NationsRent is Lead Equipment Provider to TV Reality Show

Enlarge Image Telehandlers donated by NationsRent are used to build a house on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

October 5, 2005 — NationsRent, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., will continue its support for families in need of housing updates by donating equipment to ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. In conjunction with hundreds of supporters volunteering their time for the projects, NationsRent also will donate most, if not all, of the equipment that is used on each build site this television season.

The company has participated in six builds so far this year, providing employees with the opportunity to become involved in charitable organizations, and in turn, many have pitched in on location.

 

On October 2, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition aired the story of the Barrett family from Peyton, Colo., which is made up of Billy Jack Barrett, his wife Anne, their two biological children, and four adopted children. Billy Jack and Anne are known for their success in the equestrian business as “Horse Whisperers,” communicating and training difficult horses. The couple has taken their experience with working with challenging horses and applied their compassion and talent to adopting troubled children — some of whom are deemed unmanageable and unadoptable by the Colorado Department of Human Services.

 

Enlarge Image NationsRent equipment loaded for delivery to the jobsite.

While the couple wanted to take in more kids in need, they could not because their four-bedroom farmhouse had already reached the maximum limit for the number of children allowed in each bedroom, per Colorado law. Anne sent in a letter to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition asking for a new home and possible new life for future children in need.

 

Granting the family's wish, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition staff, Keller Homes, and an army of volunteers and donors equipped with light and heavy equipment provided by NationsRent, including five rough-terrain forklifts, two skid-steer loaders, 12 light towers, one mini-excavator, eight heaters, and six box fans, built a new prairie-style ranch home for the Barretts. "Peyton is a semi-remote rural location and with very little notice, we managed to assemble the equipment needed and deliver it on time for the project to begin,” said Bruce Dunn, NationsRent district manager in Longmont, Colo.

 

From the initial contact to the demolition of the old home, this team worked seven 24-hour days to make the family's dream come true. With the help of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, its team of contractors, volunteers, and equipment donations, the Barrett family will now have a bigger house that all their children can enjoy, as well as providing the opportunity to adopt more kids who never really had a home.