Extreme Makeover Home Edition Builds Extreme Community Support

In a matter of seconds, a home in Holt was reduced to a pile of debris, but you could call it a demolition to fulfill a dream.

By: Tiffany Teasley, WILX.com, Tiffany.Teasley@wilx.com

In a matter of seconds, a home in Holt was reduced to a pile of debris, but you could call it a demolition to fulfill a dream.

"Once we smash it, it's done and we go to work," said Rib Hillis, a designer on Extreme Makeover Home Edition.

The home of Arlene Nickless, a widow and her three young sons is getting an extreme makeover slated to finish Friday. The foundation is being constructed Sunday night, and now it's a reality show race against the clock.

"The pace will pick up incredibly, it will go non-stop for 24 hours," Hillis said.

"We have 106 hours and the clock is ticking," said Karen Schroeder of Mayberry Homes, the general contractor for the project.

Nearly 1500 local volunteers signed up to help out on Sunday alone and organizers say the community support is the true building blocks of the project.

"From the moment this was announced, we have had an out pouring of support from the greater Lansing area; serving food and cleaning up the site, you name it they're doing it, and they're doing it with a smile on their face and an energetic step," Schroeder said.

Volunteers from across the Lansing area pitched in Sunday. Landscape Architecture students from Michigan State University worked together as a volunteer design team for the project.

"We're all really excited, the three of us are just really looking forward to using our expertise and what we've learned from Michigan State in the LA program, to apply it to a real world situation, so its been a really great experience," said Sarah Huddas, a team member.

An experience that will bring extreme opportunities for the future of a family.

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