HFHN and HTM Insurance celebrate Brandon Watt with Build for Brandon Week
Updated: Apr 12, 2024
Cobourg, ON – From October 31st to November 4th, Habitat for Humanity Northumberland had the privilege of hosting HTM Insurance, along with the family and friends of Brandon Watt, at the Baltimore build site. This Build for Brandon week was organized by Chantelle Watt, who felt the most fitting way to honour her late husband’s memory was to help build affordable homes for local families.
The Baltimore build site is a project initiated in 2022 to construct a 7-unit net-zero townhome development, which is the largest single project for Habitat Northumberland. Over the course of the week, over 50 volunteers committed over 425 hours on the build site. During this time, they completed the installation of all the interior walls and started
on construction of the beams needed to support the second level floor system. When calculating the impact of these volunteers, over $7,000 was saved by utilizing this labour.
In addition to committing their time and skills towards the build, HTM Insurance and their employees raised $28,000 through online peer-to-peer donations and the proceeds from their annual curling bonspiel held on November 3, 2023. Beyond the volunteer hour contribution and the donations raised, HTM Insurance along with family and friends
of Brandon Watt, have facilitated multiple extremely generous gift-in-kind donations towards this build from local businesses valued upwards of $40,000 in product savings.
“We were completely blown away by the support we received from HTM Insurance and Brandon’s loved ones. It made us appreciate the impact one person can have on the lives of others,” explains Melissa Morrison, Community and Fund Development Coordinator who facilitated volunteers on the build site. “In total, this partnership has
resulted in an estimated value of $75,000 towards this project and the ability of Habitat Northumberland to continue to achieve its mission.”
The Build for Brandon week was intended to celebrate the life of one person. The result of this love will be felt for years to come, especially from the 7 families who will have the opportunity to build strength, stability and independence through affordable homeownership at Habitat Northumberland’s Baltimore project.
For more information on the Baltimore project or to inquire about Team Build opportunities in 2024, head to habitatnborthumberland.ca.
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Small groups can provide a valuable way for people to build genuine connections while learning and growing together. I appreciate that this invitation recognizes how different people may prefer different meeting styles, locations, schedules, and leadership arrangements. That flexibility can make participation much more comfortable for newcomers. The emphasis on fellowship also makes the opportunity feel welcoming rather than formal. It brought to mind a recent discussion from https://www.jasonranallolaw.com/ about how supportive communities can help people feel less alone when facing difficult situations.
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This is a genuinely touching example of how a community can turn remembrance into something lasting and meaningful. The number of volunteers, hours contributed, donations raised, and gift-in-kind support really shows how many people came together during Build for Brandon Week. Most importantly, the effort will help provide affordable homes and greater stability for seven families. I recently came across grandoaksorthodontics.com in another community-focused discussion, and this story similarly highlighted the lasting impact of people working together.