Singers have been known to play house concerts over the years, but few singers can say they've given their home away purely as a goodwill gesture.
The Globe And Mail reports that Calgary country singer Jason Hastie and his wife Gina decided to give their old home away to Dave and Verna Roberts, a family who lost their High River home last June during the horrendous flooding that engulfed Calgary and southern Alberta.
"It feels like we're going home, I'm so happy and overwhelmed, I'm so excited," Verna Roberts said yesterday as workers lifted the home off its foundation to be moved to a new site from address on 31st Street in Calgary.
According to CSharpMusicPromotions site, the home was given away on Wednesday (Feb. 26) after Hastie listed the home on Kijiji as "free." The ad reportedly had over 350,000 views and some 2000 inquiries.
"We were incredibly moved to hear so many stories of people in need," Hastie and his wife said. "The family we chose are wonderful people who have faced great tragedy over the past few years. We truly believe that their lives will be changed by having a place they can call 'home' again. Our hope is that this inspires others to do the same."
Jason Hastie's House In Motion
Hastie said the Roberts family had literally over one hundred reference letters written on their behalf explaining the hardships they faced including the tragic death of their son Kyle, 31, who was killed in a car accident in January, 2013 before the floods took place.
"It was unbelievable, we dropped and cried," Dave Roberts told CTV News seated alongside his wife as well as the Hasties. My wife was the first one to start crying and I followed shortly after. We weren't quite expecting that and when it happened it shocked both of us."
Hastie meanwhile said the amount of hardship families were enduring from the floods caused him to post the ad.
"Well, we had the choice of knocking it down or having it moved off the lot," he said in the CTV interview. "After seeing the tragedy with the High River floods and the Alberta floods we just thought if there was a family in need that could use our home and had a lot and was able to move it off that it would be a great thing for them." Hastie added he lived in the home for 10 years and did a lot of renovations to the house. Hastie told the Calgary Sun in January the home was 1,200 square feet and was over 60 years old.
The Roberts home was destroyed by the flood and they received a mere $14,000 from the flood relief fund. "We were at a loss to tell you the truth," Dave Roberts said regarding the money they received and what their plans were. Meanwhile, Verna Roberts told CTV News she already had selected where visiting family members would stay when they come.
As for his music, Hastie has three concerts slated for May at the Ranchman's Dancehall in Calgary. According to his official site he's also working on a new album, the follow-up to a "Turning Point" EP.
