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Pardee Homes Honored for Refurbishing St. Jude’s Ranch
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The Project Building Hope team assembled at the St. Jude’s Chapel after the work is done. |
St. Jude’s Ranch for Children wasn’t asking for an extreme makeover. The home for abused, abandoned and neglected children in Boulder City, Nev. was only in need of some simple renovations to make the lives of the children in its care a little more comfortable.
But the management, staff and subcontractors of the Pardee Homes Las Vegas division saw things a little differently.
“A leaky roof did not turn into a roof repair. It turned into a roof replacement,” said Christine Spadafor, CEO of St. Jude’s Ranch. “A leaky faucet turned into a new bathroom.”
For its extensive rehabilitation of the children’s ranch, Pardee Homes received honorable mention in the 2007 Builder Achievement Awards for Outstanding Community Service from the National Housing Endowment, which was presented at the International Builder’s Show in Orlando in February.
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Children at St. Jude’s with bungalow furniture and decorations donated by Pardee Homes. | “There is no way we can ever verbally express our appreciation,” said Spadafor. “We have given our children a safe place to live, but they have given our children a beautiful place to live.”
Pardee Southern Nevada Division President Klif Andrews said it didn’t take long before Pardee employees and their subcontractors realized that a lot more could be done at St. Jude’s.
“We build things,” said Andrews. “We’re not necessarily good at fixing a wall but we’re good at building a new wall. Instead of finding the simplest way to solve (a problem), we looked at the most complete way to solve it.”
Pardee was originally notified of the ranch’s needs by the area HomeAid chapter, which partnered with Pardee to supervise the six-week project.
Volunteers landscaped the campus-style facilities, poured concrete and repaired buildings. They installed plumbing, cabinets, countertops and air conditioning and repaired or replaced windows, walls, trim and other features in St. Jude’s bungalows.
“We have a long tradition of charitable work at Pardee, so we know how to do these projects,” Andrews said.
For the renovation, a Pardee employee was assigned to supervise the progress of each bungalow. The company also granted leave to employees so they could work on the project. Some employees worked after hours.
Pardee subcontractors — who Andrews described as “local, family-owned, with a great charitable spirit” — also helped with supplies and labor.
“We just asked for volunteers and the volunteers signed up left and right,” Andrews said. “The story of the facility and how they deal with these kids and this family setting, it’s just very inspirational.”
Fifty-four children whose “caregivers were unable or unwilling to take care of them” currently live at St. Jude’s, Spadafor said. “They came to us with nothing but the clothes on their back.”
Ranging from ages five to 21, the young residents have suffered from a dispiriting variety of physical or sexual abuse, neglect or outright abandonment.
“The kids come from very difficult circumstances,” said Spadafor. “But these are good kids.”
Some lived in cars. Others had fallen behind in their education because their parents didn’t bother to enroll them in school. Many were in an environment where one parent was in jail and the other was battling addiction. Often, the oldest child, many times no older than 12, had to care for his or her younger siblings, Spadafor said.
“That 12- or 13-year-old needs to be a kid,” she said, adding that kids can reclaim their childhood at St. Jude’s.
The children sleep and eat in eight U-shaped bungalows. Their living quarters are on one side of a large kitchen and dining area, while St. Jude’s staff stays on the other side.
The average stay at St. Jude’s is two years. Some children have lived there for as little as two months while two sisters whose mother dropped them off and never returned have called St. Jude’s home for 14 years.
As part of its award, Pardee Homes Las Vegas received a $1,000 donation from the endowment, which it gave to the St Jude’s endowment.
Seven other builders were honored with 2007 Builder Achievement Awards for Outstanding Community Service during the presentation at the Builders' Show.
The awards were established through a grant to the endowment by Isaac Heimbinder, chairman of Rockville, Md.-based BuildTopia, a provider of Web-based construction management software for home builders, and his wife, Sheila.
For more information about the awards, e-mail Gwyn Donohue at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8447.
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Pardee Homes CEO Mike McGee addressed the construction crew and St. Jude’s kids at the Day of Hope ceremony honoring the volunteer effort to refurbish the home for neglected children. |
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