A brush with kindness
Newcomer helps Prince Edward Island residents by offering free interior painting
THREE RIVERS, P.E.I. – Harvey Ngo still remembers how warmly he was welcomed and supported by the Prince Edward Island community more than a year ago when he arrived in the province to pursue an MBA at UPEI.
Ngo said he and his wife received so much assistance from neighbours, schoolmates, colleagues and local groups to settle here, he wanted to do something to contribute to the Island.
Since last Christmas, he has been using social media to offer assistance to Islanders in painting the interiors of their homes, such as kitchens or bedrooms, for free.
He specifically would like to help out seniors or individuals with mobility issues or disabilities who might struggle with the task or cannot afford professional help.
Having already helped three people in different locations across the Island, Ngo recently posted on social media again to encourage more Islanders to reach out to him.
“I want to use my skills and my experience to give back to the P.E.I. community here,” Ngo told Saltwire in a recent interview.
EXPERIENCED ARCHITECT
Those skills and experience stem from more than a decade of working as an architect in Vietnam, as well as in Australia, before he arrived in Canada.
Ngo has his own architectural design business back home before continuing his studies in Australia for two years.
That’s why when coming to people's homes to help with painting, he can also offer suggestions on things like interior colour schemes and the colours that would suit each room, based on his extensive experience.
“I also help them to arrange their furniture because I have like 10 years of experience working in architecture and interior design,” he said.
In 2022, Ngo and his wife decided to come to P.E.I. His goal was to enrol in an MBA course to improve his business management skills for his company back home.
‘IT JUST FELT LIKE FAMILY’
Blanche Moyaert, who lives in Montague, was one of those who reached out to Ngo for help in December. At the time, she had just moved into her apartment and noticed the cupboards needed painting, but she was unable to do it herself.
“And so he said that he would be very happy to come. And I felt like I'd gotten a new grandson. He really made me feel like it was a family thing,” Moyaert said.
Ngo made two trips from Charlottetown to paint the cupboards inside and out, and Moyaert said Ngo did the job so thoroughly to make sure the cupboards matched the colour with the walls to blend in perfectly with the rest of the kitchen.
“It felt like a real gift,” the Montague resident said. “It didn’t feel like, you know, he was trying to get anything or I was trying to get anything. It just felt like family.”
Since then, Ngo and Moyaert stay connected on social media. The experience also opened her to learning about Ngo’s culture, Moyaert said.
“I worked a lot of my life in international schools, in different continents even. And so I really enjoy the diversity of people and getting to know people from diverse backgrounds,” she said.
NO CHARGE
Besides his studies at UPEI, Ngo is working for a local painting company. That's where he learned that many Islanders are unable to hire painters given the rising costs right now, so he decided he would do it for free for those who cannot afford it.
Volunteering is something Ngo has done in Vietnam and Australia, and he wants to keep doing it on the Island.
“It’s part of my life,” Ngo said.
When he goes to people’s homes, he just asks them to have the paint ready. Other than that, he brings all the equipment he needs with him. Ngo said any Islanders who would like him to help with painting their interiors, they can simply look him up on Facebook and send him a message.