HeroWork GM in ‘jail’ for a good cause
Incarcerated carpenter aims to raise $50,000-plus for renovation projects
Trevor Botkin, the hard-working general manager of HeroWork, is in jail this weekend, and there are people trying to bail him out and others who want to keep him inside. All for a good cause, of course.
The personable carpenter was locked up on Friday in a mock jail at Uptown shopping centre, complete with 20-pound ball and chain and prison garb, hoping to raise $50,000 or more so HeroWork can continue its renovation projects to renew non-profit community infrastructure.
Organizers said Botkin was imprisoned amid troubling allegations of giving away a shirt off someone else’s back, impersonating Santa Claus, taking candy from a baby and other good-natured crimes.
“My own mother was down here and paid $500 to keep me in jail longer,” Botkin said. “I guess it’s payback to acting out during my youth.”
Members of the public are contributing various amounts as Botkin, who is allowed his laptop in the joint, plays every prison-themed song he deems appropriate to pull people in to donating. He set his alarm this morning to Johnny Cash’s epic Folsom Prison Blues.
People can donate money to keep him inside, in which case the Hambley Family Foundation will match donations up to $10,000. Or you can vote to bail him out. In that case, Slegg Building Materials will match donations up to $20,000.
Everyone wins, either way, said Botkin, who said being a jailbird isn’t that bad. Merchants at Uptown are feeding him and he is allowed bathroom breaks, although he has to carry the ball and chain.
Gordy Dodd — the erstwhile furniture retailer — pulled on a judge’s cloak and flowing white wig to officially lay the charges and lock Botkin up.
All money raised will go to empower HeroWork to transform even more charity buildings, helping thousands of vulnerable people.
The next “radical renovation” will target Cool Aid’s Downtown Community Centre, the only space in urban Victoria to provide free programming to people living in poverty.
Starting in the summer, HeroWork will transform the centre on Pandora Avenue into a more accessible, flexible, safe and welcoming space. The renovation will enable Cool Aid to expand programming to include a greater number of events that help integrate Cool Aid clients and other vulnerable people into the broader community.
Paul Latour, founder and chief executive of HeroWork, said the organization has already completed millions of dollars’ worth of non-profit renovations in Greater Victoria.
Organizations such as
Our Place, the Mustard Seed Food Bank, Power To Be, the Salvation Army Addictions and Rehabilitation Centre and Rainbow Kitchen have all benefited from HeroWork projects.
In a typical year, HeroWork engages with up to 200 companies and more than 700 volunteers to complete comprehensive renovations at a fraction of the cost and time of traditional builds.