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Bedford Bulletin

News and Information for the Town of Bedford

Volunteers ready to complete addition to Bedford home as ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’ plans to return to N.H.

BY STEPHEN BEALE

Whether the TV show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” returns to New Hampshire, there are some Bedford families who have already benefited from the show’s popularity – either directly or through their community service efforts.

Mike and Laura Street and their five children were “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” finalists last year, but were not chosen.

Kim Peicker, a Bedford resident and volunteer coordinator for the first New Hampshire edition of “Extreme Makeover,” has been orchestrating an extreme makeover, Bedford-style, by recruiting volunteers to help build a handicap-accessible addition onto the Street family’s home in Bedford.

“The Street Family Project is coming along nicely thanks to the hard work and dedication of so many in this community,” said Peicker.

Mike and Laura Street and four of their children are back in their newly remodeled existing home. Their son, Craig, who has special needs due to a medical disorder, is still in a temporary care facility until the handicapaccessible addition is complete, Peicker said.

There’s still work to be done such as planting and landscaping, interior painting, and interior doors and trim need to be hung as well as removing sheetrock scraps from the house.

A volunteeer day is set for Saturday, Oct. 4, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Street home, 22 Tirrell Road. Stop by anytime between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. For more information, contact Kim Peicker at 345-8972, visit www. helpthestreets.hyperboards.com or e-mail kpeicker@comcast. net.

Extreme-Makeover
The popular ABC reality show that gave a new home to a Manchester family and broke the record for the number of volunteers it drew, may be coming back to the Granite State.

“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” is issuing a casting call to families anywhere in the state who need their home rebuilt. This season, the show is celebrating American heroes. They could run the gamut from soldiers, police and firemen to anyone who has done something inspiring in the community.

That requirement is on top of the other two criteria that have been in place since the inception of the show – the family must need a new house for some reason, and it must lack the finances or other resources to do it alone.

Peicker is not surprised to hear the show might return. “I think they were just so impressed by how New Hampshire residents stepped up,” Peicker said. “It made them want to come back. They were just so impressed with the community.”

The show stormed into New Hampshire a year ago, resulting in a new home for Reynald and Casey Voisine and their four children, who had lost their Wentworth Street home in Manchester to the 2006 Mother’s Day flood and had been living in an apartment since then.

Some well-publicized finalists from the show were from Bedford, including the Street family and Camp Allen. Also, the builder of the house for the family that made the show, R.J. Moreau Communities is based in Bedford.

Finalists for the last round of selection will not automatically be reconsidered, according to Kelly Mooney, a producer. If they are still interested in participating in the show, they need to reapply. The search for families, she said, is being done from scratch.

In some cases, Mooney added, former applicants may no longer need the assistance. One such case is the Street family, who have benefited from a volunteer effort.

Peicker has spoken with three families who wanted advice on applications. She said they lived south of Bedford, the Seacoast area and around Goffstown.

The New Hampshire stop in 2007 fulfilled a promise to visit all 50 states within two seasons. This time, there is no such guarantee that the Granite State will be featured in what will be the sixth season. Mooney said the show is casting a nationwide net, focusing on 100 cities and regions where it is on a mission to find the right families. As the popularity of the show has soared, Mooney said “Extreme Makeover” has had to be more selective.

“With each season that goes by, we sort of up the ante a little bit,” Mooney said. “We have to set the bar a little higher each time to pick that one family.”

The response the show received from New Hampshire, Mooney said, makes producers want to come back. The show was a top story for more than a week on WMUR-TV and was the number one requested video on its Web site, according to Alex Jasiukowicz, the creative services director for the local ABC affiliate.

“There was such an excitement and such a community spirit that it was a place where, when we were looking, where we wanted to come back,” Mooney said.

The event also generated the largest turnout of volunteers and sponsors in the history of the show, at least up to that time, according to Jasiukowicz. “We enjoyed ourselves and the show really enjoyed the response we got,” Mooney said. “It was such a good experience that we wanted to give New Hampshire an opportunity to have it again.”

So far, Mooney has received applications and nominations for a spectrum of 500 New Hampshire families. She would not elaborate on their identities, except to say that applications often mirror what has been in the news, especially in terms of natural disasters.

In 2006 and 2007, New Hampshire was hit with severe flooding, followed by more natural disasters this year, including a tornado and flooding from Hurricane Hanna.

Mooney said “Extreme Makeover” will be airing 22 episodes this season. Where the episodes are filmed will depended entirely on where Mooney and other producers can find the right stories.

“We are completely driven by the stories we find and not so much the map anymore,” Mooney said.

To apply, send a short description of a family’s situation to CastingNewHampshire @gmail.com. The nominations must include the names and ages of all the family members, a description of the problems with their home, and an explanation of how the family is heroic. Photos and a contact number should be included.

The deadline to apply is Oct. 10, but an extension is possible.

– Susan Clark contributed to this article.

Published Wednesday, October 01, 2008 4:46 PM by Bedford Editor

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Cynthia said:

Do you know for sure when the deadline is for submission for the 2009 Extreme Makeover Home Edition is? On the WMUR site it said something different and didn't mention anything about photos or being heroic. I know a family that needs it because of medical and finances. They've been together since high school they were 15 and 18 and they are now 35 and 38 with a handsome son that is 7 years old. The wife was diagnosed with severe rhuematoid arthritis as a toddler (like two years old) and has battled tons of surgeries and life challenges. They have a true love story and been through tons of lifes struggles. Her husband is the biggest sweatheart and the kindest man everyone should meet. He works so hard and is a man that never complains. One of his comments to someone about his wifes illness is What would God do? I'm here to be her hands and feet. wlboucher@comcast.net
June 1, 2009 5:45 PM

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