Cranes swung overhead. Tractor trailers moved cargo in and out. And, hundreds of volunteers wearing hard hats labored feverishly to put the final touches on Beverly Turner’s new “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” home in Irvington, N.J.

Mary Russo, a New Jersey loss control representative for Harleysville’s Mid-Atlantic region, couldn’t help being bedazzled by it all.

“I am a member of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Society of Safety Engineers, and we were asked to help out with site safety for this ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’ project,” Russo explains. “We worked in shifts as the old house was demolished and a new one was built in its place.”

Russo says teamwork was the key to completing the four-day construction project on time. “Builders collaborated and union and non-union workers all pulled together. The amount of sacrifice people went through to make this happen was incredible.”

And, when the order came to “Move that bus,” Russo was there—doing her part. “It was the experience of a lifetime,” she recalls. “We do this kind of work every day, but doing it for someone like Beverly Turner makes you feel terrific. She has such an incredible spirit and does so much for others.”

Harleysville delivers … again

The Turner family’s story was chronicled in a special, two-hour episode of ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” on May 21, 2006.

And, Harleysville Insurance is meeting the insurance coverage needs for the residence, just as it has done for other families featured on the popular program.

On May 18, 2006, Ted Majewski, senior vice president of personal lines insurance, and agent Bob Hughes Jr. of R.K. Hughes, Inc. in Nutley, N.J., arrived at the new Turner home bearing gifts for the family—including a year of complimentary homeowners insurance from Harleysville.

“I've been following this story with great interest, and I’m especially proud to play a part in helping provide homeowners coverage for Ms. Turner,” notes Hughes. “She’s obviously a very deserving person.”

Goodness arises from tragedy

Indeed, Turner’s story is inspirational.

Injured in a car accident that left her unable to bear children of her own, she has made it her personal mission to adopt children with special needs. Over time, she adopted 18 in all! The nine children with her today all have disabilities, ranging from autism to blindness. One of the blind children also is a quadriplegic and requires a wheelchair and feeding tube.

When a fire destroyed Turner’s home in the fall of 2005, she and her children were left homeless. But, with the help of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” and thousands of volunteers, the family now has a new wheelchair-accessible home—complete with a three-story elevator.

Click here to visit the “AS FEATURED ON” page for the Turner episode on the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” Web site, where Harleysville Insurance is listed as one of the many companies donating products and services.

Beverly Turner (center) and 19-year old twin daughters, Rochelle (left) and Michelle sport their new Harleysville T-shirts.

The Turner family’s new “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” home in Irvington, N.J.

Harleysville loss control representative, Mary Russo (right), enjoys meeting Beverly Turner. Russo had helped with site safety during the seven-day construction of the Turners’ new home.

In a photo taken by Mary Russo, a crane lowers a portion of the Turner home’s second floor into place during “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” construction in April 2006.