South Auckland Boys Set To Benefit From Charity Build

Big Buddy’s generous foundation partner G.J. Gardner Homes has stepped up again despite New Zealand’s tough building climate to build an incredible fourth home to support boys without dads in their lives.

GJ’s Papakura team is building a stunning 4-bedroom house in Clarks Beach and donating all the profits to Big Buddy, with a focus on the South Auckland area.

Big Buddy match volunteers, good guys from the community, with boys aged between 7 and 14 who don’t have a dad in their life. The Big Buddy relationship offers friendship, support and a good male role model.

Big Buddy Build ambassador Grant Fox can’t wait to see the house go to the highest bidder to help with the costs of facilitating lifelong connections.

Fox says there are huge benefits for boys having a reliable male presence in their life.

“Our surveys show the boys with a positive male role model gain confidence and become more curious about the world. Their relationships with family members and their peers also improve. They generally do better in life and are just happier. Big Buddy is able to provide that.

“Big Buddies turn up, spend time with their Little Buddy and come back again and again, it's simple and it works,” he says.

The buddies enjoy the simple things in life - walking the dog, throwing a ball around, going fishing, watching rugby, just everyday things that they want to do together.

Giving back is a foundation of the G.J. Gardner Homes national ethos and Managing Director Grant Porteous is thrilled that the Papakura franchise is again stepping up and offering yet another home to one of several charities his business supports.

The man at the centre of the new build is Mike O’Meeghan, Papakura franchisee - the same franchisee who brought like-minded builders and suppliers together on the 2017 and 2019 builds. Many of the current suppliers also supported the cause last time round. He is working with fellow Papakura franchisees Len Adendorff and Nick Xue, who have also supported several community initiatives.

Mike has supported several community initiatives, including helping local college kids with funds to support their tertiary study.

“In the building industry we young men coming through who haven’t had a father around. I’ve always thought if there were people around to help them earlier on, it would make a huge difference to their adult lives. “It makes me proud to stand up and tell our team that while working in the business, we’re also raising money for Big Buddy.”

The build by Big Buddy’s foundation partner will go to auction late August/early September

The house is being built with the support of a number of local subcontractors and suppliers providing their products and services - some at reduced rates- to deliver a beautiful modern stylish home.

© Scoop Media