First it was one roof. Then it was two. Now it's a whole house.
A deserving family will be the recipient of a new home courtesy of a local contractor and the Prince George Cougars.
"We want to rally together as a community and just bless the socks off somebody," Ridgeline Roofing Ltd. owner Josh Eisworth said Wednesday during a media event.
The Cougars provided the forum for two previous giveaways from Ridgeline – a roof and then, at the end of this most-recent season, two roofs.
The stories Eisworth heard during those endeavours were a motivation for upping the stakes.
"My wife was in tears reading them," he said. "And we honestly couldn't pick some of the winners because their houses were destroyed because their roofs had been leaking for so long or people's homes were falling apart because of circumstances out of control of the homeowners.
"Even though they might've been one of the most up-front winners, we couldn't actually help them because putting a roof on a condemned home is just a waste."
Eisworth has been canvassing fellow contractors for help. An electrician, a drywaller and a painter have been lined up, according to Eisworth, and he will be getting in contact with the city and local building supply dealers to see what they can do.
Donations from other sources will be accepted.
"Even if all you can give is five bucks, that five bucks will buy an outlet for the house," Eisworth said.
He has his eyes on a property in the Central Fort George area and the house will be large enough to hold three or four bedrooms but not so big that the family will be stuck with large bills for property taxes and utilities.
"The idea is to just make it super functional, practical and centrally located," Eisworth said.
In contrast to the old Habitat for Humanity projects, the family will not have to contribute any labour.
"We actually don't want them to see the house until it's done," Eisworth said. "It's going to be a big unveiling, it's going to be a big party and that's going to be a lot of fun."
In terms of selecting a winner, Cougars business vice president Andy Beesley said the process is going to be thorough to make sure the family is the right fit for the house. It will include getting references, determining the family's ability to cover the costs of owning the home and whether they plan on staying in the city.
"It's not something where you just pull a name out of the hat," Beesley said. "The last thing we want is someone to move in and sell the place right off the bat. We want this to be a home for them, that they can live in and that they can maybe turn their lives around."
Along with once again providing the venue for revealing the recipient, the Cougars' contributions will include promoting the project, doing the banking and doing some fundraising over the summer in the cause's name, which is the Pay It Forward Welcome Home Project.
"This is a great example of the Cougars jumping on board and using the power of our team and our amazing fan base and involving everybody," Beesley said.
Nominations will be accepted beginning next Wednesday, March 28 and forms will be available on both the Cougars' and Ridgeline's websites as well as at their respective locations – CN Centre and 2173 Ogilvie St. South. A closing date has not yet been determined but the recipient will be announced during the Cougars' season-opening weekend in late September.
As for the house, the plan is to start construction this summer and have it completed in a year.
