A History of Philanthropy Made Green-certified Legend Homes an Easy Choice for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

A History of Philanthropy Made Green-certified Legend Homes an Easy Choice for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

Legend Homes thanks the volunteers and industry professionals who gave hundreds of thousands of dollars, time and in-kind donations to the project.

CORVALLIS, Ore., Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- America watched -- and cried -- Sunday, Oct. 7, as Boey and her family saw the home of their dreams in our state's first-ever Extreme Makeover. But what did it take to build the Byers' family dream home?

The Oregon premiere shooting of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, gave cancer victim Jenessa Nichole Byers and her family the 4,000 sq. ft. green-certified home of their dreams. And so when Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, which has won back-to-back Emmy Awards, was looking for an Oregon home builder to head the project, leaders of Linn and Benton Counties repeatedly recommended Legend Homes because of the company's tradition of volunteerism and year-round philanthropy. Giving and volunteerism has been integrated into the corporate culture since the company's inception. Yet it took "team Legend" six weeks of volunteer outreach to generate more than 1,000 building professionals as volunteers and an over 2,000 other volunteers. Team Legend was also responsible for soliciting all donations for the project.

"Not only every dinner, beverage and snack, but every piece of lumber, drywall, paint and windows -- all of the highest quality -- every part of that home was donated by Oregonians," says Legend President Jim Chapman. "We had an incredibly sophisticated air filtration system donated and installed it to ensure clean air to support Boey's immune system. The hundreds of hours and the hundreds of thousands of in-kind donations from our vendors, subcontractors, employees, the Corvallis Community and frankly the entire Oregon building industry, make the value of this home incalculable. The level of generosity is overwhelming."

On Oct. 7, the staff of Legend Homes hosted a massive volunteer thank you party attended by nearly 700 individuals who donated materials and volunteered on the Extreme build. "Saying thank you is so important," said Chapman. He also says that the company's commitment to the Byers family will continue.

"We are in constant communication with the Byers family and they know we are there to support them by completing the details and standing behind the home that was generously donated to them," says Mike Goodrich, director of production, vice president Legend Homes, Corvallis Communities.

Goodrich and Chapman and many others on Team Legend worked 20-hour shifts during the entire Extreme Home Makeover build for the Byers family. Goodrich says no one complained, because the project was about building a new home as a haven to help the Byers with the challenges they face.

"Unfortunately, Legend Homes can't cure Boey's cancer, nor can we solve many of the other obstacles created by their situation. But we did create a new home where they could live and heal together. We've accomplished that and shown the community it is possible to do great things where people are willing to work together in the name of love."

A complete list of trade volunteers and donors to the Oregon premiere of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition can be found at Legendhomes.com, just click on the "Extreme" logo.

Founded in Portland, Oregon in 1965, Legend Homes is the award-winning builder of more than 12,000 home sites, homes, town homes and condominiums in planned communities throughout Portland and Corvallis. Their high-quality, green-built homes are crafted with premium materials to ensure structure strength, better air quality and energy efficiency. With more than 10 communities throughout the region, there are new homes designed to fit the needs of almost any prospective homebuyer. For more information, visit http://www.legendhomes.com/.

In 2006 the Legend Homes made cash donations to 65 nonprofit organizations totaling over $300,000. A Legend Homes program in Linn and Benton Counties, now in its fifth year, not only gives small grants to nonprofits in the Corvallis and Albany regions but also offers free workshops to help Linn and Benton County nonprofits with fundraising and to help build donations. In addition, employees annually conduct food drives in Legend Communities. Last year employees picked up food donations from approximately 1,300 homeowners.

   For more information, contact:    Mara Woloshin   Legend Homes PR Counsel   Woloshin Communications   mara@woloshin.com   Cell: 503.310.4504    Krista Boyd   Legend Homes Director of Marketing & Communications   kboyd@legendhomes.com   503.620.8080 X219    Nicki Hurley   Legend Homes Corvallis Communities Marketing Coordinator   nhurley@legendhomes.com   541.754.2102 X123  

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Legend Homes

CONTACT: Mara Woloshin of Woloshin Communications, Cell,
+1-503-310-4504, mara@woloshin.com, for Legend Homes; or Krista Boyd, Legend
Homes Director of Marketing & Communications, +1-503-620-8080, ext. 219,
kboyd@legendhomes.com; or Nicki Hurley, Legend Homes Corvallis Communities
Marketing Coordinator, +1-541-754-2102, ext. 123, nhurley@legendhomes.com

Web site: http://www.legendhomes.com/

---

Profile: International Entertainment