Extreme Makeover Home Edition – Palm Harbor and Nationwide Homes

Mark McGuinn with Palm Harbor and Nationwide Homes Hit The Road for ALS

The Move That Bus Tour of 2010 is hitting the road to promote the new song by Mark McGuinn called Move That Bus as well as the episode of Extreme Makeover Home Edition airing on May 16th at 8:00 PM EST. But the ultimate purpose of the entire tour is to raise awareness and money for ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease).

 

 

 

 

Move That Bus Tour Dates & Times

San Antonio May 10-11 The Move That Bus Tour starts in San Antonio on May 10th. The tour will be making stops at all area Palm Harbor Home sales centers in the San Antonio area.
Tour Bus Schedule | Map | Call 888-466-3718 for more info

Houston May 12th The Tour will continue in Houston on Wednesday May 12th with stops during the day at all area Palm Harbor locations and then a benefit concert at Rebels Honky Tonk of Houston Wednesday night @ 5002 Washington Avenue, Houston TX 77007. Doors open at 8:00. Free Tickets available at all area Palm Harbor locations.
Tour Bus Schedule | Map | Call 888-466-3718 for more info

Austin May 13th -The Tour will continue in Austin on Thursday May 13th with stops during the day at all area Palm Harbor locations with a special concert at our Austin location at 810 Bastrop Hwy at 2:00 and then a benefit concert at Rebels Honky Tonk of Austin Thursday night @ 305 West 5th Street, Austin, TX 78701. Doors open at 8:00. Free Tickets available at all area Palm Harbor locations
Tour Bus Schedule | Map | Call 888-466-3718 for more info

Dallas/Ft Worth May 14th & 15th – The tour will continue Friday & Saturday with visits to all Dallas/Fort Worth locations then a concert at the famous Gilley’s Dallas on Saturday night @ 1135 S Lamar Street Dallas TX 75215. Doors open at 8:00. Free tickets available at all area Palm Harbor locations.
Tour Bus Schedule | Map | Call 888-466-3718 for more info

Guest Appearance by Paul DiMeo

Just announced: we will have a guest appearance on the tour by Paul DiMeo, best known as the carpenter with attitude on ABC Television’s two-time Emmy winning Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Continually recalled as the show’s favorite – second to host Ty Pennington – DiMeo currently shooting the fifth season of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (Sunday at 8:00 pm ET) is particularly renowned for his imaginative work on children’s bedrooms. With boundless warmth and genuine nature, DiMeo remembers his early Pennsylvania roots and in particular how at aged five, he began his affair with home renovation after the family home burned to the ground. “My father and I embarked upon our own extreme makeover to reconstruct the family home”. Indeed, Paul’s hallmark is his deep understanding of family hardship that shines through as the show’s rugged carpenter with a heart of go.
Tour Bus Schedule | Map | Call 888-466-3718 for more info

 

 

 

 

 

Greensboro NC May 16th – The tour then moves to Arizona Pete’s Country Music Saloon in Greensboro NC, hometown of both Mark McGuinn and yours truly and a central location in the Southeast to celebrate with all Nationwide Homes employees, customers and builders. As you may remember, Nationwide Homes is a subsidiary of Palm Harbor Homes and is the division ultimately responsible for building the home for the Williams family to be featured on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on May 16th at 8 PM EST. Accordingly, this concert will be a huge celebration for all!!!! See press release

It’s a homecoming concert for Mark McGuinn, I get to hug my Mom and Dad and Nationwide Homes gets to bring everyone together for a huge watching party of our EMHE episode. The concert will start at 6 PM with a break between sets at 8 PM to watch Extreme Makeover on the big screen. The concert will be at Arizona Pete’s Country Music Saloon at 2900-A Patterson St Greensboro, NC 27407. Tickets are $10 at the door with half the money going to the ALS Association to find a cure for Lou Gehrig’s disease or free at any area Nationwide Homes location.

Open House Promo at all Locations May 14-16

We will be hosting an Open House Promo at all Palm Harbor locations to show off our new floorplans that were inspired by the Williams home we built for the Extreme Makeover episode airing on May 16th.

