Eleven-year-old Kelly Moran and her 16-year-old brother, Ryan, of Rotterdam, were brought up to respect their community and to give back to others.
With a family friend serving in Iraq, and another friend who was killed in the conflict, the siblings felt they wanted to help the country’s servicemen and women. Through lemonade stands, garage sales and other fundraisers, the two have raised hundreds of dollars to make care packages to send to soldiers serving overseas.
Because of their charitable efforts, it seemed quite fitting to enter them in radio station Fly 92’s Tree House Makeover, a contest modeled after the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition TV show, that awards the contributions of selfless children. And that is exactly what their mother, Suzi Moran, did. The rest has been an `extreme adventure` for the family.
Tree house construction took place June 9 and 10.
`We have been so excited about this whole process. From the construction of the house to our weekend away, it’s been almost surreal to have this sort of recognition,` said Moran.
Ashley Construction, which primarily does insurance repair and fire restoration jobs, built the tree house.
General manger for Ashley Construction Joe Aquilo said when he was contacted by morning disc jockey Brian Cody, he could not say no. Aquilo said the original company that was hired `backed out at the last minute.`
When Ashley then took on the project, they were responsible for designing the tree house, as well as constructing it.
Aquilo said there were hundreds of deserving families in the Capital District, but the Moran family stood out.
`The Moran family is a great family, with great kids. We were more than happy to step up and make this tree house a reality,` said Aquilo.
The tree house is not your average hangout, it comes completely furnished, has flat-screen televisions, a gaming system and more. Area companies donated all the materials, electrical work, furnishings and electronics.
`It was really a community effort, and we have a lot of people to thank for this,` said Cody.
In addition to supporting overseas troops, the Moran children have also reached out to their community. When Ryan’s classmate and friend Joe Watroba was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Ryan made buttons to sell at the high school basketball tournament, where he raised hundreds of dollars for Watroba.
`This spirit of helping and showing support started in our family after Sept. 11 (2001). I am proud of what the children have done,` said Suzi Moran.
While the tree house was being built, the family was whisked away to the Great Escape Lodge in Lake George. They returned home Monday morning, June 11, for the final reveal of the tree house.
The Morans said they were amazed to see the completed project. Suzi Moran said the event brought tears to her eyes. She added that the children were enjoying their new hangout.
`It is so cool, and we are so excited,` said Kelly.
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