NCRI HELPS GIVE VETERAN HOME OF A LIFETIME

Staff Sergeant Allen Hill was almost killed by a massive roadside bomb while serving in Iraq.  He has recovered from the physical wounds, but the injuries that we can’t see haunt him.  Environmental triggers such as loud noises, dimly lit spaces and long hallways can instigate Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) episodes.  Some of these episodes are particularly dangerous as they can send the Sergeant running for cover.  One of his family’s greatest fears is that he will run into the street during an episode and be killed. The Sergeant has just completed years-long inpatient PTSD treatment far from home, and is ready to return. Unfortunately, environmental triggers surround his former home.  The house he once lived in is near both a rock quarry, where there are constant dynamite blasts, and a train yard that is a perpetual source of terrifying noises and vibrations.  For Sergeant Hill to be reunited with his family, he needs a new home—one built in a suitable location.

Award-winning actress Glenn Close personally nominated the Hill family for an Extreme Makeover: Home Editionepisode. In 2009 Miss Close founded a not-for-profit organization, “Bring Change 2 Mind,” to combat the stigma that surrounds mental illness.  She did so in response to witnessing what her sister Jessie and nephew, Calen experienced as a result of their own journeys with mental illness.  “Bring Change 2 Mind” exists to educate and raise awareness about mental illness, including PTSD. Ms. Close has also been heavily involved in the “Puppies Behind Bars” program which employs prisoners to train service dogs for wounded vets. Sergeant Hill’s new service dog from “Puppies Behind Bars”, Frankie, has helped him make significant strides toward wellness and is Allen’s lifeline.

“Bring Change 2 Mind” sourced a piece of land and assisted in its donation for the Hills’ new house.  The Extreme Makeover: Home Edition design team had just seven days to build a brand-new home. The parents and their two sons were whisked away on a dream vacation to Yosemite while Extreme Makeover: Home Edition team leader Ty Pennington, and designers Paul DiMeo, Paige Hemmis, Ed Sanders, and Johnny Littlefield, as well as local builders M.A.C. Corporation and Canyon Creek Construction, LLC, NCRI and community volunteers, built the structure. The project was completed the week of August 1, 2011 and the episode will air Friday, November 4, 2011 at 8pm ET on ABC.  

NCRI has provided insurance restoration in the Kansas marketplace since 1972, and has been a DKI Member since 1996. DKI is the exclusive dry down vendor for ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.  Founded in 1974, DKI assists insurance carriers, commercial and residential clients with restoring properties damaged by fire, water, wind and mold.