations and programs, including the Home Builders Institute’s (HBI) Pre-Apprenticeship Certificate Training Program (PACT).

“PACT gives high school kids a chance to get to know more about the trades at that critical moment in high school when they’re trying to determine their career path,” Brenda says. “College isn’t for everyone, and right now tradespeople often earn more than their college graduate counterparts. Six-figure incomes are not uncommon.”

The PACT program covers nine different trades: carpentry, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, brick masonry, landscaping, painting and finishing, building construction technology, and weatherization.

Brenda says their new Hard Hat Tours are also growing in popularity. “These kids get to tour residential construction sites that they can relate to because they all live in homes,” Brenda adds. “They can see what’s behind walls, how plumbing and electrical works…and they are fascinated. Compared to when we first started giving Hard Hat Tours back in 2017, today’s kids are much more engaged and ask a lot more questions. And many are budding entrepreneurs. They ask, ‘How long before I can start my own business.’ That kind of engagement is important for our children and our nation, especially in the face of such a dramatic labor shortage in the trades. With the A Home for the Holidays fundraiser, we’re inspiring kids to make a difference.”

“A Home for the Holidays” Sponsors and Donors

84 Lumber
Edgewood Homes
Gunton Corp. - Pella Windows
Mont Surfaces by Mont Granite
Pine Hill Development
Sheely’s Furniture & Appliance
Sims-Lohman
Apollo Supply
Luxury Heating Company
Timan Window Treatments
Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery
House of Lights
Absolute Roofing
All Construction Services
Crown Granite & Marble
Lowe’s
National Design Mart
Owens Corning
Temple Architectural Products
Welker McKee
Willoughby Supply
Davey Resource Group
KB Glass & Mirror
Mason Structural Steel
Metrie
Oravec Design/Build
Progressive Poured Walls
Revere Title Agency
Sherwin Williams
Shuster’s Building Components
Sylvia’s Cleaning
The Planworks
AJ Tree Service
AM Roofing
Cleveland Carting Dumpster
Fine Team Construction
Hooke Carpentry
Huber Engineered Woods
JDG Concrete Sawing
Medina Cement
Millersburg Concrete
Mosko Excavating
Need a Door & More
Shelly Ready Mix

For more information about the HBA of Greater Cleveland’s programs and its A Home for the Holidays home give-away, visit HBACleveland.com. Scan the QR code on this page to go to the donation page to purchase a ticket.