Kobelco wrecks a home for a good cause
Racine, Wis.-based Kobelco Construction Machinery America recently joined the crew of ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” for a project in eastern Texas. The company provided a Kobelco SK210 excavator to demolish a home so that a new one could be constructed for the Carr family of Mineola, Texas, a small town about 80 miles east of Dallas.
Each week on “Extreme Makeover,” a family is selected to undergo a dramatic home “makeover,” which may involve a large addition, remodel, or demolition of the existing house and complete construction of an entirely new home. The Carr family was selected for the project because they have four adopted children who have had to overcome severe physical and mental disabilities while living in a cramped and dangerous home. Compounding the family’s struggles, the father recently had pancreas and kidney transplants.
The family’s small, three-bedroom home was at high risk for fire because of a faulty electrical system. The home was not handicap accessible for the children, plus plumbing leaks throughout the house created mold issues. Eugene Toole, a local demolition contractor who also is a customer of Kobelco dealer Bane Machinery, alerted the dealership to the need for construction equipment at the site where “Extreme Makeover” would demolish the Carr’s old home to make room for the new house.
With Toole at the controls, the Kobelco SK210 excavator tore through the shingles, plywood, trusses and studs, reducing everything to a pile of rubble within minutes. Toole then switched to a crawler dozer to help clear the rubble and build the pad for the family’s new 4,800-square-foot home. “Kobelco is proud to be part of such a generous effort for this family. We extend our appreciation to Eugene and Bane Machinery for their help and support,” said Alan Jenkins, territory sales manager. “Improving the lives of the Carr family is a rewarding experience on many levels.”
The episode aired originally on May 2, and it can be viewed at www.abc.go.com/watch/extreme-makeover-home-edition/92244/259838/the-carr-family?cid=fullepisodeaccess.