JC&A provides its expertise on design and construction for child’s wish for a pirate ship tree house
9/24/2008, Quincy, MA — Quincy, MA, September 24, 2008 – J. Calnan and Associates is extremely grateful for its success and takes tremendous pride in giving back to its local communities. In keeping with its community commitment, JC&A recently supported a local wish granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Massachusetts, helping to fulfill a young boy’s wish for a pirate ship themed tree house. The wish was a vision inspired by six-year-old Ethan Lent, a Rowley, Massachusetts native who was diagnosed with AML, a form of leukemia, in 2007.
“I wish to have a pirate-themed tree house,” said Ethan. A small request from an amazing child who spent four and a half months as an inpatient at Children’s Hospital Boston before receiving a bone marrow transplant from his younger brother. After returning home from surgery, Ethan learned that the Make-A-Wish Foundation would be granting his wish. Ethan was very excited and wished to create a fun place where he could spend more time with his best friends – his siblings Emma and Eliot. The Make-A-Wish Foundation reached out to JC&A and asked for their help in making Ethan’s wish come true.
Mike Crowther, Vice President of JC&A met with the Lent family to discuss Ethan’s pirate ship and a timeline for completion. Armed with the sketch and ideas, the team at JC&A, headed up by Crowther, General Superintendent, Barry Ledin; Superintendent, Mike Flemming and Lead Carpenter, George Smith, eagerly started building Ethan’s wish.
With the help of other generous local supporters, including National Lumber and Moynahan Lumber, JC&A completed Ethan’s tree house in two weeks. Captain Ethan’s ship is fully equipped with a captain’s wheel for steering, portholes for launching his water cannons, a slide for quick escapes, a pulley system for shipmates Emma and Eliot to stock the boat and a lookout tower to make sure no parents are coming! Ethan’s favorite parts of the ship include the secret trap door, the ship’s mast, the speed of the slide and the cannon made especially for him.
“As an organization we are thrilled to be involved with the Make-A-Wish program, and proud to have a culture that includes a focus on giving back to the community,” said Crowther. “The individuals that joined me in this particular project are truly honored to have had the opportunity to make Ethan’s wish come true. We will look back on this experience with pride for many years to come. We trust that Ethan and his friends and family will continue to get enjoyment out of his tree house for years to come.”
“The Foundation is truly inspired by J. Calnan & Associates’ support in helping Ethan’s wish come true,” said the Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer Charlotte Beattie. “Their understanding of our mission is clearly seen in their efforts. It is this understanding and community commitment that helps the Foundation move closer to its goal of granting a wish for every eligible child in Massachusetts.”
J. Calnan and Associates, Inc. is proud of its philanthropic spirit and pleased to support so many worthy causes like the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Massachusetts. Our leadership alone is collectively involved with or supports Children’s Hospital Boston, The Jimmy Fund, Habitat for Humanity, The American Cancer Society, St. Coletta & Cardinal Cushing Schools of Massachusetts, Inc and The United Way.
About Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Massachusetts
The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Massachusetts grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Since 1984, more than 3,800 wishes have been granted for children residing in Massachusetts. In 2009, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Massachusetts is working to grant the wishes of more than 350 children statewide. For more information, about the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Massachusetts, please visit www.mass.wish.org or call (617) 367-9474.
About J. Calnan & Associates, Inc.
Founded in 1996, J. Calnan & Associates, Inc. (JC&A), is one of New England’s leading construction management firms specializing in pre-construction services and challenging construction projects. JC&A provides world-class services to select high-profile clients in the corporate, private school, life science, industrial/manufacturing, recreational, healthcare, advanced technology and sustainable building markets. JC&A’s reputation has earned assignments from select clients, including New England Sports Network (NESN), Reebok International, The TJX Companies, Inc., PUMA, iRobot, Liberty Mutual, The MathWorks, General Electric, and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. Among recent awards, JC&A earned the “IIDA New England Interior Design Award” for ”Best in Show,” the Boston Business Journal ranked JC&A as one of the “Top 50 Fastest Growing Private Companies” and gave them a Citizenship award for its philanthropic efforts, Boston SF recognized JC&A as “Construction Firm of the Year,” and the Ohio Casualty Group presented JC&A with the Platinum Safety Award for an outstanding safety record. More information can be found at www.jcalnan.com.
