Building Community with Extreme Makeover Home Edition

This week the TV show, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition was in Buffalo, NY. Buffalo is often called "the city of Good Neighbors" and the proof is the Buffalo show has had more volunteer sign ups then in any other city in the county. The extra workers meant that extra properties, not just the selected TV house, can have mini-makeovers. In the surrounding blocks; yards were raked, porches were painted, and new roofs put on. This neighborhood had definitely seen better times and finally got a much deserved boost.

I was fortunate enough to help them on Monday. I was assigned to the "community revitalization team". Yes, I raked lawns and scraped old paint off a house. I was a part of something that could possible turn that whole area around. The team I was on was proud to do this work and felt great about our contributions.

Not to diminish this part of the day in any way but...

A little before lunch our group was asked to be extras in a scene the on-site director was shooting. In the scene, Ty Pennington was demonstrating how a piece of furniture will be made and included in the new house. They blocked out the scene, rehearsed, tweaked, and re-shot the scene a couple of times. In two of the takes, Ty was standing right beside me! Yep - I was elbow to elbow with him! And yes, he is as energetic and goofy as he appears to be.

In case you didn't know - No, he does not do a lot of the physical manual labor but he did seem to know a lot about the woodworking and creative process that goes into creating a room. (above photo not taken by me)

With all my luck, my part will be on the cutting room floor but that's OK. Helping the area, assisting those who need help and just being part of this terrific program was enough for me.

It was a great day. I definitely plan on going back later in the week. I enjoyed helping the community and shooting a scene was a fun bonus - slight compensation for my blisters.