Move That Bus – The Song

Nashville recording artist Mark McGuinn wrote a song inspired by the life and attitude of Jeremy Williams called Move That Bus. The song is now available. Go to www.extremephn.com and click on Store (available for download or as a CD). Buy several CDs and give them out as gifts – a portion of the proceeds of each song will go to research to finding a cure for ALS.

We reached our goal because of people like you!

At the final hour of the fundraising campaign, we reached our goal and even exceeded it by a few thousand dollars. Again, ALL of the money we received will go to the family. Any reserves will be held to compensate for any outstanding debts the family may owe after all the gifts have been received.

We were privileged to have Robert Williams in the VIP tent at the time we received the 100,000th dollar and asked him to update the makeshift live video board we created from scraps in the construction site.

The show will air Sunday, May 16,2010 at 8:00 pm-9:00 pm EST as the Season Finale.

How to Stay Tuned

Website – we will keep the website live so you can always check the latest news on this project at www.extremephn.com.

Pictures and Videos – we will be posting new pictures and videos over the next several weeks leading up to the airing of the show. The latest additions includes an aerial picture of the home that is simply stunning as well as a video interview with Jennifer’s mom soon to go live and a bloopers video of the staff running low on sleep. Once the show airs, we will publish some behind the scenes videos and pictures as well. For now check out what we have posted:

For pictures go to our Flickr account at www.flickr.com/photos/extremephn
For videos go to our YouTube account at www.youtube.com/palmharborhomescorp

Facebook – we will continue networking with everyone thru our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/PalmHarbor

Shirts – you asked for it, you got it. We have made shirts available to the public based on overwhelming demand. Click here to order.

Buy a Home – now I wouldn’t be a true Marketing man if I didn’t make a sales pitch would I? If you are considering making a housing change in the near future, visit our websites at www.palmharbor.com and www.nationwide-homes.com. We will be announcing new models inspired by the Williams home very soon.

Again, thanks for making the Williams dream home become a reality!!!

Our work is done, well almost. We have pictures to show you.

At the week ending party last night, Dan and I had dozens of people ask up to keep the updates coming. We’re not sure what more to say other than thank you.

Thank you to all the volunteers – you inspire us.

Thank you to the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition team – you rock.

Thank you to the law enforcement team for you did all week to keep things organized.

Thank you to the local media for helping us tell the story.

Thank you to Callaway Gardens for allowing our muddy boots in your resort.

Thank you to all the Williams neighbors – wow!

Thank you to all 1,800 employees of Palm Harbor and Nationwide Homes and a special thank you to all the employees that worked all week in Georgia.

Thank you to all the sponsors who helped make it happen.

Thank you to all the companies that donated food.

Thanks to all the builders who made it possible.

Thank you to everyone who donated money to help us reach our goal – another wow!

Thank you to all the friends and family of the Williams family – special bunch!

Top Ten Pics from the Week

As we wrap up our work, we wanted to share our favorite pictures from the week. I took 3,000 pictures, any could have made the list but here are the ten I chose:

Standing here, I just knew we were going to have a magical week, I underestimated how magical.

This was staged but a great picture of Dan to illustrate how much stuff he had going on at any given time. He was the quiet leader behind the scenes making sure everything worked.

This was also taken at 2:00 AM – shows the round the clock effort being put into the Williams’ new home.

I have worked with Dan for almost six years, I hope I never go that long again before discovering how hard working and talented a co-worker is. The Daily Updates were the highlight of my day.

This picture just made me real proud to work for Palm Harbor and Nationwide Homes. Setting the home in an afternoon is just how we roll.

Colleen Rogers says she isn’t in sales. Yet she asked every person who came to view the site for money. And used a paint bucket to collect it. $10,000 in cash, one dollar at a time.

This picture shows how this whole event worked – volunteers working around the clock. Here they formed a chain and loaded the Williams’ belongings into the house in minutes.

I’ve never been a part of something so big that we hired a video helicopter.

The amount of emotion in this one picture is hard to capture on purpose. I got lucky. But it makes me really appreciate the job the editors of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition do at capturing the emotion in every show.

