Unlike most kids their age, Ben, 8, and Gillian Delaire, 9, are not allowed to play outside regularly, unattended.
They, along with their single mother, Nicole, live on Pearl Street, in a neighbourhood where the mother doesn't feel safe having her children outside.
That is about to change.
The Delaire family are the recipients of the Habitat for Humanity home build project for 2009.
Ground was broken on Nov.21 for the project, and construction will be taking off in the next few weeks.
“So far, what I've noticed, is it's very quiet,” the single mother said of the neighbourhood where her house will soon be built.
She said her old neighbourhood was “a more dangerous area. The children weren't left unattended outside. That's a big issue to just be able to have that independence, so they can actually play outside, free of trouble or being scared.”
The groundbreaking day was an emotional one for Delaire, her eyes welling up on several occasions.
“This day... is a dream come true,” Nicole Delaire said. “It actually doesn't feel real just yet, maybe next week,” she laughed
“I can't believe the people that were meeting, and the strangers and everybody's that's coming together to help.”
The house is being constructed on Donald Street in Azilda.
After a few glitches along the way with build site choices, the city of Greater Sudbury stepped in to help, including Greater Sudbury Mayor John Rodriguez and Ward 12 Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann.
“The land they wanted to build on was just not appropriate,” Rodriguez said. “I kid you not, it was a swamp. So, we needed to find a piece of land for them to build this home for the Delaire family, for Nicole and her children. Everyone worked together.”
For Ben Delaire, the new house takes him one step closer to growing up to be a foreman in his own construction company, as he dreams about.
For Gillian Delaire, living in a house with a healthy air quality will help manage her cystic fibrosis.
CF is a multi-organ disease, primarily affecting the lungs and digestive system, which in turn affects breathing.
The new house will be a nice change, according to Nicole Delaire.
The single mother shares a room with her son in the family's apartment, while Gillian has her own room.
Habitat for Humanity builds one house annually, for a chosen family.
The Habitat houses are built with volunteer labour, and donated or discounted materials. Fundraising is also used to offset costs.
This concept allows the organization to offer no-interest mortgages to the chosen families at a rate of 30 per cent of the family's income
This is the fifth build the organization has had in Greater Sudbury.
At the time of winning the contest, on Aug.13, Nicole Delaire said that being a single mother and raising two children is “difficult.”
Nicole added: “They're getting older now, it's getting a little bit easier, but I just needed a stepping stone. It's an opportunity to get a better life for them. It's all about them.”
The $60,000 to build the home was won through a writing contest.
From Oct. 6 to Nov. 14, 2008, students across Canada were invited to submit a short story, poem or essay online, expressing their thoughts on the meaning of “home.”
Grade 6 student Jackson Topo’s entry was chosen from over 2,000 entries.
Jackson chose to donate the home to Habitat for Humanity in Sudbury – the community where his late grandfather lived.
