No way to choose one family, show helps all
BILOXI - Although housing is desperately needed in the shattered areas of South Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina, the reality show made famous for giving needy families new homes has other plans to help the community heal.
Preston Sharp, a designer with ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," said during a press conference Sunday there is no way the show would be able to pick just one family out of so many deserving people. He said the show really wanted to help in a way that would benefit all the Katrina-ravaged communities. Two projects are under way that Sharp and his show hope will help the Coast move on to a brighter future.
Crews are rebuilding the Coastal Family Health Center, a nonprofit clinic at the corner of Division and Elmer streets that was flooded during Katrina. "Extreme" designer Paul DiMeo is heading that project.
A Katrina memorial also is being built in the northeast corner of Biloxi's Town Green with the help of local architect Dennis Cowart, mosaic artist Elizabeth Veglia and contractor Roy Anderson Corp. The monument will be inscribed with storm victims' names. If more victims are identified later, their names also will be added, Sharp said.
Sharp said it is important each person know the difference they can make in their communities, noting that "Extreme Makeover" relies on volunteers to help complete their projects.
"We do the good that we do with the help of those people," Sharp said. "We can only do so much. We can plant a seed and people can see what they can do."
Completion of the memorial is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday evening, when a candlelight vigil will be held. The exact time of the finish and the vigil is not known. However, Sharp said there would be surprises for the people who turn out.
More projects are planned in multiple affected communities along the Gulf Coast from Florida to Texas, but Sharp wanted to keep those plans a surprise.
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