FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 14, 2011
For further information, Contact:
Cynthia Moxley
Moxley Carmichael
(865) 544-0088
ABC'S EMMY-WINNING TV SHOW ‘EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION' SELECTS KNOXVILLE AND GRACE CONSTRUCTION FOR EPISODE
ABC'S Emmy-winning hit television series "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" has selected Knoxville as the location for an upcoming show. Additionally, the series' producers have selected a woman-owned general contractor, Grace Construction, to be the lead builder on the project.
"We could not be more excited about the visibility this project will bring Knoxville," said Grace Construction's president and founder, Christi Branscom. "We will have the opportunity to showcase the true volunteer spirit for which our region is so well known. "
The show, in its ninth season, selects a deserving family each episode and totally remodels or rebuilds the family's home. The program relies on volunteers throughout the community to complete the project - a total home re-do accomplished within a week. All work and supplies are donated.
The name and location of the selected family will be revealed on Jan. 10, 2012, when the show's host, Ty Pennington, will knock on the door of the selected family and give them the news that they have been chosen. Producers from "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" have visited Knoxville and have narrowed down their search to a handful of families from which they will choose the winner.
The project will require hundreds of skilled and unskilled workers, also known as "helping hand volunteers." If you would like to assist in this exciting event, please visit http://www.joinextreme.com/tennessee.
Grace Construction Chief Operating Officer Scott Branscom is spearheading the actual building of the project. He has been working with ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" personnel to determine the exact needs for the construction. "The folks at ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' have done this more than 200 times," he said. "Their experience, along with the generosity of our community, is what will make it possible for us to pull this off in just a week."
In addition to the volunteers needed, the project will accept donations of cash for what is called a "family build fund." The money in this fund will be used to assist the selected family.
The show's emotional tug comes from the stories of the families who are chosen as recipients of the makeovers. Some of the past winners have had special needs children, difficult financial circumstances or other personal challenges. When the family is selected, ABC and "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" take them away for a week-long family vacation while the work is being done on their home. Upon their return, a huge bus is placed in front of their remodeled house. With the shout of, "Move that bus!" the vehicle pulls away to reveal the newly remodeled residence.
Home Federal Bank will be accepting donations for the Knoxville Family Build Fund at its 23 East Tennessee locations. Additionally, Home Federal has announced its own contribution with a start-up gift to the fund of $20,000 to help the family. "We thought this was a great opportunity to show the whole country what kind of people we are here in East Tennessee," said Home Federal Bank President and CEO Dale Keasling. "Home Federal is our community's hometown bank, and we are proud to be a part of this heart-warming project."
Other companies involved in the project so far include Johnson Architecture, which has donated architecture services; Pro-Build, which has donated building supplies; ShoffnerKalthoff, which has donated mechanical and plumbing services; and Moxley Carmichael, which has donated public relations and graphic design services.
The team at Grace Construction has branded the Knoxville build team "Extreme Volunteers," and T-shirts bearing that logo are available with a donation to the Knoxville Family Build Fund. They are available through the Grace Construction website at http://www.grace-info.com.
The show airs in Knoxville on WATE, Channel 6, on Friday nights at 8 o'clock. The Knoxville episode will air late in 2012.
Grace Construction, founded in 2003 and named for Christi and Scott Branscom's daughter, Grace, provides custom-built homes as well as commercial construction. It is located in downtown Knoxville at 505 Walnut Street. Known for environmentally conscious construction methods, Grace is in demand for high-end residential projects.
About ABC-TV's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" - The Emmy award winning reality program "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," now in its 9th season, is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. It's executive produced by Brady Connell and George Verschoor. David Goldberg is Chairman, Endemol North America. Episodes air Friday nights from 8 to 9 p.m. ET on ABC.
About Moxley Carmichael
Founded in 1992 as Moxley Communications, Moxley Carmichael provides a full range of strategic and communications services including public, government, media and community relations; internal and external corporate communications; strategic planning; research; graphic design; advertising; and Website design. Moxley Carmichael also offers new media counseling, networking training, media training and customer service training. For more information, visit http://www.moxleycarmichael.com.