May 2014

Could you imagine having no heat, A/C or hot water for a month? What about a year? For most of us, a day without any of our basic necessities is barely tolerable. However, for the Austin family of Washington, D.C., living without basic necessities was just a way  of life. While many dream of new cars, vacations and money, Michelle Austin had only one dream; a warm home with hot water for her 5 children. Although the family had gone years with out hot water and heat, the record setting cold temperatures and snow falls of this winter sent Michelle into a panic. She decided to reach out to local non-profits for help and after numerous rejections, she finally received a phone call from “The Michael & Son Cares Program”.

“When I got the news that Michael & Son was going to help me, I broke down in tears” said Michelle Austin. “I had lost all hope and assumed we would just have to bear the cold” continued Austin. Within in a matter of a few days, Michael & Son Services hot water and heat running throughout the Austin family home. Before Michael & Son stepped in, Michelle would spend hours in the morning boiling water for her children’s baths. Without a working furnace, the family was forced to use space heaters, which are not only dangerous but extremely costly as well.

As is always the case, Michael & Son went above and beyond just making home repairs. Tune into this weekends episode and find how Michael & Son Services gave the Austin family’s children a day they will never forget. Be sure to check out this weekends episode of Helping Hands! Also, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and subscribe to or YouTube page to find out about upcoming episodes of Helping Hands!

WRC-NBC4 (Washington DC) Saturday 5/17 @ 10:00am

WTVR-CBS6 (Richmond) Sunday 5/18 @ 11:35pm

WVIR-NBC29 (Charlottesville) Sunday 5/18 @ 12pm

WVEC-ABC13 (Norfolk) Sunday 5/18 @ 9am

Helping Hands, the TV series documenting the work of the “Michael & Son Cares Program”, is returning to the air, Saturday, May 10th at 10:00am on NBC4, with more inspiring stories of a local business and their passion for community service. With a focus on helping the families of children with disabilities and illnesses, the Michael & Son Cares Program helps families with essential home repairs and remodeling that they otherwise could not afford.

In the first episode, viewers will meet Rebecca, a young girl with a beaming smile from Centerville, VA.  Rebecca was born with cerebral palsy and a result is a quadriplegic confined to a wheelchair. Born so prematurely that doctors only gave her 24 hours to live, Rebecca has defied all the odds and is 11 years old today.

In order to give Rebecca mobility and the freedom to move between floors, an elevator was installed in the family’s home. Unfortunately, the contractors who built the elevator did properly install the sump pump, causing frequent flooding in Rebecca’s play room.

Unable to afford the high cost of replacing the sump pump, Rebecca’s mother reached out the Michael & Son Cares Program. Shortly after meeting the family, Michael & Son began the work to replace the original pump with a larger, more industrial pump. You can see the whole story on the next episode of Helping Hands! Find your local airtime below! Also, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and subscribe to our YouTube page to stay on top of all the Helping Hands updates!

 SHOW TIMES:

WRC-NBC4 (Washington DC) Saturday 5/10 @ 10:00am

WTVR-CBS6 (Richmond) Sunday 5/11 @ 11:35pm

WVIR-NBC29 (Charlottesville) Sunday 5/11 @ 12pm

WVEC-ABC13 (Norfolk) Sunday 5/11 @ 9am