I quit counting but this was probably the 50th time Robert Williams and his family told us thank you. The truth is, we owe the Williams family a thank you, we were the ones that were blessed by this event.

I don’t have words to describe this one showing Jacob reaching up to hug Andy thanking him for the new home.

This one shows Robert logging the 100,000 dollar we raised. Yes, that’s right, we hit out goal!!!!

Welcome Home Jeremy and Jennifer!

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In case you weren’t counting, that was more than ten pictures – I got carried away but I refuse to delete anything from this week.

One Last Swing

This will likely be my last update. The home is undergoing the final touches, the crowds are rolling in and it’s almost show time. It’s been a great week to say the least.

Within 4-5 hours the Williams family will be home. I doubt life will ever be the same, for them, for all of us and definitely not for me. One short week ago, I stepped foot on the property and walked every square inch. I’ll never forget the rope swing I saw in the Oak tree in the front of the property.

It was the only “fun” thing I saw on site. I took a picture of it and I’m not even sure why.

I wrapped it up in the top of the tree to preserve it and I’m not even sure why.

Now I know.

We are at $84,000 and counting. We have a few hours to go and we need one final push. One dollar is all we need – from 16,000 more people. Please take one minute and donate, then take another minute and tell your friends. Two minutes to finalize the dream come true opportunity for a family that deserves it.

How?

1. Step one: Go to www.extremephn.com and click the Donate button.
2. Step Two: Tell all your friends to donate $1.00. Start a chain email. Ask everyone you know to give just one dollar.

When?

Now. The family will be back at 2:00 today when we give them their keys. We need to reach 100,000 by Saturday afternoon.

What else?

We will also apply the money to paying off their current mortgage on their land. We want to give them a debt free new home. ALL of the donations Palm Harbor receives will go to the family.

Who?

Who do you know that would give a dollar AND tell a friend? Send them the web address www.extremephn.com and ask them to give a dollar and tell their friends. Put it on Facebook. Tweet the world. Tell your church. Challenge your club members or sorority or fraternity. I’d love to hear from you – tell me how many friends you enlisted to help the Williams family.

We need 100,000 people to donate $1.00 in 26 hours

So far, we have raised $17,2100  $21,506.35  $27,020  $32,646   $34,874.

See live streaming video of the current amount raised.

We appreciate every donation and we need more but the last donation we received from Christian Olson, from Cataula, GA was one of the more magical moments on the build site this week. Christian came down to donate because his Dad John Olson works at Jeremy’s middle school. He brought his entire life savings to give toward the family getting a wheel chair accessible van and a mortgage free home . Why so magical? Well, Christian is 3 years old.

The donations are coming in as fast as we can count them. Since I started this article, the amount has gone up $3,000. We need more so keep them coming. WHETHER WE MISS, MEET OR EXCEED OUR GOAL, EVERY PENNY WE RECEIVE WILL GO TO THE FAMILY, PERIOD!!!!!!

How?

1. Step one: Go to www.extremephn.com and click the Donate button.
2. Step Two: Tell all your friends to donate $1.00. Start a chain email. Ask everyone you know to give just one dollar.

When?

Now. The family will be back on Saturday when we give them their keys. We need to reach 100,000 by Saturday morning.

What else?

We will also apply the money to paying off their current mortgage on their land. We want to give them a debt free new home. ALL of the donations Palm Harbor receives will go to the family.

Who?

Who do you know that would give a dollar AND tell a friend? Send them the web address www.extremephn.com and ask them to give a dollar and tell their friends. Put it on Facebook. Tweet the world. Tell your church. Challenge your club members or sorority or fraternity. I’d love to hear from you – tell me how many friends you enlisted to help the Williams family.

What’s Next

We are now 24 hours away from giving the family the keys. The house is nearly ready and it is incredible. The landscaping just started as well as the paving of the driveway. Things happen so fast – I went around back to take pictures, came back to the tent to download them, didn’t like the angle so I went back and there was now a fence built around the entire back yard. What was a dirt driveway 30 minutes ago is now paved. As I type this, the front year is all dirt, in 45 minutes, it will be a lush green yard. When we woke up this morning, the Williams family had a mortgage and no transportation, as I type this, we are 1/3 the way toward giving them a debt free home and a wheelchair accessible van. Amazing day.

