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Extreme Makeover Home Edition goes to PA to help special needs family whose home is on a dump site

November 17, 2008 by Faith Whitfield  
Filed under Reality TV

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Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Dan Ryan Builders will be traveling to Quincy Township, Pennsylvania to assist the Drumm family, who has helped transform the lives of disabled children through the Challenger Little League Program. Their home, which has formerly been used as a site to dump of trash and waste, will be rebuilt in only seven days.

After the birth of their second child with autism, Matthew and Blasia dedicated their lives to children with disabilities. They help manage special needs Little League and during the school year, Blasia works as a teacher’s aide at the Franklin Learning Center for Handicapped Children. Their little league program has been a source of weekly gatherings for the communities’ special needs and the Drumm family helps operate the concession stand and coordinate travel for the league to other tri-state games and tournaments. Matthew and Blasia have been of assistance to other blossoming leagues that have developed in other areas and were awarded the Penn Marr Challenger League, Division Family Service Award in 2006.

When purchasing their home, the Drumm’s were unaware that the home itself and the surrounding lot were used to dump trash and waste. Because of their financial hardships, the family has not made any improvements to the home, which is heated by one single wood-burning stove. The Drumm’s hope for the future is to work full-time from home to help other special-needs families. With a dream of transforming their family’s junkyard home into a fresh new family dwelling where they can offer in home respite care to other special needs children, Ty and the designers of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” have a big challenge in store for them.

While Dan Ryan Builders, Ty and the designers along with the Challenger Little League Program and hundreds of volunteers and workers are rebuilding their home, the Drumm family will go on vacation to Walt Disney World.

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One Response to “Extreme Makeover Home Edition goes to PA to help special needs family whose home is on a dump site”
  1. Matt gayman says:
    December 23, 2008 at 8:36 pm

    Drumm pays $445 in old fines
    By VICKY TAYLOR Staff writer
    Posted: 12/23/2008 02:00:00 AM EST

    Matthew Drumm, the South Mountain man whose family was given a new home in November by the ABC-TV show Extreme Makeover, Home Edition, paid $445.90 in old fines to Magisterial District Judge Larry Pentz’ office last week.
    The money cleared fines Drumm owed to Pentz’ office for old dog law violations dating between 1995 and 2000, and laid to rest rumors that Drumm was about to be arrested on warrants related to those unpaid fines.

    Pentz confirmed today that Constable Ron Larson brought Drumm to his office either Thursday or Friday to pay the fines. He said the fines were paid in full.

    Other than the dog violations and a variety of old parking and traffic tickets and two bad check charges dating back to 2000, no other charges are on record for Drumm.

    Drumm told Public Opinion over the weekend that his family could not give interviews before the Extreme Makeover show airs on Jan. 18 because of an agreement with the show and its network.

    He said once the show has aired, he and his family would be free to talk about their new home and how they are handling the publicity they have received since Chambersburg’s Ryan Builders constructed a new 2,500 sq.-ft. four-bedroom home for them on ABC’s instructions.

    The new home came with a well that replaced an old cistern that had to be filled twice a month and a large solar panel to supplement the home’s heating system.

    The family told reporters after the unveiling of the home that those two features

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    would help alleviate some of their financial problems connected with their own home.
    The Drumms have three sons, two of whom are special-needs children with autism.

    Balisa Drumm has said she hopes the new home will enable her to pursue her dream of caring for more special needs children.

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    Vicky Taylor can be reached at 262-4753 or vtaylor@publicopinionnews.com