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July 01. 2009 7:00AM

A Brandon house could make 30 children’s dreams come true.
For sale at 708 Quartz Avenue, the two-bedroom, split foyer home is the Make-A-Wish Foundation of South Dakota’s 12th “House of Love.”
The house was started last October and is now finished and on the open market. It was built with thousands of dollars’ worth of donated goods and thousands of hours of donated labor. Proceeds of the house’s sale will help pay for trips and other gifts for children who have serious illnesses.

Dorisa Young was the recipient of one of those wishes when she was 11 years old. Young has Neurofibramatosis Type 2, in which nerve tissues form tumors that can compress nerves and other tissues. It can cause deafness and death.

Young is deaf and has many tumors in her body. She has had 51 surgeries and is not doing well, she said. Surgery can no longer help her. Still, she believes God knows what is best for her and is proud that she overcame the odds. At age 11, doctors told her parents she probably wouldn’t live another two years.

She is now 33 years old.

More than 20 years ago, Young and her family went on a Make-A-Wish trip to Disney World in Florida. She hopes the sale of the Brandon House of Love will bring other children the joy she got from her trip.

She likes the house, with its neutral-colored walls and vaulted ceilings. She especially likes the open floor plan in the kitchen area. It makes maneuvering her walker easier, she said. She also thinks the main floor washer and dryer is a great perk.

John Henry Knudtson and his friend Ben Jackson think the no-bang drawers in the bathroom are pretty nice. Jackson, who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a bone-related cancer, is another Make-A-Wish recipient. He and his family received a trip to Disney World also.

Because of that gift, the Jacksons want to help other children receive a wish. That is why Ben’s parents, Dave and Gwen Jackson, donated time to Brandon’s House of Love.

The couple helped clean up sheet rock dust after contractors and volunteers installed interior walls. Gwen Jackson helped raise money by mailing 200 requests for help to area businesses.

Realtor Diane Anderson supervised the project locally and lined up most of the contractors. One of those was Brandon Plumbing and Heating. Owner Keith Backer said Make-A-Wish is his favorite charity.

“I always go to Hot Harley Nights (another Make-A-Wish fundraiser),” Backer said. “So when they asked us if we would help with this, we said, ‘Sure.’ ”

He and his partner contacted their suppliers and were able to arrange for donations of many plumbing fixtures, such as faucets and a high-end toilet.

Gaylene Mielke did most of the painting inside and out, and her husband, Brian, installed the heating and cooling fixtures. She works for Eastern Plains Painting, and he works for Aire Serve Heating and Air Conditioning.

They are only a few of the many, many professional and volunteer workers who helped build the House of Love.

Anderson said Make-A-Wish has about $60,000 into the house, which is on the market for $164,900. She said Make-A-Wish still is accepting cash donations at Brandon Home Federal or Brandon Town & Country Realtors.

Anderson hopes Make-A-Wish gets at least $100,000 from the sale of the house. That would provide wishes for about 30 children, said Mary Olinger, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish Foundation of South Dakota.

At an open house and ribbon cutting Tuesday, June 23, Olinger urged visitors to tell others about the house. “Tell them how nice it is and tell them that they’ll be living in a Make-A-Wish home,” she said.

Many children take a trip for their wish, but there are a wide variety of wishes from which to choose. Average cost of a wish is $5,000, Olinger said. Make-A-Wish Foundation of South Dakota grants about 60 wishes a year.