| Story by Dathan Kazsuk | Photos courtesy of ICG Homes |
Even before the concrete dries on the St. Jude Dream Home’s foundation in Rolesville, the project will already have achieved something special. It brings together builders, vendors, community leaders, and future homeowners with a shared goal that means much more than just building a house.
Ryan Perry, owner and CEO of ICG Homes, focuses on more than just meeting requirements. His work with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is about seeing the bigger picture and encouraging his team to make a real difference in the community.
“For me, it was an immediate yes,” Perry says. “They reached out to us in 2024 about doing a Dream Home, and honestly—who doesn’t like St. Jude? It’s a great organization. We were 100% in from the start.”
ICG Homes’ first commitment resulted in their first St. Jude Dream Home in Fuquay-Varina in 2024. With construction now started on a second Dream Home in Rolesville, the partnership has grown even stronger.
A PARTNERSHIP THAT BUILDS MOMENTUM
The St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway is a national program, but it relies on local efforts to succeed. Builders give their time, materials, and skills. Community members buy raffle tickets. St. Jude makes sure the mission stays clear: finding cures and saving children.
Gail Bouknight-Felder, who advises on area development for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, joined the partnership after the Fuquay-Varina home had already made an impact.
“I came on at the end of June and really stepped into some great shoes,” Bouknight-Felder says. “ICG had already shown what kind of partner they were. [They were] recognized at a builder summit and awarded a Hammer for their efforts in their first year. That told us a lot.”
Because of that success, ICG Homes was invited back for a second year in the Triangle—a move Bouknight-Felder says was an easy decision. “They proved they could deliver—not just a beautiful home, but a strong return for the mission of St. Jude,” she says.
LESSONS FROM THE FIRST BUILD
Building a St. Jude Dream Home is a new experience, even for an experienced homebuilder. Working with national sponsors, local vendors, and nonprofit rules is different from a typical home project. “The first time you do anything, there are always a lot of questions,” Perry says. “But St. Jude has an incredible organizational structure. They have builder-owned staff who have done multiple Dream Homes, and they guide you through the process.”
That support was invaluable, especially when working with sponsors ICG had not partnered with before. “There were new communications, new expectations,” Perry says. “But St. Jude was there 100%. The learning curve wasn’t anything overwhelming—it was just different.”
What stood out most, however, was the response from the local building community.
“Our vendors and suppliers really stepped up,” Perry says. “This year, we’re actually seeing even more support than last year. People understand the mission now. They want to do more.”
That commitment mirrors ICG’s own internal approach. “We’ve committed to build more efficiently and do better than we did last year,” Perry says. “And if we do this again next year, we’ll do better again. Every year, you should be improving.”
WHY ROLESVILLE MADE SENSE
Choosing where to build a Dream Home is a careful process. Price, growth, amenities, and long-term appeal all play a role. “We build across a variety of price points, but for St. Jude, we’re typically targeting that $700,000 to $750,000 range,” Perry explains. “So first, we look at where our products fit. Then we look at communities.”
After Fuquay-Varina, a fastgrowing area south of Raleigh, Rolesville was the next logical choice. “Rolesville is one of the fastest-growing towns around Raleigh,” he says. “The community we’re building in has great amenities, including an athletic center, and the timing worked perfectly with the lots being ready. It all fell into place like a puzzle.”
Bouknight-Felder adds that while St. Jude has parameters to ensure responsible fundraising, the decision on the location ultimately rested with ICG. “With the success of last year, we trusted their vision,” she says. “We do review demographics and make sure we’re being good stewards of the dollars involved, but ICG led the way on this.”
TWO BUCKETS, ONE GOAL
Perry describes the Dream Home program as two parallel efforts that must work together. “One bucket is building the house,” he says. “You want to build it efficiently and cost-effectively, with as much community support as possible. The other bucket is ticket sales.”
Unlike traditional charity builds, the Dream Home isn’t sold— it’s given away. All fundraising comes from ticket sales. “Ideally, the goal would be zero cost on the house,” he says. “That’s not always realistic, but that’s the goal. And every year, we get closer.”
In its first year in the Triangle, the Dream Home program raised just under $1 million. This year, the goal is to sell 10,000 tickets at $100 each, raising $1 million for St. Jude.
“This market is still new,” Bouknight-Felder says. “But we’ve done a lot more research this year, and we’re confident.”
Construction will finish in early May, and the home will be staged and open for tours in the weeks before the giveaway. Ticket sales start in April, and the winner will be announced live on CBS 17 on June 25.
Bouknight-Felder is already planning the campaign before the first ticket is sold. “Everything has to be reviewed by legal, and we’re constantly refining the process,” she says. “But at the heart of it, the campaign is about the mission: finding cures and saving children.”
For Perry, the mission is what keeps him coming back. “This isn’t about selling a house,” he says. “It’s about bringing people together to do something that truly matters.”
As the Rolesville Dream Home takes shape, it becomes more than just a building. It shows what is possible when craftsmanship, community, and compassion come together.
