SimplyHome, Eblen Charities Form New Partnership To Provide Technology for Independent Living

Partnerships are certainly nothing new for Eblen Charities.  Much of the outreach Eblen provides for our community and for the many tens of thousands of children, adults, and families they serve are made possible through collaborations with other great organizations and companies.

So when Asheville, NC-based SimplyHome was looking for a way to give back to the local community, a new partnership with Eblen Charities was born.

“We are excited about our new partnership with SimplyHome and the opportunities that it brings to serve more families in our community,” states Bill Murdock, executive director of Eblen Charities. “Drue and Allen have been such an important part of Eblen Charities for so long and now to partner with them and SimplyHome is a great honor for all of us at Eblen.”

In conjunction with the premiere of Extreme Makeover Home Edition last Friday, Eblen and SimplyHome hosted a benefit event for their new partnership - No Place Like Home.

No Place Like Home will assist senior adults and people with disabilities in accessing assistive technology to support independence in the home setting. These technologies will provide solutions for family members and caregivers to connect remotely with their loved ones, therefore extending the scope of independent living support.

This past June, SimplyHome was invited to work with ABC Television Network’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in Pennsylvania to assist Brian Keefer,  a young man who was involved in a gymnastics accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down. SimplyHome was asked to join the project to create custom technologies, like a voice activated bed and drink dispenser, to help Brian live more independently. The show aired Friday October 21, 2011 at 8pm EST.

“It has been a privilege to work with Eblen Charities for the past 12 years. During that time, we have seen all that can be and has been done by volunteers, Eblen staff and corporate partners to meet the needs of Western North Carolinians. It will be an honor to work with Eblen to bring assistive technology solutions to the loss or lack of independence that many persons with disabilities or concerns due to aging face. We are looking forward to partnering with Eblen Charities to better the lives of individuals and families living in our community,” said Allen and Drue Ray, founders of SimplyHome.

As our community’s needs continue to grow, unprecedented numbers of families are calling on Eblen for assistance. The No Place Like Home partnership between SimplyHome and Eblen Charities will attempt to address the growing needs of our community.

For more information about Eblen Charities please visit their website at www.eblencharities.org.

For more information on SimplyHome please visit website at www.simply-home.com.

Watch this video to learn more about the program.