Two featured homes at this year’s Parade of Homes will be donating all proceeds from the sales to charity

Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com

The Parade of Homes features million-dollar-plus homes, showcasing recent trends, top construction, and beautiful designs.

The Parade of Homes also features a lot of heart.

Not just the heart and soul it takes to build such quality homes, but the charitable heart of an entire industry.

This year’s Gro Parade of Homes, presented by HomeStreet Bank, is open this weekend, and will reopen for its final five days from Sept. 20 through 24.

Two of the four homes on display at the parade were built to raise funds for charity.

“I think this construction community has one of the biggest hearts, I think, in the country,” said Tony Marnella of Marnella Homes. “It’s just amazing.”

The Marnella home at the parade is part of the Dream Home project for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. 

This one of 50 Dream Homes built this calendar year throughout the country for St. Jude. Many homes are raffled off, meaning someone wins the home. Marnella said Washington does not allow such raffles, so instead his company builds the home and proceeds from the sale go to the research hospital.

“We have national sponsors. Those companies are all-in on every (dream) house (across the country),” Marnella said. “My job is to go to our local construction companies. That’s the beautiful message here. We have a construction community that came together en force.”

Marnella worked on his first dream home a couple years ago. He sent out an email and got a huge response. For this home, it was another massive response from the local industry.

“I didn’t have the plans together. They said, ‘We’re in.’ They all wanted to be associated with this,” Marnella said. “Local trades, local vendors at all levels. Small companies. Big companies. The workers here were just as passionate about being involved.”

Some of the vendors did the work at no cost.

“They were here purely for the love of what we’re embracing here, St. Jude,” Marnella said.

That is exactly what Bart Hansen, executive director of the Building Industry Association of Clark County, wants to hear. The BIA produces the Parade of Homes each year.

“The BIA works with local builders to give back,” Hansen said. “We want to promote how the builders in our community are so generous when it comes to charitable giving, because they are.”

Quail Homes, owned by Jon Girod, has a home in the parade, as well, with all proceeds going to the Building Futures Foundation. 

Hansen supports that foundation, as well. 

Building Futures Foundation provides scholarships to those looking to go into architecture, engineering, or construction management, or for those who are working trades. The BFF provides tool grants for young workers, too. 

Hansen appreciates that the builders were willing to create these luxury homes with the proceeds going to bigger causes.

“Tony Marnella approached us. Jon Girod approached us,” Hansen said. “This is builders wanting to give back. They put their money where their mouth is.” 

The parade is also a chance to inspire.

“When you take a look at what’s going on in pretty much every industry, there is some sort of opportunity to show your craft, show your trade,” Hansen said. “When you see the Parade of Homes, this is builders taking an opportunity to go all the way from the house itself to the amenities.”

Not everyone can afford a luxury home, but there might be something at the parade that will spark a remodel or a change at your own home, Hansen said. 

“I might not be able to afford a $2 million home, but do I like the laundry shoot in House No. 1? Do I like the upper deck in House No. 2? These are different things I can afford. It gives me ideas of what could be in my current home,” he said.

The GRO Parade of Homes is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. this weekend in Felida and again from Wednesday Sept. 20 through Sunday Sept. 24. Tickets are $15. Parking on the weekend is available at Thomas Jefferson Middle School and Felida Elementary School. Parking during weekdays will be at Summit View Church. Shuttle service will be provided.

For more information, go to: https://clarkcountyparadeofhomes.com/