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01-19-2009, 05:26 PM
Ford supplied gift(s) (read more) that will keep on giving for years to come... (cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?p=181304)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2010_Ford_Fusion_Hybrid.jpgWayne Gerdes – CleanMPG (cleanmpg.com) – Jan. 19, 2009
2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid – 39 mpgUS combined on the 08 EPA.
Dearborn, MI – The Drumm family of Fayetteville, Pa., received the surprise of a lifetime on Sunday’s episode of ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” – a new high tech home and a brand new, high tech 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid.
After two of their children were born with special needs, Matt and Blasia Drumm dedicated their lives to making the world a better place for other children with unique challenges. Both parents quit their full-time jobs so that they could devote more time and attention to the boys – Donald and Nathan, now 15 and 12 – and both chose vocations that benefit other kids.
In addition to working as a freelance writer, Matt tutors disadvantaged elementary school children. Blasia works part-time as a substitute teacher’s aide at a preschool for children with speech and language delays. During the summer months, both parents help manage the Challenger Little League, a baseball program for children with physical and mental challenges.
Unfortunately, the low-paying jobs left the family struggling financially. The house was in dire need of repair, and the Drumms were forced to sell their only means of transportation to help make ends meet.
“We were borrowing my mother-in-law’s van, and if we had to be in two different places at the same time, I would borrow a van from my father,” said Blasia.
But with Donald and Nathan requiring a minimum of three doctor visits per week, Blasia working part-time and a school schedule to contend with, borrowing a car all the time became problematic. It made it very difficult for the Drumms to visit their eldest son, 17-year-old Ben, who was attending a military academy in Virginia.
“My mother-in-law’s van was not a new vehicle, and it would cost us anywhere from $60 to $80 to go and see our son,” said Blasia. “The van had a lot of miles on it, and it really ate up gas.”
After the big reveal of their new home on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” the Drumms say they were astonished when they saw a brand new 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid pull up in the driveway.
“I was so excited to just have a vehicle and not have to worry about trying to figure out how we were going to get from one place to another,” said Blasia. “And to have a new car that’s so fuel efficient just takes a lot of worry off of us because we travel so much to doctor’s appointments and to see my son at school.”
Ford, one of the first automotive manufacturers to employ renewable energy, also donated the solar panels for the Drumm family’s new home solar power system.
“The idea of the home being more self-sustaining and not so dependent on the grid as we were before is pretty cool,” said Matt. “I’m looking forward to not paying so much for electricity as I’ve done in the past.”
With a new home a brand new car, Blasia says she intends to fulfill her dream of offering respite care at home.
2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid
http://www.youtube.com/v/DjIAjB8c06A&hl=en&fs=1
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2010_Ford_Fusion_Hybrid.jpgWayne Gerdes – CleanMPG (cleanmpg.com) – Jan. 19, 2009
2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid – 39 mpgUS combined on the 08 EPA.
Dearborn, MI – The Drumm family of Fayetteville, Pa., received the surprise of a lifetime on Sunday’s episode of ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” – a new high tech home and a brand new, high tech 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid.
After two of their children were born with special needs, Matt and Blasia Drumm dedicated their lives to making the world a better place for other children with unique challenges. Both parents quit their full-time jobs so that they could devote more time and attention to the boys – Donald and Nathan, now 15 and 12 – and both chose vocations that benefit other kids.
In addition to working as a freelance writer, Matt tutors disadvantaged elementary school children. Blasia works part-time as a substitute teacher’s aide at a preschool for children with speech and language delays. During the summer months, both parents help manage the Challenger Little League, a baseball program for children with physical and mental challenges.
Unfortunately, the low-paying jobs left the family struggling financially. The house was in dire need of repair, and the Drumms were forced to sell their only means of transportation to help make ends meet.
“We were borrowing my mother-in-law’s van, and if we had to be in two different places at the same time, I would borrow a van from my father,” said Blasia.
But with Donald and Nathan requiring a minimum of three doctor visits per week, Blasia working part-time and a school schedule to contend with, borrowing a car all the time became problematic. It made it very difficult for the Drumms to visit their eldest son, 17-year-old Ben, who was attending a military academy in Virginia.
“My mother-in-law’s van was not a new vehicle, and it would cost us anywhere from $60 to $80 to go and see our son,” said Blasia. “The van had a lot of miles on it, and it really ate up gas.”
After the big reveal of their new home on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” the Drumms say they were astonished when they saw a brand new 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid pull up in the driveway.
“I was so excited to just have a vehicle and not have to worry about trying to figure out how we were going to get from one place to another,” said Blasia. “And to have a new car that’s so fuel efficient just takes a lot of worry off of us because we travel so much to doctor’s appointments and to see my son at school.”
Ford, one of the first automotive manufacturers to employ renewable energy, also donated the solar panels for the Drumm family’s new home solar power system.
“The idea of the home being more self-sustaining and not so dependent on the grid as we were before is pretty cool,” said Matt. “I’m looking forward to not paying so much for electricity as I’ve done in the past.”
With a new home a brand new car, Blasia says she intends to fulfill her dream of offering respite care at home.
2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid
http://www.youtube.com/v/DjIAjB8c06A&hl=en&fs=1