It is so easy for the why to get lost in the midst of the chaos of our everyday lives; rushing children around town, ball games, studies, bill paying, work responsibilities, and the list goes on and on. The why is always there, but sometimes it can be hard to find.
For at least one project we are currently working, the why doesn’t hide. It actually runs up to greet you when you arrive, flashing a huge smile, it asks you to take it’s picture (which you can see right below…), it grabs your hand and won’t let go.
The why is the children of One Vision International’s orphanage in Haiti. The challenge is building a new home for them. Nothing fancy, just something to put a roof over their heads, something that will have a better chance at withstanding hurricanes and earthquakes than the buildings they inhabited in the past. Something that might give them a chance in a country that more often than not takes chances away. These children are the future of Haiti. If you can’t change Haiti now, change its future, or at least give it a chance.
Drop by One Vision’s website, give a buck or two and see what they are up to in Haiti and elsewhere.
I just got back from a tour of the Marvin Window manufacturing facility in Warroad, MN. The tour included time in the plant looking at windows on the production line and time in the visitors center going over the various windows Marvin manufactures. I got some great new ideas looking at all the wonderful variations of designs being built. We have specified Marvin Windows for many years mainly because of their extruded aluminum cladding system which I find to be very well crafted and the Kynar 500 paint system which is the best exterior paint system for color retention. I also like the fact that Marvin (like many good window manufacturers) can make most any thing we can dream up.
It was fun seeing Warroad, MN – aka Hockeytown, USA and was very impressed with every person I meet there. For a great article on Warroad’s love for hockey read this NYT article. I love small town America and was reminded that it is the backbone of this great country. I am sure it has not been without pain that Marvin has kept Warroad and the surrounding region working during this difficult economic time without layoffs – Amazing Job!
Thanks to Mike St. John and Bob Davis with Marvin Window Concepts for making the trip happen.
One of our homes that is currently under construction was recently featured on WBIR Channel 10. This home is expected to gain LEED Gold Certification. Watch a clip from that broadcast below…
If you haven’t been to Madison, Wisconsin, you should go. Make sure you go in the warmer months as things tend to get a bit cold up there in the winter, but on any given Spring or Summer day you will find the city filled with bicyclists and pedestrians, walking and riding the greenways, enjoying the two (big!) lakes that sidle up on either side of the downtown, and living in the great urban environment that Madison has become.
