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Harleysville participates in
an ‘Extreme Makeover’ William and Carole Py have endured
more than their share of tragedy.
In July 1997, their son-in-law, Jose
Rosario, 33, died from a brain aneurysm. Just 14 months later, their
daughter, Sandra, 28, lost her life to breast cancer—leaving behind
three young children for the grandparents to raise in a small
northeast Philadelphia home.
When the ABC prime-time Sunday show,
“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” learned of the Pys’ plight and
stepped in to help the family—an entire community, including
Harleysville Insurance, joined the effort.
On April 30, 2006, during a special
two-hour episode, a national television audience learned how the Py
home was demolished—and a new home was built in its place—in less
than a week!
An underwriter’s big idea …
Actual construction of the “Extreme
Makeover: Home Edition” home took place in mid-March of 2006, and as the
transformation was being chronicled in the Philadelphia news media,
Andy Vivian, a personal lines underwriter in Harleysville’s home
office, came up with an idea to involve his company.
“A group of our underwriters were at
lunch reading articles in the
Philadelphia Inquirer
about what was going on in the Py home,” explains Vivian. “Then, it
hit me. I said: ‘How neat would it be if our President and CEO
Michael Browne showed up at the house to present them with a free
insurance policy on their new home?’”
Ted Majewski, senior vice president
of personal lines insurance, agreed: “I thought it was a good idea,
and we soon learned that ABC was very interested in having an
insurance company step forward to cover the property—so we did.”
A policy is delivered
On April 27, 2006, just three days
before the episode aired, Browne and agents Dennis Keating and
Michele Taylor,of the Sylvester &
Keating agency in Penndel, Pa., presented a homeowners policy to the
Py family, Harleysville jackets for the grandparents, T-shirts for
the children and other gifts.
But, the best present they brought
with them was the peace of mind afforded by the paid-up, one-year
homeowners insurance policy for their new home.
“We are providing comprehensive
coverages and insuring the home at replacement value,” notes Diane
Stout, Harleysville specialty group supervisor, who issued the
policy. “It includes other structures, liability and contents.”
“With a show like this, you don’t
know whether homeowners insurance is something they’ve thought
about,” adds Vivian. “The family is given this big, beautiful house
and everything that goes with it, and the cost of insurance could
definitely be a significant financial burden.”
A grateful grandmother
Carole Py couldn’t agree more. “It’s
really hard to believe. We’ve already been given the house, a
vacation, a car and, to top it off, an insurance policy. I’d like to
thank Harleysville Insurance for giving us this policy. I think
they’re pretty awesome. We’re really grateful because this will save
us a lot of money.” Click
here to visit
the “AS FEATURED ON” page for the Py episode on the “Extreme
Makeover: Home Edition” Web site, where Harleysville Insurance is
listed as one of the many companies donating products and services. |
William (left) and Carole Py
(second from left), who were featured on “Extreme Makeover: Home
Edition,” received free homeowners insurance for one year from
Harleysville. Also in the photo: President and CEO Michael Browne
(second from right) and agents Dennis Keating and Michele Taylor.
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