Hampton family feels the love from nationwide campaign – New Jersey Herald

HAMPTON With the cold weather season upon us, one local family no longer has to worry about enduring frigid temperatures at home thanks to a nationwide community program.

The Korver family, residents of Hampton, were named the 2019 winners of the Feel the Love campaign, organized locally by R. Poust Heating & Cooling. The initiative provides heat and/or air conditioning systems to individuals or families, either to support them during difficult times or to simply recognize their service in the community.

Dave and Leah Korver fall into the latter category, with both volunteering their time as members of Hampton Township Fire and Rescue and often delaying plans with each other to respond to emergency calls. Having seen the couples involvement up close, Vera Rumsey, a fellow volunteer with the organization, decided to nominate them for the campaign.

Debbie Poust Johnson, co-owner of R. Poust, was struck by the Korvers dedication to their non-paying positions, noting that both come from families who were similarly committed to the rescue squad.

They were very passionate about what they were involved in, Johnson said. It was just something that, as they grew up, they became a part of.

In addition to their volunteer work, the family stood out to Johnson because of a cracked heat exchanger in their home a concern with winter looming. A visit to the Korver house by R. Poust also revealed improper chimney work and electrical wiring, meaning the appliances were not only ineffective but potentially dangerous as well.

After a series of questions over the phone as well as the home visit, the panel from R. Poust which consisted of Johnson; her father, Robert; and her brother, Ryan selected the Korvers as the local Feel the Love winners. The news came as a surprise to the family, who, true to their nature, assumed some other nominee would have been more worthy.

"It really was a shock," Leah Korver said. "We're humble people. We don't necessarily think we're the most deserving."

The nomination called for the winner to receive only a new furnace, but R. Poust decided to install a new air conditioning unit as well after seeing the state of the Korvers appliances.

They made it a point to say, You will not have to worry about this, Leah Korver said.

The installations took place on a Saturday in October, when several R. Poust employees arrived at the Korver home around 8 a.m. In addition to putting in the new heating and cooling systems, the crew spent the day learning the Korvers story and interacting with their two children, Elizabeth, 7, and Andrew, 5.

This year marked the second Feel the Love campaign organized by the Lennox Heating and Cooling company, for which R. Poust is a dealer, and the first open to New Jersey residents. The contest was available for all residents of R. Pousts service area, which includes all of Sussex and Morris counties and parts of Warren, Passaic, Essex and Union counties.

According to Lennox, 230 homeowners nationwide received new HVAC systems from the company this year, with more than 200 dealers donating their time to install the equipment.

Johnson said she and her fellow employees had a difficult time choosing from the 10 submissions they received this year and are hopeful to see an increase in nominations as more people learn about the initiative.

Leah Korver called the campaign an amazing experience for her and her family, who were helped by others for a change instead of being the ones to provide help. For that reason, Johnson was happy to be able to reward the Korvers with the new unit.

I felt really good that a family was getting it who really deserved it, Johnson said. All of us had a really good day, and we all left with smiles on our faces.

Kyle Morel can also be contacted on Twitter: @KMorelNJH, on Facebook: Facebook.com/KMorelNJH, or by phone: 973-383-1292.

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Hampton family feels the love from nationwide campaign - New Jersey Herald