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Public Viewing

If you would like to attend the build site, there is a Public Viewing Area & VIP Tent. It will be open from 8AM – 8PM through Saturday 2/27. Parking for the shuttles to the site will be at Charles Moultrie Park at 10695 Highway 116, Hamilton, GA 31811 (click for map). No cars will be permitted at the build site. Shuttles only.

We need 100,000 people to donate $1.00 in 36 hours

The community has given so much to the Williams family this week. But the Williams still need more.

The house is built. The Design team is doing their thing to make it into a home. Every detail is designed to accommodate for Jacob’s easy movement throughout the house in his wheelchair. Jeremy says that he has come to terms with the fact that he will be in a wheel chair one day soon, so the house is also built to accommodate that reality. Every doorway, all the hallways, even the decks and access points are designed for the future likelihood of housing two wheelchairs.

One large and daunting challenge remains: the family does not have a wheelchair accessible van! We want to transform the entire life of the Williams family, so we’re asking you to help. Please tell everyone you know that we need 100,000 people to give the Williams $1.00 – in the next 36 hours!

How?

1. Step one: Go to www.extremephn.com and click the Donate button.
2. Step Two: Tell all your friends to donate $1.00. Start a chain email. Ask everyone you know to give just one dollar.

It’s that easy.

When?

Now. The family will be back on Saturday when we give them their keys. We need to reach 100,000 by Saturday morning.

What else?

We will also apply the money to paying off their current mortgage on their land. We want to give them a debt free new home. ALL of the donations Nationwide and Palm Harbor Homes receive will go to the family.

Who?

Who do you know that would give a dollar AND tell a friend? Send them the web address www.extremephn.com and ask them to give a dollar and tell their friends. Put it on Facebook. Tweet the world. Tell your church. Challenge your club members or sorority or fraternity. I’d love to hear from you – tell me how many friends you enlisted to help the Williams family.

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Public Viewing

If you would like to attend the build site, there is a Public Viewing Area & VIP Tent. It will be open from 8AM – 8PM through Saturday 2/27. Parking for the shuttles to the site will be at Charles Moultrie Park at 10695 Highway 116, Hamilton, GA 31811 (click for map). No cars will be permitted at the build site. Shuttles only.

We have built the house, now it’s time to make it a home.

We have all heard the expression “What a difference a day makes.” It’s not a strong enough expression around here. We are seeing changes over the course of hours, even minutes that are simply amazing. Today we will finalize the delivery and construction elements so we can soon turn the house over to the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Design team-who will transform the house into a home.

As I walked through the house last night, I thought about Jeremy and Jacob. I don’t pretend to understand the challenges they face but I just walked through the house thinking of the two of them since part of the mission is to make their lives easier. I’m not privy to all the plans of the Design Team but as a huge fan of the show, I know to expect great things to make Jeremy and Jacob’s daily lives much better. Then I realize how I had selfishly overlooked the challenges Jennifer and Josie face on a daily basis. Extreme Makeover isn’t about helping individuals, it’s about changing a family’s life. I can’t tell you about the interior of the house but I can tell you this after walking through the house, the lives of all four will be changed.

Words escape me for how exhilarating this entire event has been for me, our entire building team as well as all of our 1,800 employees across the country. I’d pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming but my hands are too cold LOL. We saw a little sleet and snow early this morning and temperatures are dropping fast. But that’s the only thing dropping, spirits are high and as they say in Hollywood, “the show must go on.” No one skipped a beat, nor will they.

Like everyone else, my mother is anxious to know every detail I’m allowed to tell her on a daily basis. Today she emailed me and said:

Just thought you would like to know that my devotional for today is from Proverbs 24 and I was not surprised to see it talk about building a house. Just thought I’d share:

By wisdom a house is built and through understanding it is established, through knowledge it’s rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.

I will continue to pray for the Williams family and everyone involved.

Love ya, Mom

Just one of the many meaningful encounters this project has stirred in the last few days. It is a week I wish would last a year – except I miss the Williams family and I’m ready for them to come home.