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Amber’s Warm Winter Wish is a story of a young single mother working hard to provide a roof over her three children’s heads. Without any help in the form of child support, Amber works two jobs to make ends meet. On weekdays she works as a Nurse’s Aide at Madonna Rehabilitation, working 50-60 hours a week. On the weekends she works at the local gas station in Sterling, NE.
Amber was aware of some issues with her home’s utilities, but she had learned to accept them for what they were. Due to ongoing issues, recent repairs to the furnace and the age of the system, reliability was without a doubt questionable. Although there were signs all pointing to the need to replace the furnace Amber was left hoping the furnace would continue to provide heat, prolonging the inevitable another year.
Bryant received a nomination from Amber’s Stepmother who often cares for Amber’s children while she is working. Karen knows what a hardship another breakdown, or worse, a total replacement of the furnace would be.
The team at Bryant Air Conditioning, Heating, Electrical & Plumbing takes time to consider all entries they receive for their Warm Winter Wish. As a part of the selection process home visits are made to a small group of nominees. “Essentially the home visit provides us a chance to meet a potential recipient in person, confirm the nomination story and ensure their home is a fit for the Warm Winter Wish,” says Wittenhagen. “When visiting Amber’s home we found issues beyond the furnace presenting potential safety hazards I felt we couldn’t walk away from”.
In addition to needing a new furnace, an ongoing plumbing leak from the main floor that has caused deterioration to the furnace’s ductwork and the flue vent of the water heater was discovered while the Bryant team was visiting Amber. The water heater is over 20 years old and inefficient, making bath time for three children a tough task.
What is typically a program lead by Bryant’s HVAC department, this year’s Warm Winter Wish will include additional help from their plumbing department to correct the potential safety hazards. “We’re replacing the furnace, a good amount of the ductwork and our plumbing department is installing a new water heater and fixing the plumbing leak that’s caused damage below,” reported Brian Kassebaum HVAC Installations manager at Bryant Air Conditioning, Heating, Electrical & Plumbing.
A special thanks to Comfort Products, Bryant Heating & Cooling Systems and Cornhusker Winnelson for supplying the equipment for the Warm Winter Wish.
