United Rentals and the crew of ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" joined forces with hundreds of volunteers in November to build a new home for the Hughes family of Louisville, Ky.
The United Rentals branch in Louisville arranged the donation of more than 50 pieces of equipment for the duration of the job, including aerial lifts, light towers and portable power generators. It was the eleventh time the company had provided support to the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" team in 2007, following successful projects in Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Vermont, Washington and Wyoming.
”We are very excited United Rentals is working with us,” said Diane Korman, senior producer for “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. “Because of United Rentals’ vast reach across North America, we rely on them for the Extreme equipment and round-the-clock service we expect and need to get the job done — regardless of the conditions or location.”
"This was a total community effort on behalf of the Hughes family, and we were thrilled to be a part of it,” said Jason Habermel, branch manager for United Rentals in Louisville. “We wanted to support the crew in every way possible: deliver equipment day or night, coordinate services with neighboring branches, and volunteer our time to assist on site.”
The Hughes family was struggling to provide for their disabled teenage son when they were surprised with a new house specially designed to accommodate 19-year-old Patrick Henry, who was born blind and with severely impaired arms and legs. Faced with mounting bills for Patrick Henry's home care, the Hughes family faced nearly insurmountable difficulties until ABC stepped in to help.
The challenges of constructing the Hughes' home for their special needs are chronicled in the episode that will be aired in January. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" is broadcast on Sunday nights at 8 p.m. Eastern Time.
Greenwich, Conn.-based United Rentals, No. 1 on the RER 100, expects to partner on several more projects before year's end.
