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Extreme Makeover comes to Toledo |
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Thursday, 04 September 2008 |
TOLEDO—A local family will be getting a new house next week, and students, builders, suppliers and volunteers helped rally the workers Wednesday at St. Francis de Sales High School.
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| The St. Francis de Sales High School pep band performs at the school Wednesday during a rally for builders, suppliers and volunteers who are helping build a home in Toledo for an episode of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” (Chronicle photo by Angela Kessler) |
ABC’s hit television show, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” is building a home in Toledo with the help of Buckeye Real Estate, countless subcontractors, vendors and volunteers. The lucky family will get a knock on its door Sunday and then head off to Walt Disney World while their existing home is demolished and a new one is built in its place — all in a week’s time.
The rally Wednesday kicked off the whirlwind of activity for the coming week. St. Francis’ pep band welcomed everyone to the rally, while the builders, Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner and the show’s producer inspired workers for the 106-hour build.
While hundreds of people across the area have volunteered their time and talents to make the project a success, it is evident there is also heavy involvement from area Catholics.
The president, vice president and project manager of Buckeye Real Estate Group — Tim Schlachter, Mike White and Brian Arbaugh — are all graduates of St. Francis. Mr. Schlachter and Mr. White are members of Sylvania St. Joseph and Mr. Arbaugh is a member of Toledo Gesu. Buckeye Real Estate is the lead builder for the home.
“They truly are outstanding examples of what our school represents: namely solid education, a spirit of giving and they are true Christian gentlemen,” said Oblate of St. Francis Father Ronald Olszewski, president of the school.
“Today all of us are here at St. Francis very proud of these guys — Tim, Mike and Brian,” he continued. “Most importantly, they do good work every single day, not just when there are television crews and large groups of people come here to record their actions and acknowledge them.”
Mr. Schlachter said he wanted to be sure to involve the students at St. Francis in the project, but age requirements at the work site eliminated much of the student body from participating during the week. He acknowledged the students for helping make the rally one to remember.
Mr. Schlachter told the students how the bonds he made with other students at St. Francis have lasted a lifetime and helped bring together the people needed to make the home makeover something his company could take on. One question he said he has been asked since the announcement is how Buckeye Real Estate Group had the opportunity to lead the makeover project.
His answer is one word: prayer. He explained that a book he read four years ago contained a prayer based on Chronicles 4:9-10. “O that you may be blessed in deed, enlarge my territory, that your hand would be with me and that you would keep me from evil.”
Using that passage as inspiration, he said he prayed for his “role to expand in service,” Mr. Schlachter said. “Not for the benefit of me or something specific for my family, but to benefit the community. That has been my prayer for a number of years and I have seen it manifested. And all of you have within you a heart that will guide you. And what you learn here at school helps you take what your heart tells you to do and manifest it the way that does good things.”
The television show’s producer Conrad Ricketts was also on hand at the rally. In addition to showing videos of a number of homes that have been built during the show’s run, he challenged the audience to stay involved even after the television crews move on.
“Everybody comes to this thinking, I’m going to help somebody. And as they go through it, they realize it’s not about helping someone else,” Mr. Ricketts said. “In that you help yourself. You make a difference.
“I want you to come and be a part of this so that you will realize you do not need us,” he added. “You do not need Hollywood, Ty Pennington — bless his heart — to change someone’s life.” His hope for the community is that one day, people will come to realize that they can make a difference in anyone’s life with just a few hours of their time.
“This job is about a community coming together and changing one family’s life,” Mr. Ricketts said, referring to next week’s build. “You don’t need us to change a family’s life. In your own neighborhood, on your own block, in your own city, in your town, in this country, it takes you to be able to make those changes. It takes one person who raises their hand to say, ‘I am willing to make a difference.’ ”
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To volunteer or make a donation for the Toledo home makeover and learn about more activities surrounding the build, visit www.buildwithbuckeye.com.
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