Community Building Beyond Bricks and Mortar

By Hugh Heron

I’m proud to be a member of Canada’s home-building industry, and it bothers me when builders are portrayed in the media as greedy bad guys concerned only with our own bottom lines. Some of the most generous people I know are in the building business. I am proud to be associated with so many colleagues who understand that the concept of “home” goes far beyond the walls of a house, and who give back to the greater community with tremendous enthusiasm. Across the board, you will find builders donating time, money and resources to help charities and non-profit community organizations in the areas where they are constructing homes, and even beyond.

Across the Greater Toronto Area, many new home builders serve on the boards of charities, and come up with all sorts of fundraising events and campaigns to collect money and raise awareness for a multitude of causes.  We have a great example set by the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD), which has held many events involving staff and members pitching in to benefit Habitat for Humanity Toronto, Dog Guides – Lions Foundation of Canada, Interim Place and more.

This is something we feel strongly about at The Heron Group and Heathwood Homes. For decades, we’ve supported causes that benefit the families in the communities where we build. In 2002, our commitment took an unexpected and dramatic turn when one of our partners, Mike Salem, experienced sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) on a golf course and died.

We were devastated. Mike was passionate about our industry, and he was a devoted family man – a true friend to all. In our grief, we thought long and hard about how to keep his memory alive. It came to our attention that when SCA occurs in public places, the use of a public-access defibrillator (PAD) before emergency crews arrive can save lives. We have no idea whether access to a PAD would have saved Mike, but we know that he would want others to have that second chance at life.

In 2003 we established The Mikey Network (mikeynetwork.com) with two goals: to promote heart-healthy lifestyles and to place PADs called MIKEYS in as many places as possible. With the help of fantastic volunteers and devoted community partners, we have already placed over 1,200 MIKEYS across Canada, training 10,000 people in CPR/AED – and 12 people have been saved with one of our donated units!

The Mikey Network now offers several programs created to get MIKEYS out into the public, including initiatives to help children – because SCA can strike at any age. A few years ago, Dr. Joel Kirsh, staff physician in Cardiology and Critical Care and an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at SickKids®, called to suggest that PADs are needed in schools. In 2007, we launched the Mikey’s Young-at-Heart School Defibrillator Program, and placed 120 MIKEYS in Toronto District School Board’s secondary schools. The program was then expanded to include all secondary schools in the Halton District School Board, the Halton Catholic District School Board and the Limestone District School Board.

With the help of SickKids, McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton and Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa, The Network also established the Mikey’s Kids Program to supply MIKEYS to families whose children are in the hospital waiting for future treatment. This makes it possible for the kids to live at home in more comfortable surroundings, and gives the parents peace of mind knowing a MIKEY is close at hand. It started with one, and now 60 families of children with serious heart conditions have a MIKEY at home.

The Mikey Network is more than just a charity to us; it has become part of our corporate culture at Heathwood and The Heron Group. We are honoured that the Network was presented with the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association of Washington DC, Public Service Award for 2011. We are also privileged to work together with our colleagues in the new home building industry who care as much as we do about building strong, healthy communities as well as houses.

Hugh Heron is Principal and Partner in the Heron Group of Companies and President of Heathwood Homes, as well as a former Member of the Board of Directors of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, and a Past President of the Toronto Home Builders’ Association and the Ontario Home Builders’ Association.