Anita Legere was in a bit of a tough spot. She’d been volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters Fredericton for over 30 years, and now, as President of the Board, she needed a fundraiser that could work in a Covid-19 Climate.
“Because of Covid we were unable to hold our usual Bowl for Kids Sake fundraiser. I knew we needed to come up with a fundraiser that was different from what other nonprofits were doing but would allow us to raise the money we needed to continue our mentoring programs.”
As a fan of TV shows featuring Tiny Homes, Anita thought perhaps they could raffle off a tiny home as a fundraiser. She heard of another non-profit that had successfully raffled off a cottage and thought the tiny home might be a good idea so she pitched it to her Board, who thought it was worth a shot. One Board member even knew of someone who was building tiny houses.
Locally owned and operated by Mike Roy in Oromocto since 1992, Mike Roy’s Carpentry was expanding the shop to accommodate building on/off grid tiny homes, portable cottages, portable granny suites, and custom log furniture. Mike had just finished construction of his first tiny home when Anita reached out.
“I called Mike and arranged to meet him and see his tiny home. I was very impressed with the size, the attention to detail, and the amount of light that came in through the many windows. The fact that it is totally off-grid was a bonus that I knew people would like, and fortunately Mike was interested in working with BBBS to raffle it off as a new fundraiser.”
As they planned the fundraiser, they decided to display the tiny house at various locations during the period that the raffle tickets were being sold so people could visit it and appreciate the craftsmanship and get the tiny house experience first-hand. They had two locations on the south side of Fredericton – and that’s when Anita approached Picaroons about setting up on the north side. We have plenty of space at the Roundhouse and were happy to coordinate with Anita and Mike to have the tiny house on-site the weekend of June 4-6.
Raffle tickets are available online, but will also be available in-person at the Roundhouse when the tiny house comes for a visit. It will be onsite from Friday June 4 to Sunday June 6. Visitors will be able to stop by and tour the tiny house and get a real sense of the attention to detail, craftsmanship and unique features. Full Covid protocols will be observed with regards to masking, a maximum number of people in the house at one time and cleaning and sanitizing.
Though this was his first tiny house, Mike Roy already has a second under construction for a couple in Nova Scotia, and he thinks tiny houses are a great option for living that more people should consider.
“With living costs continuing to rise, it is time to consider downsizing and free oneself from the consumer driven chaos. Tiny homes allow us to go back to the basics, with the luxury of modern 21st century conveniences. It is very simple, just downsize and rid yourself of the clutter you’ve accumulated over the years. With a tiny home, there is significantly less square footage to maintain and clean as well. Our builds are actually four season ready with excellent spray foam insulation, and ultra high efficiency. If you have a portable cottage or tiny home, a major advantage is that, you can move it out of the flood zone. High waters are here to stay it seems. The ability to move your cottage or tiny home out of harm’s way is essential now. This is the solution to that problem.”
Mike’s homes are highly-efficient and can be completely off grid – even four-season – thanks to features like spray foam insulation, solar and wind power and eco-friendly plumbing.
When asked, Anita has a hard time picking her favorite feature. “I really can’t just pick one favourite thing about the Tiny Home. I love how bright it is, the creative use of space for storage, and of course the incinerating Cinderella toilet!”
Mike and Anita are both happy that their collaboration has worked out and look to continue to work together in the future. “We both hope this is the first of many (tiny houses) to be raffled off to help kids in our community,” noted Anita.
Mentoring Ignites the Power In Young People
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Fredericton and Oromocto facilitates life-changing relationships that inspire and empower children and youth to reach their full potential. From their website:
Potential lives within every young person. Yet millions of children and youth are still in urgent need of someone who will stand in their corner and ignite their full power and potential.
From the seaports of Vancouver to the shores of St. John’s, we’ve sharpened our focus. Reimagined how we do things. Modernized how we look and the way we speak. We are the new Big Brothers Big Sisters and we create life-changing mentoring relationships to ignite the power and potential of young people. We are ready to spark the biggest possible future, together.
You can see more photos and details of the tiny house on the websites and social media of Big Brothers Big Sisters Fredericton and Mike Roy’s Carpentry. You can purchase raffle tickets online at https://bbbshope.com/ and also in-person at the Roundhouse June 4-6.
Come out to the Picaroons Roundhouse the weekend of June 4-6, have a pint, visit the tiny-house and buy a raffle ticket or two. Volunteers will be on-site guiding tours through the house and selling raffle tickets from 12pm-7pm, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. You’ll be supporting a great cause and – who knows – you may walk away with a whole new way of living!
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Fredericton and Oromocto
Mike Roy’s Carpentry