A Real Passion Project

Meet Nick and Dave, local contractors who worked on the construction of CEDARS Carriage House! 

Owner of Joywise Construction, Nick, has built his career alongside his brother-in-law, Dave, doing residential projects. While the pair have a love for construction and remodels, they also share another passion: helping kids in need. 

Nick and his wife, Sarah, were the first of the family to become foster parents. They provided respite care, which meant they welcomed kids for a short period of time if for some reason they couldn’t be in their foster home. Though they are no longer foster parents, they enjoyed their experience and still have a heart for Nebraska kids in foster care. 

“The heart aches for kids with trauma,” Nick said. “You just want to be able to give them an opportunity.” 

Two years ago, Dave and his wife, Carrie, became licensed foster parents with CEDARS. Currently, Dave and Carrie have six kids under their roof – one biological child, two kids in foster care, and three more that joined the family through adoption. 

“Before we got started, we had always known that we wanted to one day adopt. Fostering, however, was something that Carrie and I went back-and-forth on,” Dave said. “One day, we heard from someone who was needing a foster home for a little girl. We felt that it was our time to answer the need and stepped up to take her into our home. Ultimately, we adopted her, which led to us caring for even more children through CEDARS.” 

Though Joywise Construction is primarily a residential contractor, Nick jumped at the opportunity to work on CEDARS Carriage House. He wanted to be a part of something that would soon have an impact on so many of the area’s vulnerable youth, and Nick knew that Dave would be especially passionate about helping CEDARS grow. 

Their talent and hard work have helped bring the construction of Carriage House to completion. Soon, it will be a home for teens in need of support, with priority given to those who are pregnant or parenting. 

“When I learned about the opportunity to help build Carriage House, I thought, ‘Well that would be cool!’” shared Dave. “The awesome thing about construction is that you can build something and see it for years afterward. And I’m excited to see Carriage House be an asset to the community for years to come.” 

Thank you, Nick and Dave, for your dedication to both CEDARS Carriage House and the kids in our community!