For most homeowners, siding and roofing projects are about protecting the place where memories are made. But for the team at Twin Cities Siding and Roofing (TCSR), a recent project offered an opportunity to build those memories from the ground up – this time, in the form of a very special pink playhouse.
The Minnesota home exterior company partnered with Make-A-Wish MN to help fulfill a wish for Cora, a child from Annandale who dreamed of having a pink playhouse in her backyard. With a love for make-believe, cooking and baking, Cora envisioned a place where imagination could take center stage and where she could spend time with her younger brother, Carson.
The project was a natural fit for TCSR, a company that has served homeowners across the Twin Cities and central Minnesota since 1995. While its everyday work includes siding, roofing, windows, doors and other exterior projects, giving back has also become an important part of its connection to the communities it serves.
“We have been around for over 30 years, and have always been a very community-focused business,” says Summer Stieglbauer, senior regional marketing manager. “So to get to continue to do really hands-on involvement, like a Make-A-Wish project, is so important.”
This was the company’s second time helping grant a wish through Make-A-Wish. Stieglbauer previously worked with the nonprofit, and that connection helped bring the organizations together. After successfully participating in a larger building project the previous year, TCSR was eager to lend its skills again when Cora’s wish came along.
Although the playhouse arrived as a prefabricated structure, turning it into Cora’s dream space took plenty of teamwork. Employees assembled the playhouse in the company’s warehouse over several days, painted its wood siding pink, finished the trim in white and added shingles to the roof. Then came another challenge: getting the completed structure to Annandale.
After making the trip from Eden Prairie, the team used a forklift to carefully place the playhouse in Cora’s backyard. Carson was there to watch the excitement unfold, while Cora was in the hospital at the time. Once the structure was in place, team members spent another day completing the remaining assembly and adding interior touches, including toys and a loft.
“It really was a group effort, and everybody truly wanted to be a part of it,” Stieglbauer says. “So that spirit of giving back is really a hallmark for us.”
Since then, the playhouse has become exactly what everyone hoped it would be: a place for Cora to simply play. Stieglbauer says Cora loves spending time there with her family, especially putting the playhouse’s cooking area to use during make-believe adventures.
“She has been making lots of memories,” Stieglbauer says.
For Make-A-Wish MN, bringing a wish like Cora’s to life depends on community members willing to contribute their time, talent and resources. The organization serves children ages 2½ to 18 throughout Minnesota who are facing critical illnesses, with wishes ranging from travel and special experiences to meaningful items and projects at home.
“At our core, we want to help kids stay kids even during hardship,” says Paul R. Krueger, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish MN.
The chapter grants approximately 250 wishes each year, and Krueger says the impact often reaches beyond the child. A critical illness can affect an entire household, making opportunities for happiness and connection especially meaningful.
“We know that a wish not only impacts the child but also their family as well,” Krueger says. “We hope that whatever the kids come up with brings their families some joy and hope as well.”
Community partnerships are vital to making that happen. With an average wish costing about $12,000, Make-A-Wish Minnesota often relies on businesses that can contribute materials, labor, professional skills or other resources.
“They really help us stretch the dollar even more,” Krueger says.
Make-A-Wish Minnesota has granted more than 7,100 wishes since 1982 and will celebrate its 45th anniversary in 2027. Krueger credits volunteers, donors and businesses such as TCSR with helping the organization continue its mission.
For Twin Cities Siding and Roofing, the project was a chance to use familiar skills for an entirely different purpose. Instead of simply creating an exterior built to last, the team helped create a tiny pink retreat where childhood imagination, and plenty of new memories, can flourish.
To learn more about Make-A-Wish MN visit, wish.org/minnesota.
Interested in learning more about Twin Cities Siding and Roofing? Head to tcsidingprofessionals.com or call 651-360-2964.