Sailor volunteers for HeroWork

S1 Aaron Henry drills in drywall at the Salvation Army Victoria Addictions and Rehabilitations Centre.

Peter Mallett
Staff Writer
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S1 Aaron Henry’s handiwork has helped the Salvation Army Victoria Addictions and Rehabilitations Centre (ARC) move from a tired facility to a refreshed centre ready to help the less fortunate.

He was one of many volunteers who dedicated their free time to local charity HeroWork and their latest Radical Renovation.

They rely on the generosity of local businesses, general labour volunteers, and skilled volunteers to pitch in and transform other local charity facilities.

“I really wanted to get back into volunteering again, and making a difference in my community,” says S1 Henry. “HeroWork is a charity where I can instantly see the results of my work and also learn new skills.”

He volunteered for HeroWork in 2019 doing general labour at Our Place’s Therapeutic Recovery Centre in Colwood. He says his latest experience gave him an opportunity to better himself and learn a fundamental renovation skill of how to handle and install drywall.

“It was challenging at first and I quickly became aware that the materials need to be handled with care, along with getting the rivets into the studs properly,” he says.

On July 3, the completed Salvation Army Victoria ARC located on Johnson Street was revealed. A newly built commercial kitchen is ready to serve with a 20 per cent increase of capacity. Before this Radical Renovation, the kitchen served approximately 15,000 meals a month. Other areas renovated include additional emergency dormitory spaces, common area updates, and general building maintenance items. Total cost of the project for HeroWork is estimated at $200,000. At $1.1M valuation it is the highest valued project completed to date.

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