UNION CITY, CALIFORNIA — January 28, 2005 — Runco International, the world leader in high-end home theater video display technology, is proud to announce that its Reflection Series CL-710 projector has been chosen as a featured gift on the top-rated ABC prime time television series, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” In an upcoming episode scheduled to air on Sunday, January 23 from 8:00-9:00 PM, the Runco CL-710 will be a special feature in the new home that the show’s producers built for the family of Jhyrve Sears, a 17 year-old-girl from Martinez, California who has been undergoing chemotherapy for a rare genetic disorder.
In February of 2004, Jhyrve was diagnosed with Krabbe Disease, a rare genetic disorder caused by an enzyme deficiency. In March of 2004, Jhyrve moved with her mother, Karen, to North Carolina for treatment. She received a successful cord blood transplant at Duke University, but her doctors would not allow her to return to her home in Martinez because the mold and allergens existent in her home could be a huge danger to her weakened immune system.
Hearing of the Sears family’s unique situation, the production staff at “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” partnered with California-based DeNova Homes and a score of local volunteers to demolish and rebuild the Sears family’s 1200-square foot home. The new home, completed in just seven days, has been equipped with a special air filtration system that maintains the air purity necessary for Jhyrve to live healthy. In addition to creating an allergen and mold free home, the “EM: HE” team outfitted the house with a collection of tools, technologies and wheelchair access to ease the daily challenges for the entire Sears family. Runco International donated its Reflection CL-710 projector as a centerpiece for Jhyrve’s new bedroom home theater. Chosen for its great versatility, extensive features and its ability to integrate with other entertainment systems, the CL-710 will offer Jhyrve countless hours of home theater viewing pleasure. Moreover, the CL-710 seamlessly integrates with an HP Home Media Center to provide not only big screen entertainment but also the ultimate in multimedia and communications options to enable Jhyrve to stay in touch with her friends and family.
“The reason I got into this business many years ago was to bring something special into people’s homes and their lives,” said Sam Runco, founder and CEO of Runco International Inc. “We’ve been very successful with that and our company has prospered greatly, but I was raised to count my blessings and always remember those in need. Nothing is more rewarding than giving something back to our communities, and we are grateful for the opportunity that the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” team has given us to bring happiness to the Sears family.”
Bob Hana, president of Runco International added: “We jumped at the chance to reach out to the Sears family, who live in Runco’s own backyard. The “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” experience gave us the opportunity to put some big-screen movie magic into the lives of people who truly deserve it.”
About Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is a reality television program which aims to bring extreme happiness to deserving families. Some of those projects included enlarging the home of a couple expecting triplets, rebuilding a house for eight children who had just lost their parents, giving a facelift to an entire community whose homes were flooded during a hailstorm, and remodeling the living space of a wheelchair-bound young man by making it more accessible — which included the installation of an elevator. The show’s successful first season garnered an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Reality Program.
About Runco International, Inc.
Founded in 1987 and currently headquartered in Union City, California, Runco International, Inc is a market leader in state-of-the-art projection systems, flat-panel plasma monitors, video processors and other components for the consumer market. Runco’s innovations have won numerous awards and citations from the world press. Runco was the first company to introduce and market a line doubler with a multi-frequency projector in 1990 and also introduced the first multiple-aspect-ratio controller, the ARC-IV, to the Home Theater market. Recently, both of these features have become essential for the new digital high definition capable televisions. For more information on Runco International, Inc. visit the web at www.runco.com < http://www.runco.com/> .
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