www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday July 15, 2006 - 5 Family's home gets makeover courtesy of Walls of Hope Walls of Hope the volunteer-driven home renovation initiative for those in need embarks on its next project July 22 - 24 at a Gainsborough Drive townhouse occupied by a single mom and her four children. For two days a dedicated team of volunteers will thoroughly renovate the home of Barb Johns while she and her family are put up at a local hotel during the organized chaos which is the hallmark of Walls of Hope makeovers. The fresh new interior of the place will then be revealed to the Johns on the Monday morning (July 24) fittingly Barb's birthday. "Walls of Hope will be helping her and her family make their new space livable and uniquely their own," said professional painter, mural artist and Walls of Hope co-founder Sera Mansueto. Barb's children include Sarah, 17, a straight-A student who has made the honour role at her high school for five straight semesters. Then there's her three sons David, 13, Matthew, 12, and Christopher, 10. Each does extremely well academically and each has tested as gifted in some areas. All three boys, however, have been diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), specifically Asperger's Syndrome. At the same time as this diagnosis was made, Christopher and David were also diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome. Testing also confirmed Barb's suspicions that her boys also suffered from Celiac Disease. Matthew is also hearing impaired. "Despite all these challenges, Barb believes that anything is possible with enough faith," said Mansueto. "Walls of Hope has answered Barb's prayers and will be making the family's dreams come true with a home makeover." Walls of Hope is a grassroots organization that performs home makeovers and so doing enriches the lives of families who are unable to do so for themselves because of their current life circumstances. Working with various community organizations and charities, candidates in need are identified and invited to participate in this unique makeover opportunity. The family then chooses a room or area of their home to be rejuvenated. "Whatever the space, the goal is to transform it over a weekend into a functional and attractive living environment that meets the family's needs," said Mansueto, who created Walls of Hope with interior decorator Karen O'Connell. "The team of volunteers and community businesses band together and donate their skills, ideas, materials and anything else they can to make this gift a reality for the chosen family." As always, volunteers are needed to make these events a success and those willing to donate goods and services toward the project are more than welcome. For more information, visit the Walls of Hope website, www.wallsofhope.ca. Donated by Agorex, it features photographs of past projects and provides information about the organization and its initiatives. The website also allows donors to make donations on-line through PayPal, and volunteers to sign up. Walls of Hope's inaugural project took place in August 2005 and since then, a second family has benefited from its efforts. As word spread of the impact Walls of Hope has had on people's lives, said Mansueto, even more volunteers and those with renovation skills and/or products came onboard. This outpouring of help, says Mansueto, only reinforces her charity's motto: "Healing hearts, transforming homes, restoring hope." 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