“Rise and Honor,” A Veterans Day Special
ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition teamed up with the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) and presented a one-hour special: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition “Rise and Honor” A Veterans Day Special, which aired on Veterans Day. Host Ty Pennington took us back to some of the most heartwarming military stories featured over the years. The EMHE crew also paid visits to select heroic families to find out what they’ve been up to since the makeover and how they are paying it forward by helping their fellow veterans. The special culminated in a celebratory event that featured an audience of active-duty service members and veterans in addition to a live musical performance by Jewel, who also co-hosted the special.
Throughout the episode, celebrities shone a light on issues veterans face after serving in the military, as well as the strengths and skills returning veterans bring to the work force and their communities. The program included appearances by Whoopi Goldberg, Jewel, George Lopez, J.R. Martinez, Rachael Ray, Sherri Shepherd, Robin Williams and Major League Baseball (MLB) players Daniel Murphy of the Mets, Shane Victorino of the Phillies and Clay Buchholz of the Red Sox. The celebrities encouraged the public to donate via phone and web at www.riseandhonor.org.
Net proceeds raised during this one-hour special benefited the following veteran-serving organizations: Fisher House Foundation, Hire Heroes USA, Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, USO (United Service Organizations), Volunteers of America, and Welcome Back Veterans. These organizations provide vital services and support to our nations veterans and their families including housing, job placement, career readiness, health care, rehabilitation and mental health treatment.
Less than one percent of America’s men and women currently serve in our military. For many, the return to civilian life is marked with physical and emotional wounds. As of June 30, 2010, Veterans Affairs treated 594,000 Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran patients. Of those, 295,000 were diagnosed with at least one mental health condition such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
In addition, some face a grim economic reality. As recently as January 2011, the unemployment rate among veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars was 15 percent; that’s nearly double the national average. Furthermore, their sacrifice extends beyond themselves to their families as more than 700,000 children have experienced one or more parental deployments.
“All across the country, we have talented and dedicated veterans who have been unemployed for far too long,” said Hilda Solis, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor. “These service men and women are right here and ready to get back to work. They just need a little help from all of us to find a good job at a fair wage and successfully transition from military to civilian life. We applaud ABC and the Entertainment Industry Foundation for broadcasting this special show to raise awareness of the needs of our returning veterans and their families.”
For more information and to make a donation to support veterans and military families, please visit www.riseandhonor.org. For photos or clips from the show, please visit www.abcmedianet.com.
If you missed the original airing of the program, the show will also air on the Armed Forces Network on November 14 and will be available online at www.ABC.com for 35 days after the premiere. Additionally, the show will re-air on ABC December 4 from 5-6 pm EST.
About the Entertainment Industry Foundation
The Entertainment Industry Foundation, as a leading charitable organization of the entertainment industry, has distributed hundreds of millions of dollars to support charitable initiatives addressing critical health, education and social issues. For more information visit www.eifoundation.org.
About Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
The Emmy award winning reality program Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, now in its 9th season, is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. It is executive-produced by Brady Connell and George Verschoor. David Goldberg is Chairman, Endemol North America. The show airs Fridays from 8:00-10:00 p.m., ET on ABC.
