Law Times

lAw Times • April 4, 2011 NEWS PAGE 3 Members of the Kemp family gather with supporters at a housewarming on March 26. Lawyers raise $80K for family's new home BY LAURA EGGERTSON For Law Times LANARK HIGHLANDS, Ont. — Pat and Laura Kemp's ramshackle four-bed- room home was literally splitting in two by the time the Frontiers Foundation and a group of Canadian lawyers and judges stepped in to help. Th e Kemp family had lived in the collapsing cottage for 14 years in Lan- ark Highlands, a rural township north of Perth, Ont. Th ey had raised their fi ve kids on Ontario disability benefi ts for the past 18 years after Pat was permanently injured when a house he was helping to build came crashing down on him. "I had a 400-pound A-frame collapse on me. I broke four vertebrae," says Pat. Th e accident put an end to his work as a mechanic and truck driver. It also dashed the family's hopes of a better life and a decent place to live. Th e cottage, with its rotting, tacked-on additions and peeling siding, was all the family could aff ord. But thanks to an $80,000 contribu- tion from Th e Advocates' Society to the Frontiers Foundation, the Kemps have now moved in to a brand-new house on their existing property. "I feel wonderful," says Laura, 44. "It's very exciting." Th e Frontiers Foundation is an aborig- inal non-profi t charity that works with volunteers to build homes for aboriginal families in need through a program called Operation Beaver. Th e families who bene- fi t from the homes contribute sweat equity, and the foundation works with companies such as Home Hardware and others to get donated or discounted building materials. To date, the foundation has built about 4,000 homes across Canada, founding dir- ector Rev. Charles Catto tells Law Times during in an interview at the Kemps' housewarming on March 26. Most of the homes are for aboriginal families liv- ing off reserves, but the foundation has also worked with communities such as the Garden Hill First Nation in Mani- toba. Wherever possible, it helps to build skills, including harvesting and milling local timber for house construction. Th e organization couldn't have built the Lanark Highlands house without the Th e Advocates' Society's help, says Catto. Although the foundation has received support in the past from Toronto's legal community, it needed this new contri- bution by the 4,300 lawyers and judges who belong to Th e Advocates' Society to make this project a reality. "Until six months ago, a handicapped citizen, his wife, and fi ve children lived on this property in pitiful housing condi- tions that should have been pulled down and replaced decades ago," Catto told the guests assembled at the housewarm- ing. "We declare Th anksgiving today that fi nally last fall, enough people in Lanark Highlands and far beyond cared enough to roll up their sleeves and do whatever it took to make Pat and Laura's dream of a decent home come true." Th e Advocates' Society organized an auction and other fundraising activities for the foundation as part of a new ef- fort called Th e Advocates' Society Gives Back, says president and Toronto crim- inal lawyer Marie Henein. "We just wanted to have an aspect of our organization of lawyers that gives back in a very tangible way to the com- munity," says Henein. She proposed working with the foun- dation because she wanted to ensure Th e Advocates' Society's donation went dir- ectly to benefi t a family rather than to administration. She believed it was im- portant that the members see the results of their philanthropy. Many lawyers are generous with their time and money but they often don't know the fi nal results of their donations, Henein says. She also wanted to assist in a project that improved a local community. "Sometimes, it's very easy to overlook the people that are a few feet away from you and in need," she says. For Laura, the new house means she no longer has to worry that her children or grandchildren will be playing on a fl oor that crumples beneath them. She doesn't have to be afraid that the mould that invaded her old home — "the shack," as she calls it — will exacerbate her sons' or her husband's asthma. She's particularly fond of her bright new kitchen. "Th e [new] house is a lot more stable. I feel safer here," she says. "Th e kids seem happier." Daughter Sara Kemp, 20, was par- ticularly glad to see her old room de- molished when the crane the founda- tion hired tore it down. "Th e back was falling off my old room," she says. Sara was among about 15 family and friends who volunteered as a makeshift construction crew on the project under the supervision of carpenter Steve Bul- loch. Under Bulloch's watch, they erected the whole house in four months. Although the job went relatively well, Bulloch admits it was "pretty stressful" to whip the inexperienced volunteers into shape. "Th e sweat that went into the project and the hours that went in by the volun- teers is quite remarkable," says Bill Sam- mon, an Ottawa litigation lawyer and member of Th e Advocates' Society who attended the housewarming. www.lawtimesnews.com Untitled-1 1 3/31/11 8:44:14 AM BURDEN FOR BENCHER » Bill Burden's background gives him the perspective to see the issues. » Bill Burden's experience gives him the judgment to see the solutions. » Bill Burden has practised both inside and outside of Toronto, in both small and large firms. Vote for Bill Burden. For more about Bill Burden please visit www.casselsbrock.com/People/Bill_Burden You can also find out more about Bill Burden by scanning the QR code on the right with your smart phone. Photo: Laura Eggertson

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