Serving those Who Serve: Military Makeover with Montel and Rent-A-Center
At Rent-A-Center, we pride ourselves on serving those who serve. So, when we found out about Corporal Jacob Tabora’s need for a renovated space — we partnered with Military Makeover with Montel Williams and Whirlpool to give him and his family their dream home. Learn about Jacob, his service to our country, and how we’re giving back to Americans like him.
About Military Makeover with Montel
As a veteran of both the Marine Corps and the Navy, legendary talk show host Montel Williams is passionate about giving back to our country’s servicemen and women and their families. Military Makeover with Montel airing on Lifetime TV, does just that, enlisting the help of contractors, designers, landscapers, and other home improvement professionals – including Rent-A-Center! – to give these incredible members of our military the homes they deserve. An offer of hope and a breath of fresh air, these home transformations are only a small “thank you” for the enormous sacrifices these military families have made.
And no one deserves our gratitude more than Corporal Jacob Tabora and his family. Jacob was at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, preparing to deploy to Iraq for a second time. However, during his training, Jacob was critically injured when a 120mm round exploded inside a tank.
Jacob was left with second and third-degree burns over more than half of his body, and his plans quickly changed from deployment to a five-year-long recovery in the Burn Unit at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. While Jacob worked to recover from his horrific burns, he faced a series of personal crises, including his parents’ and brother’s divorces. Despite these blows and setbacks, Jacob singularly focused on preparing for his future.
He enrolled in the University of Texas at San Antonio, receiving his degree in criminal justice, married his wife, Ceanna, and welcomed two sons and a daughter into the world. Though Jacob has created a new life and family for himself, he struggles with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder due to his life-changing accident.
Today, Jacob and his family live outside of San Antonio in a house that desperately needs a little TLC. The house, which the Taboras have called home for nine years, currently has water damage under the siding, worn windows and doors, an outdated HVAC system, and a kitchen that is not sufficient for Ceanna’s love of cooking and baking. That is where Military Makeover with Montel and Rent-A-Center came in.
How Rent-A-Center Supports Service Members
Headquartered in the same state the Tabora family calls home, all of us here at Rent-A-Center jumped at the opportunity to help this deserving military family. Home of the “Worry-Free Guarantee,” Rent-A-Center’s very mission is to improve the lives of our customers by offering vital home goods with affordable payment plans.
Our budget-friendly and flexible rent-to-own plans mean our customers can get the necessities they need without the stress of hefty upfront costs. With many of our stores located near military bases, we are honored and proud to help families just like the Taboras own quality brand appliances.
Military members aren’t only satisfied customers, but they’re also valued members of the Rent-A-Center team. We are proud to offer our country’s veterans career opportunities, including our own Anthony Baldwin, who makes an appearance on upcoming episodes of Military Makeover with Montel.
Anthony is a distinguished Air Force veteran who worked as an Aircraft Structural Maintenance Specialist from 1998 to 2003. Anthony worked on the Top Secret U2 Reconnaissance Airplane during this time and earned numerous honors for his exceptional service. Today, Anthony oversees 11 Rent-A-Center locations and attributes his leadership abilities to his time in the Air Force. Anthony, along with the rest of us at Rent-A-Center, was thrilled to help Montel and his crew surprise the Tabora family.
New Appliances for the Tabora Family
As a family of five, the Taboras don’t just deserve a major appliance upgrade – they need one! Rent-A-Center is delighted to provide them with a full line-up of state-of-the-art, high-quality appliances, donated by Whirlpool, to keep their home running smoothly and efficiently.
For the laundry room, we’ve set the Taboras up with the Whirlpool Top Load Washer with Pretreat Station and the Top Load Electric Dryer with Intuitive Controls. Moms and dads know how much laundry is generated with three kiddos, and this set-up makes doing several loads of laundry a breeze. The washer features a pretreat station, intuitive controls, a Delay Start option, and Quick Wash and Quiet Wash options, while the dryer boasts Whirlpool’s AccuDry sensor drying technology, a Wrinkle Shield option, and Sanitize and Quick Dry cycles. With the touch of a few buttons, laundry day has never been easier.
With Ceanna’s budding cooking business in mind, Rent-A-Center made sure the kitchen was fit for a chef. From Whirlpool, the Tabora family received a Microwave Hood Combination with Electronic Touch Controls, an Electric Range with Frozen Bake Technology, a Wide Side-by-Side Refrigerator, and an ENERGY STAR Certified Dishwasher with 1-Hour Wash Cycle. The large stove and oven will allow Ceanna to cook in bulk, and its adjustable Self-Cleaning Technology makes clean-up half the battle it was. The wide refrigerator with electronic temperature controls, adjustable bins, and Adaptive Defrost provides plenty of space for Ceanna’s creations and the typical groceries of a family of five. And a dishwasher with a one-hour cycle option? That’s a necessity for a busy family.
Not only will the Tabora’s new Whirlpool appliances improve the day-to-day operations of their household, but the beautiful, stainless steel appliances also fit perfectly into their newly updated, gorgeous home.
Watch The Tabora’s Dream Home Become a Reality
Everyone should have a home where they can truly relax with the people they love most – and this is particularly true for the people who have courageously served our country. As the home of the Worry-Free Guarantee, Rent-A-Center was honored to be a part of making this Military Makeover with Montel come true!
Watch the Tabora family’s reaction to the home of their dreams, airing now on Lifetime.
Tune into Military Makeover w/ Montel featuring the Tabora Family airing on Lifetime TV at 7:30 AM ET/PT
- Episode 1 — Nov 20th & Nov 26th
- Episode 2 — Nov 27th & Dec 3rd
- Episode 3 — Dec 4th & Dec 24th
- Episode 4 — Dec 11th & Dec 25th
- Episode 5 — Dec 18th & Dec 30th