photo by Tim Engstrom

Bob Syverson of Dave Syverson Auto Mall and Rick Mummert of the Poet Glenville ethanol plant stand next to Dirk, Susan, Derik, Hanna and April DeVries, winners of a new house as part of the TV show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” The green Ford F150 was donated by Poet ethanol producers. The Ethanol Promotion Information Council gave a year of free E-85 fuel. The new home is behind them.

Move that truck!

More gifts are given to the DeVrieses, including a Ford F150 crew cab truck

Staff

Published Thursday, October 9, 2008

HAYWARD — The surprises for the DeVries family of rural Hayward didn’t end Tuesday when they saw their new house as part of the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”

On Wednesday afternoon, parents Dirk and Susan and their three children April, Derik and Hanna found out about several other donations from area businesses and individuals — including a four-year, full-tuition scholarship to Waldorf College for April and a 2008 Ford F150 crew cab truck for the family.

Gathering in front of their new home, the family received their donations one at a time with gasps of surprise, many smiles and even some tears.

“I can’t believe this,” Dirk said after he found out the last gift to the family, the truck. “I was happy with the house.”

Gary Pestorious, board chairman of the Poet ethanol plant in Glenville, said the idea for giving the truck came about after he found out that Ford, the show’s main auto sponsor, was not giving a vehicle to the family.

The vehicle is a flex-fuel one, which means it can burn any combination of ethanol from 0 to 85 percent.

The truck came hand-in-hand with a year-supply of E-85 fuel estimated at $6,000 in value, which was donated by the Ethanol Promotion Information Council based out of Omaha, Neb.

The truck itself was donated by the Poet ethanol plants in Glenville, Lake Crystal, Bingham Lake, Preston and Hanlontown, Iowa, along with Dave Syverson Auto Mall in Albert Lea.

“It’s a good thing for the family, and it’s to help promote the use of ethanol in this country,” said Pestorious, who is also on the board of directors at the Poet plants in Lake Crystal and Hanlontown, Iowa, and on the board of directors at Epic. “We just want people to be aware that all vehicles in this country can burn 10 percent ethanol. “We actually believe that all vehicles can burn 30 percent.”

Because the “Extreme Makeover” season is based on going “green,” he said to him there’s nothing more green than ethanol.

Even the color of the truck is green.

“I think they’re a real deserving family,” said Bob Syverson, with Dave Syverson Auto Mall. “We thought it would be a nice way for us to be a part of it.”

He said several of the business’s employees are friends of the family.

Al Larson — owner of Larson Contracting, the company contracted to build the new DeVries house — said once the announcement about the DeVries being chosen for “Extreme Makeover” came, there have been donations pouring into his office from all over the area.

The four-year, full-ride scholarship for April to Waldorf College was presented by Joy Newcom with the college and a former student of Susan’s at Hollandale Christian School.

It brought both parents to tears.

Other donations presented Wednesday include two years of paid-in-advance utility bills from the legal community, an Arctic Cat Prowler from Arctic Cat and Royal Sports — where Dirk works — along with loads of items in Susan’s new craft room and $1,000 gift card from Archiver’s, a scrapbook store.

Other gifts include a donation by Mrs. Minnesota Leisha Gust, owner of Pearls and Lace Bridal to dress the family for an upcoming party, Big Island Rendezvous lifetime passes for the entire family and a handcrafted angel birdbath by Kris Erb.

Every time the family comes up to the house, they can be reminded they have angels watching over them, Erb said.

The family also received a platinum edition of portraits at the Picture Me Portrait Studio, a prom dress donated by Glitz! at the Mall of America, a one-year membership for the family at Anytime Fitness and loads of sports memorabilia from teams throughout the state.

The teams included Minnesota Wild, the Minnesota Twins, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Minnesota Lynx, the University of Minnesota Gophers and the Minnesota Vikings cheerleaders.

Also donated were one year of service through Alltel for clearwave cable, one year of service through Dish Network, warranties for the family’s appliances, and cleaning of air ducts by Service Master.

Several other businesses that were not present Wednesday have also donated to the family.

For a full list of sponsors for the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” look at the official Web site at www.AlbertLeaTribune.com/partners.

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