Author: Judy Barlow,
Citizen Journalist

What do you give the person who has everything?
Tough question? Okay . How about, “What do you give the person who has nothing?”
Turns out – maybe it’s the same thing.

Paul Latour, part waiter, part hero, all heart, might just be the fellow with the answer. And the best part is – it doesn’t have to cost you a dime.

Paul Latour is the founder of Hero Work, a non-profit organization helping local charities get much-needed renovations through contributions from local businesses and the blood, sweat, and laughter (maybe a few tears too) of community volunteers. Think Extreme Makeover: Home Edition without Ty Pennington and the Disneyesque theme rooms.

(Shortly after going to press, SVO learned that Hero Work is no longer a non-profit organization, but is now being operated for profit. Ed)

Hero Work grew out of a desire to help a friend in need.
When Paul realised his friend, Helle Kallas, living with MS (Multiple Sclerosis), could no longer negotiate her neglected, overgrown back yard, Paul put his big heart and exceptional organizational and networking skills to work. Seven weeks later Paul and his volunteer Extreme Team completed a one-day $25,000 extreme makeover on a $380 budget, transforming the drab wasteland into a tranquil garden oasis. Looking around at the smiling, cheering volunteers was a revelation.

“… I thought – oh my God – look at this,” says Paul. “I bet we can make a difference here.”

Bitten by the makeover bug, Paul next turned the spotlight on the Casa Maria Emergency Housing Society, a little-known non-profit organization that has helped more than 200 refugee families for over twenty years without government funding. With $500 and the help of more than eighty-five local businesses, Paul and his volunteer Extreme Team completed a four-day $100,000 indoor and outdoor transformation of a duplex.

So what does Paul have up his sleeve now?

The Mustard Seed Food Bank and Street Church runs the largest food bank on Vancouver Island, feeding over 7000 people every month, and providing a multitude of services and spiritual support. Unfortunately, their building is in desperate need of repairs and upgrades, scheduled to begin in spring, 2013, at a projected cost of approximately $300,000. Paul expects he’ll need to manage 150 – 200 business sponsors and 800 volunteers for the one-week reno.

The project has been in the works for some time now. “I volunteered at the Mustard Seed for six weeks and did every job possible. I wanted to get to know who they were and what they did before committing a whole year of my life to this makeover,” says Paul.

Then Paul set to work (when he’s not working at the Marina Restaurant overlooking Cadboro Bay) creating the systems and infrastructure necessary for such a massive project. “The first phase is what I call strategic storytelling,” he explains. “I need to get the story out there so people know what an amazing job the Mustard Seed does… It’s where I put together an inspiring video about the Mustard Seed, what they do, and why they need the support.”

During Phase 1, Paul does a lot of the preliminary groundwork, including getting a film company on board to make the video. This is where you, the reader, come in. At www.herowork.com you can view videos of past projects and sign up to help spread the word about the Mustard Seed project.

“In order to get the business support we need to demonstrate huge public support. We’re going to launch this video in the new year, and when we get 10,000 people to view it we can go to virtually any business and say, ‘Hey we’ve got 10,000 people who support this project. Can you help us out with flooring or paint or lighting or whatever?’ And they’re going to say yes.”

But how do you get 10,000 people to log on to the website to view the video?

“We need a group of 1000 people who will go online the day the video is launched and log on and send it to people to get it to go viral.”

So there you have it. As simple as that. Something to give both the person who has everything and the person who has nothing – a moment of your time and a chance to make a difference in your community. It costs nothing and you can even put it on layaway until after the holidays. Does it get any better than that?

Go online now and make a commitment to help spread the word.
Hero Work www.herowork.com
The Mustard Seed www.mustardseed.ca