We support Parenting Place because their work aligns with our values so well. They support families right from the beginning, helping parents through pregnancy and the new-born stage, providing counselling for children going through trauma, and for struggling parents, and educating parents and teachers with special needs kids. Most of us are parents ourselves, so we know it can be tough at the best of times, and we think they’re doing a fantastic job.
Parenting Place is about finding small ways to make our society stronger – we wanted to find a big way to help them do that. That’s where our Millwater Charity home comes in. We bought the land, built the house, and the final step is selling at auction.
North and West Auckland franchisees Stu and Maree were in charge of building the home, with help from a team of generous tradies and contractors. Because everyone is passionate about helping out, they offered products and services at cost or at a discount, to keep costs down and make sure the build ran smoothly.
Our Director, Stuart Shutt, thinks it shows that the Sentinel Homes team is filled with the right kind of people.
“It says good things about our culture, that people are so ready to help, which is really cool. They had to get involved and that means a lot. It’s a lot of work to pull this off,” he says.
That’s important in a network like Sentinel Homes, where the reputations of all our franchisees depend on everyone else operating with integrity.
“That’s one of our main things – to make sure everyone is doing what’s right,” says Stu.
Fittingly, the result is a sleek, modern home designed to enhance family life. With four bedrooms and spacious living for family time, the lounge and kitchen flow out into a sunny garden, perfect for relaxing or play. A second living area on the top floor offers a getaway for parents or teenagers who need some space to unwind.
“It’s designed to push a family together,” explains Stu. “It has good living areas, that can be shut off, but for most of the time it’s about family time together. That really aligns with our philosophy – that family is key, and that a home is an important part of that.”
Millwater was our first charity build, but it won’t be the last. In fact, we have another auction on 12 December for a home in Papamoa, Tauranga. Two more builds are underway in Wellington and Wanaka.
We’ll keep building more, as often as we can, because we really believe in the Parenting Place – and we really believe that charity is an important part of our business.
“We want to do more than just build houses,” says Stu. “We want to help society get better. We’ve got the vehicle to do something, so we want to do it.”
Find out more about Parenting Place.
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