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The
Gulf Coast Steel Initiative Supports 2007 Children's Miracle
Mansion
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No
Small Miracle
Baton
Rouge, LA - The 2007 Children's Miracle Network Broadcast
aired on WBRZ, Channel 2 on June 2 and 3 helped to raise
a record $1.79 million for Our Lady of the Lake Children's
Hospital. A ticket purchased by G. W. Carver Primary
School in Gonzales, La. was pulled for the winner of
the 2007 steel-framed Miracle Mansion. G. W. Carver
Primary School purchased Miracle Mansion tickets with
money raised by students to honor a former classmate,
Christian Acosta, who died from a heart defect five
years ago.
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On June
2-3, following a telethon on WBRZ, Channel 2 in Baton Rouge,
La., the steel-framed 2007 Children's Miracle Mansion helped
raise a record $1.79 million for Our Lady of the Lake Children's
Hospital. Every year, the hospital raffles a home—the
Miracle Mansion—to raise funds
for treating approximately 60,000 children per year. The proceeds
are used to purchase equipment that the pediatric center otherwise
wouldn't be able to afford.
The home
is the first Miracle Mansion to feature a steel framing system.
"The Miracle Mansion project provided a unique opportunity
for the Gulf Coast Steel Initiative to build public awareness
of the benefits of the steel-framed home while using our resources
to support a great cause," said David C. Jeanes, AISI's
senior vice president of market development. "It also
provided the opportunity to demonstrate to local builders
that steel could be a viable alternative to wood in the Gulf
Coast region."
The construction
of the steel-framed Miracle Mansion sets a new paradigm in
home construction in the Gulf Coast region. The 4,200-square-foot,
four-bedroom, four-bath home was the first to be built within
Baton Rouge's city limits and was estimated to be worth more
than $500,000.
Larry
Williams, president of the Steel Framing Alliance, commented:
"There's a willingness to look at other ways of construction
because of the recent weather events. We provided information
to local builders about corrosion resistance, wind resistance
and termite resistance. When you sit down and talk to someone
about the benefits of steel framing, in many cases the benefits
are so obvious that you really don't have to present a lot
of information."
Steel
framing can be designed to withstand hurricane-force winds
up to 150 mph and greater, and does not provide a food source
for mold and termites. Termites especially are a problem in
the Gulf Coast area. After Hurricane Katrina, homeowners became
aware of the damage termites had caused as walls were torn
open. According to Williams, New Orleans is one of the few
cities around that world that has a government agency specifically
formed to deal with the issues surrounding termite and mosquito
problems. He notes that a recent study by the Termite and
Mosquito Control Board found that there are an estimated 600
million termites living and eating in the area.
In addition
to resisting wind and pests, steel won't burn, warp, crack
or split. This provides homeowners with straight, square walls
without nail pops. The framing's zinc coating prevents the
possibility of corrosion, a feature that Williams notes is
important in a high-humidity environment.
The construction
of the steel-framed Miracle Mansion is yet another step to
building back communities and providing a stronger Gulf Coast
region. The 2007 Miracle Mansion's location on a main thoroughfare
of Baton Rouge certainly will provide the home and its contributors
with a lot of visibility.
"It's
important to recognize how many companies came together to
make this happen," Williams says. "We couldn't have
done it without them." For more information, contact
Larry
Williams.
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