Rockdale Citizen

Photo by Emily Allison

United Bank, with 21 offices in Georgia including three in Covington and one in Madison, served as a sponsor for an Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, episode, taped in July.

United Bank hosted the Rest and Relaxation Tent on the construction site providing a shady retreat, cool drinks, snacks and first aid supplies to workers and volunteers.

Among the 300-plus daily volunteers, the bankers also fulfilled a variety of jobs both on and off the camera during the week-long construction effort.

For the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition episode, workers built a home for the Rucker family of Madison.

Earlier this year, the eldest of three girls, Anaiah Rucker, jumped in the path of an oncoming truck, pushing her younger sister, Camary, to safety. The accident cost Anaiah her left leg, a kidney and a multitude of other medical complications.

Undaunted by this trauma, the rising fifth-grader has spent much of the summer regaining her strength so that she can continue playing sports, singing in the chorus and making straight A's in school.

An account at United Bank was immediately established and continues to accept donations for Anaiah Rucker and this recent building effort.

The Extreme Makeover: Home Edition designers and crew built a brand new home for the Ruckers that was ADA-accessible and free of obstacles where Anaiah can continue to adapt to her new prosthesis.

The 2,300-square foot, three-bed room, three-bath, Craftsman bungalow features overhanging easements and exposed cedar detail.

The landscaping includes a two-story playhouse with built-in hydraulics for boosting Anaiah in her wheelchair and a miniature sprinkler fountain for quick, hot afternoon cool downs. The house is equipped with the most efficient, energy-saving appliances and utility solutions on the market including four solar panels mounted atop the roof.

United Bank, in partnership with Pilot Builders, Smart Properties and other local area sponsors, launched the seven-day construction effort.

"When Extreme Makeover: Home Edition came to Madison, we had the chance to step up and truly show that we are indeed about supporting our communities," said United Bank's Madison Division President Russell Carter in a press release.

"The participation came from our senior management team and throughout the organization, all because of one very brave and beloved little girl."

The new season for the reality program Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, premieres Sunday, Sept. 25 at 8 p.m. on ABC.