Ryan Toews has left behind a legacy of community-building halfway around the world.

Well-known Winkler resident Ryan Toews passed away suddenly earlier this month, and many are honouring his memory by continuing the passion project that loomed large in his life. Toews helped mobilize funds to build over 160 homes and other community buildings in the Caribbean country of Dominican Republic.

Ryan and his wife, Rose, went on their first mission trip together in 2005. It was then, his daughter Randi explains, they became aware of "a greater desire within themselves to allow God to lead them to missions."

Toews' last trip to visit the people and villages that have been built was in 2017

However, in 2006, Ryan was diagnosed with a cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart. Randi says his physical condition only mirrored the large heart he had for others. Once his health had somewhat stabilized, he heard about a foundation working in the Dominican Republic building homes and community buildings.

Together with the company where he worked, Greenvalley Equipment (GVE), Ryan began a lifelong work with the Ben Sawatsky Foundation to mobilize funds and send teams down to the Dominican to build homes, training centres, and churches. GVE was able to send employee groups each year for several years to build homes in villages across the island country.

Ryan and Rose were able to take part in several of these project trips, often taking their children with them. GVE matched all employee donations, and the Ben Sawatsky Foundation matched that number, meaning each employee donation was quadrupled. Together funds helped build:

-Zion Church
-Mechanical Vocational Training Centre (now a shoe factory)
-Playground in Esperanza
-Medical Clinic in Esperanza
-Electricity in Samaritano II
-Samaritano water supply
-Grace Hospital
-Bobcat along with chains and tires
-161 homes
-$650,000 in total which was matched by the Ben Sawatsky Foundation

Toews' last trip to visit the people and villages he supported was in 2017, just before the ground-breaking of the new hospital being built near Puerto Plata which will service the very poor communities in the surrounding area.

The Grace Hospital is well on its way to becoming a reality, Randi explains, noting any funds donated in memory of Ryan Toews will go toward operating room equipment in the hospital: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/the-samaritan-foundation/

Toews began a lifelong work with the Ben Sawatsky Foundation to mobilize funds and send teams down to the Dominican to build homes, training centres, and churches