Clint Black Travels to Kentucky to Help The Mattinglys on “Extreme Makeover Home Edition”

On September 5, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” and celebrity volunteer Clint Black traveled to Daviess County, KY to tell Steve and Melissa Mattingly that their current home, a small single-wide trailer, will be replaced by a newly constructed home built in just seven days. This episode of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” airs SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET), on ABC.

Country music superstar Clint Black will be the celebrity volunteer to “Get on the Bus” for this build.

Two years ago, Steve Mattingly was responding to a fire call at a neighborhood home, where he was asked to direct traffic around the site. Steve’s wife, Melissa, was driving by the fire when disaster struck: Steve was hit full speed by a car that didn’t see him. An EMT herself, Melissa immediately got out of her car and ran to her husband to give him care. Steve suffered multiple injuries, brain damage and amnesia. To date, he has had seven surgeries to try to repair the damage. Most of his problems with pain, balance and memory are irreparable, and he will probably never be able to work a full-time job again. Although Steve, 41, has regained his ability to walk and retains his humorous personality, his family knows his life has changed forever. They live in a small, 700-square-foot crumbling trailer, and Melissa, 38, is now the sole wage earner. They cannot afford to fix the home, which they also share with their growing daughters, Alana, 12, and Madison, 11. Now it’s up to Ty and the gang to give this family who have endured such hardship some comfort in a peaceful new home.

Show designers for this episode are Ty Pennington, Michael Moloney and Didiayer Snyder.

(courtesy of ABC)

Stevie Wonder performs for the Kudzis Family on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

Extraordinary compassion led George Kadzis, a prison dentist, and his wife, Barbara, a lifelong teacher who herself was adopted, to open their hearts and home to special-needs children adopted from orphanages in China. The family faced major challenges in their cramped, hurricane-damaged home, which was especially difficult for daughter Melody to navigate, as she is blind. The other adopted brothers and sisters also face significant physical challenges: Julia is deaf, Martin’s right arm and hand are deformed, and Phoenix and Celeste are now having their cleft palates repaired. Aileen lost her birth father to cancer, and her birth mother fled after his death. Because Barbara and George Kadzis weren’t fluent in Chinese, and several of their adopted children could barely communicate in any fashion, the family turned to the universal language of music as an instrument to heal, communicate and transform. Chris, Barbara and George’s biological son, Martin, play the guitar and piano, Aileen plays the flute and Melody plays the zither, while sister Julia dances like she’s listening to every note — except that she can’t hear.

Now Ty and the designers, local builder Myddelton Parker Builders, LLC and hundreds of volunteers and workers, will step in and rebuild the Kadzis home. In addition, legendary singer/songwriter Stevie Wonder stops by on reveal day and performs a private concert for the family.

Loving father and husband George Kadzis, from Tallahassee, Florida, had been battling brain cancer. His one dying wish was to provide his wife and children with a safe home. In keeping with “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’s” call to honor everyday heroes across America, the show informed the Kadzis family that their hurricane-damaged home would be rebuilt and modified in seven days to meet their special needs. Sadly, three days after the family received their new home, George succumbed to his cancer. The emotional two-hour episode airs SUNDAY, APRIL 12 (8:00-10:00 p.m., ET) on  ABC .

from ABC

The Augustins of Texas tonight on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

Ty and the designers will be traveling to Keller, Texas to announce to the Augustin family, who lost their home and not-for-profit photography studio in a flood, that they will have a new home built in only seven days, on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” SUNDAY, MARCH 1 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on  ABC .

Amber Augustin started up her volunteer photography business, “Tiny Works of Heart,” which was inspired by the premature birth of her third child, son Lane. The challenge of Lane’s birth and the family’s emotional and financial struggles during this period inspired Amber to volunteer her time and talent as a photographer to taking pictures of babies born in the N.I.C.U. (neonatal intensive care unit). Many of the babies born in N.I.C.U. don’t survive, making time spent between parents and their fragile babies very precious. For that reason, Amber started a free service and mission called “Tiny Works of Heart” to give families a chance to professionally capture their time with their fragile child. She also volunteers a great deal of time with an established organization whose intent is to provide hope, comfort, memories and a sense of “normalcy” to the families during these tough times.

On Father’s Day 2007, the Augustin family’s life was turned inside out when a flood ravaged their home. The damage was so extensive that the home was entirely destroyed, as well as Amber’s photography studio. Now it is up to Ty and the designers to rebuild their home and photography studio, which brought joy into the lives of hundreds of families affected by premature birth.

While Ty and the designers, local builder Wall Homes and hundreds of volunteers and workers are rebuilding their home, the Augustin family will go on vacation to Hawaii for a Hilton vacation.

The design team for this episode of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” will feature team leader Ty Pennington and designers Paul DiMeo, Eduardo Xol, Tracy Hutson and John Littlefield.

Extreme Makeover helps the Nickless Family in Michigan

From ABC:

“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition“ will be traveling to Holt, Michigan, to help the Nickless family rebuild their lives after the tragic loss of their husband, Tim Nickless, which left Arlene and her three sons to fend for themselves in an 1860s dilapidated home. 

Tim Nickless was a true Renaissance man. This loving husband and father to three young boys was not only a respected nurse devoted to his patients, but also a gifted craftsman, mentor and environmentalist. As president of the Lansing Area Flying Aces model airplane club and a member of the Arbor Day Society, Tim had a lust for life and a love for all things living. However, after a painful seven-year battle with Hepatitis C, Tim died on January 19, 2008. Arlene and her three boys are now on their own in a 148-year-old farmhouse that is in dire need of repairs. Its walls, floors and foundation are deteriorating, and the old wiring is a fire hazard. Had he survived, Tim would have and could have turned this dilapidated house into their dream home. It’s now up to Ty and his designers to do just that, for with Tim’s untimely passing, Arlene and the boys are desperate for help.

While Ty and the designers, local builder Mayberry Homes and hundreds of volunteers and workers are rebuilding their home in just seven days, the Nickless family will go on vacation to Disney World.

The program airs SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 30 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

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

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.