Havyn Homes and partners break ground on St. Jude Dream Home in new Scianna neighborhood

Havyn Homes and its trade partners broke ground on a new home in the Scianna subdivision development as part of the St. Jude Dream Home Showplace program, an extension of the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway. Upon completion, the new house will be sold, and the net proceeds will be used to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s mission of saving young lives.

“When I heard that this opportunity existed for builders, it seemed to just fit right in the wheelhouse of what I know how to do best,” Havyn Homes Owner Michael Graniczny said. “Doing something that I’ve been doing my entire life and being able to actually save kids’ lives – it’s a huge honor.”

Havyn Homes joins one of fewer than a hundred builders around the nation that participate in the St. Jude Dream Home Showplace program. Working with its local trades partners, Havyn Homes hopes to join the even more exclusive club of builders who have created their homes at a $0 cost.

Havyn Homes has already been able to guarantee that the majority of the necessary work for construction will be done at no cost, thanks to the help of its community partners.

“Of the builders that participate, about 12 in the country have gotten their entire houses donated at $0 cost,” Graniczny said. “If we can achieve that, Havyn Homes would be the first new builder ever to enter this program and become a Zero Hero in the first year doing it.”

This is the first St. Jude Dream Home Showplace home being built in Valparaiso, and the community support for the project has been more than Havyn Homes expected. For Stephanie Dillon, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital area manager, seeing the community rally around the construction is as important as the work being done.

“We have a patient family that’s about 45 minutes away from here, and projects like this are great for them to see. They get to see the pictures and the people rallying around their family and other families at St. Jude. This really can’t be done without community support.”

Von Tobel is one of the community partners who has agreed to support the home’s construction at no charge. Sales Manager Codi Morrow emphasized how the volunteer opportunity energized the company.

“We have a very close partnership with Havyn Homes, and when they asked us to jump on board, we were more than happy to get involved,” Morrow said. “This is something that’s just as important to us as it is to Havyn Homes. Von Tobel is an employee-owned company, and all of our employees are very excited about this. It’s something that we’re all really happy to be a part of.”

This home and the work around it are a milestone for Havyn Homes and all of Valpo. Graniczny sees the collaborative work as a change for the better in a world that seems more and more negative and divided.

“I don’t have the words for it, but it’s been mindblowing,” he said. “All of the participation and all of the support people have given to this – it’s a cultural change in a really positive way. Only good things can come from it.”

Those interested in contributing to the construction of the home can learn more on Havyn Homes’ website. When it comes to saving lives, any donation counts.

The St. Jude Dream Home Showplace construction will be the first home in Havyn Homes’ new Scianna neighborhood, a 76-lot development just south of Route 2. Information on the project and Havyn Homes’ other services can be found at havynhomes.com or by contacting (219) 306-4500.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is dedicated to finding cures and saving lives for those fighting childhood cancer. Learn more about how you can support its work at stjude.org.