Warm welcome for 'Makeover' family

After week away, O'Donnells return to new home,
financial help.

By Andrea Ball
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Monday, December 18, 2006

There were beauty queens and Round Rock Donuts, cameras on wheels and babies in strollers, dogs, dust, tears, crowds and, of course, the O'Donnell family.

One week ago, most people had never heard of Patrick and Jeanette O'Donnell. The couple lived in relative obscurity as they raised their six children, five of whom have autism, in a two-story house in Northwest Austin.

Then came "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."

On Sunday, the low-key family became reality-television stars as they saw their new house for the first time before a crowd of about 3,000.

"Thank you so much," a crying Jeanette said as she hugged custom home builder Jimmy Jacobs, who built the house for free.

The O'Donnells are ordinary people living with extraordinary challenges.

Five of their children — Caitlin, 15, Deirdre, 12, Erin, 10, Patrick, 6, and Kiernan, 5 — have some form of autism, a disorder that impairs the way people talk, play, relate to others and respond to the environment.

Meaghan, 8, is the only O'Donnell child without autism.

For years, the family scraped by on Patrick's salary as a production supervisor at a mail center while Jeanette stayed home with the kids.

But money problems always dogged the family.

"Extreme Makeover" changed all that.

Armed with its 17 million to 20 million viewers and a celebrity cast, "Makeover" secured donations from more than 300 companies.

During the past week, the family's former 2,200-square-foot house — which had mold, leaks and structural damage — was razed and rebuilt into a 4,500-square-foot showplace.

They also raised $200,000 through a benefit concert at La Zona Rosa and individual donations, said "Makeover" senior producer Diane Korman.

Of that, $140,000 will pay off the mortgage on the old house. The remainder is for household expenses.

"So much goodness came from the community and the neighbors," Korman said.

Only a handful of people know exactly what the interior of the new house looks like.

"Makeover" staffers are tight-lipped about the home, refusing to tip their hand before the show's expected airdate of February or March.

But on Sunday, the Hawkshead Drive construction set was rife with rumors.

The house has seven bedrooms!

A trampoline room!

A circular patio!

Laptops for every child!

"Makeover" officials have said the new home will include plenty of space for the whole family and features to aid with the children's therapy and treatments.

But that's all they will say.

"We want it to stay a surprise for the viewers," Korman said.

Though the details of the new house were on spectators' minds, many people said they came out to support the O'Donnells.

"It's an inspiring family, an inspiring story," said Joy Legan, who volunteered at the construction site after reading about the O'Donnells in the newspaper. "This is what the holidays are all about."

Others came out to enjoy the public spectacle.

Neighbors watched the show from their roofs with binoculars, while other nearby homeowners offered doughnuts and chairs to passers-by.

Some held colorful signs reading, "WELCOME HOME O'DONNELL FAMILY!!!"

Bejeweled beauty queens stopped by in tiaras and jeans to pose for pictures with admirers.

Fans, sweaty from the afternoon sun and gritty from construction dust, fell into hysterics at the very sight of "Makeover" host Ty Pennington.

"We love you, Tyyyy!" a middle-aged blonde screamed before collapsing into giggles.

Then, sometime after 2 p.m., the O'Donnells rolled down Hawkshead in a black limousine, their view of the house blocked by a massive bus.

After a few minutes of hugs and thank-yous, the big bus rolled away, revealing the new gold and limestone house.

Jeanette cried. Deirdre's jaw dropped. The crowd screamed. Caitlin covered her ears.

And then, after more hugs, tears and camera shots, the O'Donnells walked into their new house.

aball@statesman.com; 912-2506

300

Number of sponsors

4,500

Square feet in the O'Donnells' new home

$200,000

Amount raised for the O'Donnell family

$140,000

Amount that will go toward paying the mortgage; the rest will be for house- hold expenses.

For daily updates and photos from the jobsite, check out Jimmy Jacobs' special Extreme Makeover: Home Edition website: www.jacobshomes.com/extreme.

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition airs on ABC TV on Sundays at 8/7c.

About Jimmy Jacobs
Jimmy Jacobs Custom Homes is a unique collection of skilled professionals with diverse expertise who are committed to maximizing your homebuilding experience. Jacobs founded the company in 1988 with a simple "builder for life" philosophy and with a strong desire to return to his hometown of Georgetown, TX. The operations began with building high quality custom designed homes on individual sites located around the Georgetown area. Today Jimmy Jacobs Custom Homes specializes in community land development, single-family construction, and age-restricted retirement home communities for Active Adults throughout Georgetown and the surrounding areas.

About Extreme Makeover
"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," which has won back-to-back Emmy Awards as Best Reality Program (non-competitive), is in its 4th season on ABC.  The program is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding.  Denise Cramsey is the executive producer; and David Goldberg is the president of Endemol USA.

http://abc.go.com/primetime/xtremehome/index.html

Media Relations Contact:

For more information, contact:
Steve McClain
Vice President of Sales and Marketing
(512) 930-4041
SMcClain@jacobshomes.com