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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday July 28, 2006 - 3 The Walls go up By Sabrina Byrnes SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Tears and an enormous amount of gratitude filled the Johns family as they entered their newly- renovated home Sunday afternoon. "Thank you Walls of Hope," said the Johns family in unison to the volunteers and the television crews that greeted them upon the big reveal of their home on Sunday. Barb Johns and her four children Sara, 17, David, 13, Matthew, 12, and Christopher, 10 left Friday morning to stay at her parents' home after their family had been selected by Walls of Hope to renovate their home over the weekend. Walls of Hope is a non-profit organization that helps families through volunteer efforts to give them a better living environment. "We help them get out of the cycle of poverty essentially. They're spiraling down, and we get them back up," said Linda Montalbano, a board member of Walls of Hope. "We give them hope, we don't end the poverty of course, but we do give them hope and that is why we are called Walls of Hope," said Karen O'Connell, Walls of Hope co-founder. The family was selected after a case worker from Ontario Works suggested them, which led Johns to write a letter stating her family's situation. Johns' three sons have an Autism Spectrum Disorder called Asperger's Syndrome, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and Celiac Disease. Matthew is hearing impaired while both Christopher and David have Tourettes. The basement was unfinished and full of mold which was a danger to their family's health. "We want to help families that are trying their best not to need assistance," said Sera Mansueto, cofounder of Walls of Hope. "We try to change the esteem level of the whole family." The organization, which is entirely volunteer driven, was full of people WORKING HARD: Top, from left to right , Mike Leyer, Production Manager for Cochren Homes, cutting baseboards during the Walls of Hope project at the home of Barb Johns on Saturday afternoon; Carla Leyer drawing a dragon mural in the bedroom of Matthew Johns during the Walls of Hope project, volunteer Michelle Watson applying caulking to the baseboards, Sandra Kennedy carries a baseboard to be cut, and Pietro Gallo paints. Sunday, during the big reveal, Matthew and Barb Johns check out his new bedroom, left, and right, Sara Johns receives news, after seeing her new bedroom, from co-founder Sera Mansueto that her prom dress and teeth whitening will be taken care of for her prom next year. The prom dress will be provided by Tocca Finita. PHOTOS BY SABRINA BYRNES / SPECIAL TO THE OAKVILLE BEAVER See Rekindling page 4 WHILE STOCK LASTS Paleo Modular Pavers BB Brown $ Sale Reg. 3.69/sqft SPECIAL PURCHASE 3 19 /sqft Save 50 ¢ 2082 QUEENSWAY DRIVE, East of Brant, South off Plains Rd. /sqft BB Brown (905) 634-7707 MON - FRI 7AM-6PM SAT 8AM-5PM 7,000 square feet of outdoor display www.capbrick.com "Your Landscape Superstore"