Extreme Makeover: Home Edition blog, August 26, 2008
The Day After
William St. somewhat returned normal Tuesday, save for some final camera shooting inside the EMHE house, a few curious passers-by, and a lot of cleanup on the street itself. Neighbors, as intrigued and supportive as most were, had to breathe a sigh of relief as the crowd barricades were piled up and debris cleared from their lawns. Fresh sod was brought in to replace grassy areas reduced to dirt and dust from machinery and human traffic.
Things picked up just a tad, by design, when a wrap-up press conference was held late morning in front of the Hills’ now slightly more than humble abode. This was the first chance for both print and broadcast reporters to directly interview the family about their experience. Needless to say, the faces still abound with wonderment.
After a proclamation by Geneva mayor Stu Einstein (great name, don’tcha think?!) and citations presented by area assemblyman Brian Kolb to the Mahoneys and show producers, local business leaders and community group representatives lined up to present the Hills with donations of every kind. Among the contributions: $400,000 in scholarships for boxing club members from the University of Rochester; free lawn care service for five years: John Deere yard equipment; free homeowner insurance; orthodontic care for the family; limousine for a night on the town; free radio spots for Tim’s driveway seal business; Tim Horton’s coffee for a year. You get the picture.
What can you say? Extreme Makeover came to Geneva, NY, and made quite an impact. Cast and crew are now on to their next location, the blue shirts (the shirts, not the volunteers) have become souvenirs, and all the partners who came together for such a good cause can feel satisfied by a job well done. Only a very few individuals actually got to see inside the home. The rest of us will see it for the first time, like all of you, on our television sets. HD, anyone?!
Time for this blogger to get back to his day job. We’re not completely going away, however. Updates, as appropriate, will be added to the Mahoney Gives web site, and when a show air date – during November sweeps, according to the director – is announced, you can bet we’ll have some info of interest.
Until then….