Henry Hamm is a true Alberta success story.
Starting as a framing contractor in 1976, the long-time ATB customer now owns several thriving businesses in Grande Prairie including Dirham Homes, Prudential Lands, Woodland TIM-BR Marts and various oilfield service and production companies.
“I’ve been extremely blessed,” said Hamm, recently named business citizen of the year by the Grande Prairie Chamber of Commerce. “I’ve had a lot of financial successes and I’m overwhelmed by that. I’m actually very humbled by it because I don’t think that I’m a deserving person.”
His actions suggest otherwise. In addition to running his companies, Hamm has spent much of the last two years planning and building schools and housing for orphanages in Kenya. He got the idea after reading Father to the Fatherless, a book about the work of Charles Mulli.
“He grew up on the streets in Kenya as a beggar, just a homeless kid, and he grew up to be a wealthy man and owned a lot of businesses,” noted Hamm. “It just struck him that the kids on the street really became a burden to him. He started to reach out and bring these kids home, much to the dismay of his family.”
Mulli has since sold all of his businesses and possessions to run orphanages for more than 2,000 children. The facilities provide food, shelter, clothing, health care, education, counselling, activities and job placement for children in need. Hamm was inspired to contact Mulli and offer his help.
“(He) showed me how one man can change so many lives and influence so many people in his lifetime,” said Hamm. “To this day we (Hamm and wife Irene) have not stopped doing projects and changing lives.”
Initially, Hamm found that his priorities were in the wrong place. “I did make some radical mistakes when I first got there,” he admitted. “I did not understand why the trim wasn’t painted on this building, why everything was so bumpy, why the grass wasn’t mowed. Then I started to realize these guys are all about trying to find their next meal. They’re not looking at painting trim and mowing lawns. So I dropped that because I started to understand that things that are really important to me are not (to them). I had to do some changing.”
Now, Hamm plans and builds structures to fit the needs of the orphanages. He hires local contractors to do the work, which contributes to the local economy.
They are well on their way. Recently, Hamm guided a project that saw the orphanage build a vegetable greenhouse that will generate between $500,000 and $600,000 of revenue per year to help operate the orphanage.
Hamm’s work with the orphanages doesn’t end in Kenya. In April, he brought Mulli and a group of children to Grande Prairie to raise awareness of their plight.
“I had a chance to bring all my peers, all my friends, everybody I do business with, in a room and they got to hear the story,” said Hamm. “It was tremendous. It really shook up Grande Prairie.” Hamm is now planning and funding a cross-Canada bus tour for Mulli and 20 children. Money raised from the tour will go directly to the orphanage.
Whether it’s raising funds and awareness in Canada or building schools in Kenya, Hamm is making a difference in the lives of many. “What I see is a tremendous step from where they were,” Hamm observed. “When I go into town (in Kenya) I see the street kids and I see what kind of a life they live and I understand that’s where they (children in the orphanage) came from and to me it’s just a massive step that they have taken, going from where they were to where they are now.”
They have Charles Mulli and Henry Hamm to thank for that.
