VIU Carpentry Program Partners With Nanaimo Hospice to Help Create Dream Home

Students will learn new technology and participate in the construction process.

Students in the Carpentry program at Vancouver Island University (VIU) will be playing a big role in a new community project and it’s all for a good cause.

The program is partnering with Nanaimo Community Hospice and the Canadian Home Builders’ Association – Vancouver Island (CHBA VI) to help construct a grand prize home that will be raffled off this spring, with proceeds from ticket sales going to Nanaimo Hospice to help fund an eventual and permanent standalone facility.

“We are thrilled to have the VIU Carpentry program be a part of our largest fundraising initiative to date,” says Paige Karcynski, Executive Director of the Nanaimo Community Hospice Society. “This is not only an opportunity to expand our services, but for students to gain hands-on experience on a home build, one that truly makes a difference within our community.”

For CHBA – VI CEO Kerriann Coady, the excitement around the project is two-fold.

“This is a brand-new initiative,” she says. “It’s also really exciting because Nanaimo doesn’t have a standalone hospice facility with beds, so this project is the catalyst to building the nest egg to be able to make that happen.”

VIU carpentry students will be involved throughout various stages of the construction process.

“We will be working with the Dream Home team on as many aspects as we can, especially when we get to some of the envelope details, getting our students trained with some of the suppliers that have donated to the project, working with the energy advisor, windows and many more,” says Cameron Frenette, VIU Carpentry Instructor and Program Chair. “Each one of our classes has a house project in the community, but we also hope to be a major part of the Dream Home.”

The house itself is being built in The Foothills Development in Lantzville, at a location Coady describes as “gorgeous.” A Momentum Design Build project, the 3,000 sq. ft. home will feature four bedrooms, three bathrooms, an open-concept kitchen, dining and living room, an entertainment room and a view side terrace with a pool.

The draw date is April 8, with the house set to be completed this spring.

“We are grateful for our community partners, like VIU, for the continued support of our organization, and the special work hospice provides,” says Karcynski.

For those looking for the chance to potentially call this home theirs, tickets are now on sale and will be available up until the draw date, or until tickets sell out – whichever comes first. A total of 25,000 tickets are up for grabs.  

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Eric Zimmer, Communications Officer, Vancouver Island University

P: 250.618.7296 | E: Eric.Zimmer@viu.ca I T: @VIUNews