How HeroWorks' Extreme Makeovers Help Charities Thrive

HeroWork founder Paul Latour likens his charity’s undertakings to modern-day barn raisings. The non-profit helps other charities by renewing and refreshing their aging buildings and infrastructure through weekend-spanning events called Radical Renovations. These are rousing occasions with live music and catered meals, each seeing the participation of over a hundred local businesses and huge teams of volunteers.

“We even have the whole ‘Move that truck!’ reveal,” Latour says.

Latour designs the events around four key factors: How cool can it be? How big of a change can it make? How can it maximize the sense of community? And how cohesive can the whole event be with respect to organization and branding? A self-described storyteller, Latour has each renovation filmed for the inspiring HeroWork video series.

“We put these things together to create win-win situations for everybody — it’s a magical thing,” Latour says. “I think that these are some of the foundational reasons why these businesses and people are so excited to be involved.”