The military, veteran, and service-member communities are very important to the LendUS Family of Companies, which is why LendUS partnered with the television show, Military Makeover® on home renovations for veterans and their families.
Military Makeover is a very special mini-series dedicated to giving back to members of our military and their loved ones. Host Montel Williams enlists the help of decorators, designers, landscapers and other home renovation experts to change the living situation — and the lives — of deserving families.
LendUS volunteers — representing each of the LendUS companies — remodeled homes for four deserving veterans and their families. Teams worked on the home and yard of veteran Daniel Burgess in December 2020, veteran Michael Daniels in March 2021, veteran Michelle Dingee in June 2021, and veteran couple Joey and Joy Pryor in September.
Learn more about Daniel Burgess and his family
Learn more about Michael Daniels and his family
Learn more about Michelle Dingee
Learn more about Joey and Joy Pryor
THE PRYOR FAMILY
While on his third tour in Afghanistan, Army Master Sergeant Joey Pryor narrowly survived a detonated IED under his team’s vehicle, escaping with several severe injuries. After serving for 13 years, Pryor was medically retired in 2017, but not before achieving a highly decorated career with numerous accolades.
Joy Pryor is an Air Force Veteran who advanced her career as a Precision Measurement Laboratory Technician. After reconnecting about their military experiences, she and Joey are happily married and grateful for their house to become their forever home.
Military Makeover and LendUS joined forces to help Joey and Joy Pryor make their house a home by renovating and building accommodations to meet their needs. In September 2021, members from LendUS, RPM Mortgage, American Eagle Mortgage, and The Palmetto Group joined together in volunteering efforts, with many of the volunteers being veterans themselves. In addition, a LendUS advisor discussed the value of VA loans and lending opportunities for the entire country.
I am extremely proud that the LendUS family is sponsoring the next Military Makeover Family. It is our small way to show genuine care and support for a specific hero and his family for serving our country with valor, says Rob Hirt, LendUS CEO.Military Makeover can be seen on the Lifetime Network, national broadcast syndicates, and on the American Forces TV Network. Joey and Joy Pryor's episodes will begin airing in November until December.
Rob Hirt, LendUS CEO
MICHELLE DINGEE
USAF Sgt. Michelle Dingee is proud to be the first female in her family to serve our country by embarking on a career in the military, where she has proven to be a natural leader, a selfless caregiver and shown exemplary professionalism.
In 2004, Michelle was deployed to an Aeromedical Staging Facility in Ramstein, Germany. The facility would take care and stabilize up to a hundred wounded soldiers every week before they’re flown to the Walter Reed Medical Center in Maryland for further treatment.
Because of her skills and expertise, Michelle was deployed in several countries where she witnessed the horrors of warfare while providing medical care to soldiers who have been wounded in the battlefield. She left the military in 2014 and sought mental health treatment after developing PTSD, depression and anxiety.
Michelle currently works as a paralegal nurse. She now lives in Hollywood, Florida with her dog, Lily and cat, Kicia. She enjoys reading, home entertainment, exercise and relaxing outdoors.
MICHAEL DANIELS & FAMILY
In the course of a 4-day battle in Iraq in 2004, Michael Daniels and another Marine were hit by grenade fragments. Michael picked up his comrade and moved him to safety before returning to the fight. For his conduct under fire, Michael was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with a “V” for Valor for heroic achievement.
Today, Michael is permanently disabled. He continues to suffer from severe PTSD, traumatic brain injuries as well as physical injuries. Michael and Heather (a Neuro Intensive Care Registered Nurse) recently bought their first home in Deerfield Beach, Florida.
DANIEL BURGESS & FAMILY
Army Staff Sergeant Daniel Burgess spent his 11-year military career between active duty and the Reserves. Toward the end of his tenure in the military, Daniel was tasked with working with local community members in locating, identifying and removing Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) left by the Taliban. In 2014 Burgess had the misfortune of stepping on a hidden IED in the Afghan desert, resulting in him losing his right leg and severely hurting his left leg.
After being medically retired, Daniel has had an ongoing recovery, spending three years in Texas at the Fort Sam Houston/Brooke Army Medical Center, where his wife Genette and his two daughters Gracie and Kaylee moved in order to be closer to him. The family’s continued support was provided by the Fisher House Foundation allowing them to stay close to the center.
Military Makeover and LendUS joined forces to help Veterans and their Family make their current house their forever home by renovating and building accommodations to meet their needs.
See all the episodes of the Burgess Family here:
- Episode 1: Friday, February 12th, 2021 & February 18th, 2021
- Episode 2: Friday, February 19th, 2021 & February 25th, 2021
- Episode 3: Friday, February 26th, 2021 & March 4th, 2021
- Episode 4: Friday, March 5th, 2021 & March 11th, 2021
- Episode 5: Friday, March 12th, 2021 & March 18th, 2021
- Episode 6: Friday, March 19th, 2021 & March 25th, 2021
- Episode 7: Friday, March 26th, 2021 & April 1st, 2021
See all the episodes of the Daniels Family here:
- Episode 1: Friday, May 21st, 2021
- Episode 2: Friday, May 28th, 2021
- Episode 3: Friday, June 4th, 2021
- Episode 4: Friday, June 11th, 2021
- Episode 5: Friday, June 18th, 2021 - Reveal Day
See all the episodes of Michelle Dingee here:
- Episode 1: August 13th, 2021 & August 19th, 2021
- Episode 2: August 20th, 2021 & August 26th, 2021
- Episode 3: August 27th, 2021 & September 2nd, 2021
- Episode 4: September 3rd, 2021 & September 9th, 2021
- Episode 5: September 10th, 2021 & September 16th, 2021
- Episode 6: September 17th, 2021 & September 23rd, 2021
See all the episodes of Joey and Joy Pryor here:
With some of the most competitive rates for VA loan financing on the market — and a number of veterans on staff who understand your unique financial needs — we support our veterans. Learn more about our lending options for military families.