"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" Orange County build pep rally draws hundreds to OCCC Field House

Aug. 15, 2011 - PRLog -- Middletown, N.Y. - The Field House at SUNY Orange was bursting with enthusiasm Thursday evening as hundreds of community members joined a "Build That House" pep rally in support of the upcoming "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" Orange County build. The event is just the first of many planned as part of a volunteer and fundraising drive necessary to make this build a success.

More than 150 people signed up at the pep rally to volunteer for this unprecedented community effort, joining 700 others who have already committed to participating in the build. Hundreds of local volunteers are still needed for a wide range of positions, from skilled construction workers to laborers, as well as to help with traffic, catering, administrative functions, and more. Construction is ongoing 24 hours per day from start to finish, so volunteers 18 and over are needed for all shifts. Visit http://www.hearthstonecontracting.com for more information.

Thursday night's pep rally, hosted by official radio sponsors K104 and WHUD and MCed by Kacey of WHUD's "Mike and Kacey Morning Show", offered volunteers, sponsors, and other supporters live musical performances, dancing, and a whole lot of good cheer. Milan Vasic, senior producer of ABC's Emmy Award-winning Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, shared the background story behind the program, while Andy Stahl, president of Hearthstone Contracting, shared his gratitude for all of the professional support he's already received as lead builder for the enormous project.

"Hearthsone isn't just building this house; the Orange County community is building the house too," Stahl said. "Everyone here is playing an important part in this effort!"

Dozens of attendees made an early show of their generosity by bringing donations of non-perishable food items for the "Stuff That Bus" food drive to benefit the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley. In total, more than 1,500 pounds of food were collected, according Ron VanWarmer, associate director of the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley.

In just a few days an army of construction volunteers will begin building a new home for a deserving local family, in just 109 hours. Construction will begin on Thursday, Aug. 18. One week later, on Thursday, Aug. 25, a deserving local family will hear host Ty Pennington shout those famous words, "Move That Bus!"

In the meantime, the Orange County community is invited to a series of fundraising events over the next several days that include:
• Extreme Dine-Out: Aug. 18; participating restaurants will donate 10-20% of the evening's proceeds to the project. Go to http://www.hearthstonecontracting.com for a list of participating restaurants. Please mention "Extreme Home Makeover" upon visiting the restaurant of your choice. NOTE: Talent from the show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" will be making visits to a number of participating restaurants during the Dine Out.
• Family Fun Fitness Night: 6 p.m.-8 p.m., Aug. 19 at the Boathouse at Thomas Bull Memorial Park in Montgomery. Event features Boot Camp, special Extreme Makeover exercises for kids, and Dog & Owner Look Alike and Best Costume contests. Donation: $10 per person; $20 per family.
• Zumba Fitness Party for a Cause "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition": 9:30 a.m.-11 a.m., Aug. 20 at the Sportsplex (Main Studio) at 2902 State Route 9W, New Windsor. For more information, contact Eileen Bastien at zumbawitheileen@gmail.com or call 845.565.7600. Donation: $20 (Babysitting/nursery services free to members; $5 per child for non-members)

Build partners to date include: A Plus Mechanical Services, Accutile, Advanced Testing, Alders, Allstate Interiors, Arzee, Back Yard Bistro, Best Mechanical, Billman Ross, Boyce Excavating, Campers Barn, Caring Hands Massage, Cheers Entertaining, Chris O'Leary Band, Community Foundation of Orange & Sullivan, Crawford Building Department, Crystal Run Healthcare, Depew Energy, Diamond Painting, Dowser Water, Electric Underwriters of New York, Event Decor NYC, First Impressions Printing, Focus Media, Frank Foremny Jr., Heights Lumber, Holberts Catering, Home Depot, Hudson Valley Environmental, Jellybean Promotions, Key Interior, LAM Electric, Leif Signs, M. Devries Concrete, mok Visual Design, Machado Architectural Group, Magdesign, Media Solstice Marketing & PR, Mike Devries, Mike's Garage Doors, MJS Engineering and Landscaping, Monaco Landscaping, Northern Windows, Northstar Energy Systems, Olori Cranes, Orange County Government, Orange County Chamber of Commerce, P & P, Party City, Pepsi Cola of the Hudson Valley, Perfect Comfort, Pop-A-Squat, Raindrop, Ral, Reliable Glass & Doors, Safe and Sound, Saft Electric, Sealtight, Seldom Rest Construction, Spencer Daniels Agency, Steve Cooper and Sons Excavating, SUNY Orange, Tacinelli Flooring, Tam Enterprises, Taylor Recycling Facility, LLC, Tetz, The Ellenbogen Group, Tilcon, Time Warner Cable, Valcon, and Wristband Connection.

ABOUT HEARTHSTONE CONTRACTING
Hearthstone Contracting has provided excellent construction services in the Hudson Valley since 2001. Our mission is to build to our customers' expectations and to create quality work efficiently and professionally. Our commitment to excellence in construction and dedication to the smallest detail is evident in all the jobs we have undertaken. Our customers, from the large commercial warehouse owners to the homeowners, know that they can rely on Hearthstone to deliver a flawless product.

ABOUT EMHE
The Emmy award winning reality program "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," now entering its 9th season, is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. It's executive-produced by Brady Connell and George Verschoor. David Goldberg is Chairman, Endemol North America. The show airs Sundays from 8:00-9:00 p.m., ET on ABC.

MEDIA PLEASE NOTE: REGISTER AT http://www.joinextreme.com under Media Registration, if you wish to be credentialed to be onsite during the week of construction. A media tent will available for all qualified media members throughout the build. The builders and certain network talent will be available for pre-arranged interviews and will accommodate impromptu, on-site interviews as their schedules allow. To schedule or to request more information, please phone or email the contacts listed above.