Orbit/UMI Donates Electrical Products to Extreme Makeover Project

A family in Murfreesboro, Ark., that had recently been devastated by a series of tragedies was the recipient of a new home, courtesy of the ABC television series “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” and nationwide suppliers including Orbit Industries/UMI of Los Angeles.

Orbit Industries/UMI donated electrical products used in the reconstruction of the Collins' home, which was completed in less than a week by more than 300 volunteers who worked around the clock in wind, rain and cold. The home was finished this spring and the ABC program aired in April.

The family was selected for the home makeover by ABC because of its extreme circumstances. Homeowners Kim and Dennis Collins had recently assumed custody of her favorite cousin's five children after a car accident killed the cousin and her husband. Kim did not want the children to become separated by foster care. No strangers to tragedy, the Collins' own son, Mitchell, survived a rare form of brain cancer when he was just three years old, which left him hearing and mentally impaired.

Problems in the Collins' old house included flooding, poor insulation and overcrowding. ABC's “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” decided to help the Collins create a home large enough for the six children to comfortably grow up in. Local builder Steve Butcher of Realsteel Homes and his wife, Yavonne, who are based in Rogers, Ark., oversaw the construction, along with the Extreme Makeover crew.

“Orbit/UMI was proud to be a small part of this very worthy project,” said David Nikayin, president, Orbit Industries/UMI. “We were glad to be able to make a difference in the lives of such giving people.”

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