This week was all about heroes - in every sense of the word. From the firefighters and rescue workers who worked tirelessly after Katrina hit, to those moms, dads and grandmothers who returned home to help rebuild a destroyed land. Our show was a tribute and thank you to these heroes, and heroes everywhere who change our lives, never rest even when times are tough, who aim so high despite danger, and who ultimately allow freedom to survive simply by "doing."
For the final show of the season, and to finish off our 50 state tour, we ended up in the great state of Louisiana. New Orleans is the home of jazz and many great musicians of our time, and also home of one of the most devastating natural disasters in our country. As so many people fled the area when Katrina hit, there were so many heroes that stayed back and stepped up when others needed them. One such family was the Usea family, who lost so much during the storm. Instead of focusing on their loss, however, they continued to help their community. Brad and Chad are volunteer firefighters who were among the rescuers at the time of the storm, and still continue to help those around them today. That was why it was so important for us to help them. With so many people in this area that needed our help, it was important for us to help someone who would continue to go out and help others. We definitely found that with the Usea family.
When a disaster like this hits and area and people lose everything, they turn to the establishments that they trust - those that will help them get through the hard times. Noah's Ark Church was one of these places. Pastor Walkerrel and his family worked tirelessly at the time of the storm, not only physically saving people, but also served as emotional and spiritual leaders to so many people that needed them then and continue to look to them for support today. We knew that it was important for us to help them, so they could continue to help thousands of others in the future.
So this week was a busy one for us building a house AND a church in an area where resources were difficult to come by, and help was even harder to find. For us, personally, we looked to our own heroes to help us with this overwhelming task. We reached out to the people who have helped us in the past - our builders! Over twenty builders from twelve different states came together to make this happen. They formed a "builders coalition," a band of brothers who worked side by side until the job was done - most of them not sleeping for hours and even days. It was so great to look out on the jobsite and see such amazing people that came to help us out in their own state, working on this project. Some of these builders were back for the second time, some for the third, and one, Sal from Allure in New York, was back for his seventh time! Knowing how hard these builders worked on their initial builds, we knew that we were in good hands and we were reassured of that every time we looked around on the jobsite. And for us, it wasn't just about having the best builders in the country surrounding us, it was about having truly extraordinary people with huge hearts that have now become our friends.
All of these builders are truly our heroes! Ready for the list of amazing builders? Here goes: Deltec Homes, Allure Home Improvements, Atreus Homes and Communities, Barker Homes, Capitol Homes, Dana Dugas Affordable Homes, David W. Stewart, Denova Homes, G & S Construction, Gallagher Family Homes, Jeff Junkert Construction, Jones Construction, Round House Consulting, Rutledge Builders, Shoemaker Homes, Shultz Construction, Simmons Homes, Sterling Homes, Sunrise Home, The Ecobuilders, R.J. Moreau Communities and Heritage Homes of both Mobile, Alabama and of Fargo, North Dakota!
There are also many unsung heroes in the area that have worked so hard to rebuild this community - people who live a prayer daily, daring to do the things that others simply find it too hard to do. These are every day people doing truly extraordinary things. We wanted to take time to recognize these people and thank them for the incredible job they have done. We brought them all together for a banquet, honoring them for their courage, their tenacity, and their undying devotion to this community. The Ten Tenors performed to the delight of everyone.
This week was an honor - an honor to build a home for such a deserving family, and honor to rebuild a church for a pastor that cares so much, an honor to be surrounded by outstanding builders, and an honor to meet new friends. For me, the final heroes of the week were those people who surround me week after week. All of our cast and crew who leave their families and friends for eleven months out of the year to make the impossible happen - build over 120 homes for families across the country for the past five years. To work side by side with these people with such amazing hearts, has been the biggest honor of all. We have become a family, and I love them so much.
This show, our final show of Season Five, was the last show for one of the members of our family, our Executive Producer, Denise Cramsey. She has been with our show for four years, and the thought of her leaving brings tears to my eyes even now. She has worked so hard to make this show what it is today, and even though we wish her the very best in what the future holds for her, we will miss her very much. She is OUR hero. The day she left, she quoted for us a song from the musical, Wicked. There is a song in that musical called "Changed For Good." "Who can say if I've been changed for the better, but because I knew you, I have been changed for good."
Because of her, and because of all the heroes we have met over the years, we all have been "Changed For Good." So "Here's to the Heroes."
ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition airs Sundays at 7 pm/ET.
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