Volunteer Spotlight: Kristen Ward

Kristen became involved with the Extreme Makeover project when Tasha Brackeen (another awesome volunteer) and Cyndi Herdt, one of Bob's staff, approached her. She decided to "jump on board with a great team and a respected builder."

Kristen thought of Extreme Makeover as a way to make a difference in the community where she works as an insurance agent. She knew it would help a very deserving family.

The Extreme Makeover project was not Kristen's first experience with giving. She's an active member with the Derby Chamber of Commerce, the Wichita March of Dimes, NAIFA and she's served on the Economic Development Board for the City of Derby. It's amazing she had time for the Makeover, as busy as she is!

Kristen met most, if not all of the cast members. She, along with Tasha, were able to "hang out" with them at the Alley riding go carts and socializing. She said of the cast and crew, "They were great people with a passion to help others." She worked very closely with the project managers and coordinators throughout the project. "The hard work and around the clock hours they commit to amazed me" said Kristen.

When asked about her impression of the house Kristen replied,"The house was beautiful! The attention to detail and the personal touches given to this home showed an overwhelming love for the family and truly identified who they are."

Kristen said that the best part of being able to work with Extreme Makeover on this home was the ability to make a difference. She also enjoyed seeing the community come together and work together -- everyone from food vendors, retailers, labor and etc. "it was unbelievable!" said Kristen, "lots of amazing people with a common goal to pay it forward."

Kristen is fondly remembered by many volunteers. Her efforts did not go unnoticed. In real life, Kristen runs a Farmers Insurance Agency in Derby.

Photo courtesy Splurge Magazine - Kristen is 2nd from the left.

Basement Walls

How are we possibly going to get this house up in less than a week? On the outset it sounded like a daunting task and despite the very tight schedule (in 30 minute intervals) it still seems unimaginable.

One of the ways we were able to move forward so quickly was the basement. Instead of using a footing, the base of the walls was built on compacted gravel, something we had never used before. It's common up north where the building season is much shorter, so time is of the essence.

In this photo Bob, Ben (our son) and I look the basement walls (yes, basement walls) before they are set in place. The walls came from Superior Wall Systems. They are incredibly energy efficient, featuring styrofoam insulation pored into place. Superior does the basement walls for all of the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition shows.

As you can tell, the delivery came at night so in the morning the basement was done and we were ready to start building upwards.

This is just one of the many ways we were able to keep on track. We also learned a few things we'll incorporate into homes we build in the future whenever feasible.

Volunteer Spotlight: Darcie Oursler

Darcie became involved with the Extreme Makeover project through Kristen Ward (another popular volunteer). Kristen was familiar with Darcie's work because they had recently worked together on a project for the March of Dimes. "She told me about the Extreme & I said yes," said Darcie, who is actually working as the marketing liaison with AutoMasters.

Darcie was even more excited about the project because of the family. When she saw the profile video she thought they were a fantastic, very deserving family.

Although Darcie was involved from almost the day we found out about Extreme Makeover, her employer (Auto Masters) was excited about the opportunity and agreed to give Darcie paid leave from her regular job to be available on site every day during the build. Her contribution to the project includes: organizing food for the catering tents (along with Kristen), arranging for the dry storage truck and cold storage truck, soliciting donations for drinks, bottled water, arranging a band for the fundraiser, helping with set up at the fundraiser, coordinating the wrap party and collecting funds for the wrap party.

"Everyday I would go to the site and check in with Lisa (Nelson, Derby Rec Center), Kristen (Farmers Insurance Company) and Deb to see what was needed, played the gopher and helper's helper," says Darcie.

"The best part (of the project) was the caliber of volunteers, their attitudes and the enthusiasm that everyone had about this project. It was such an uplifting affair."

She also got to meet the cast of the show: Jillian, Paige and Paulie. "They were very warm and open. All of them were fantastic. Even the security staff was professional and nice," Darcie stated, then laughed "I didn't get to talk to Ty but he backed up over my foot and apologized, if you can call that conversation."

Darcie thinks the best part of the new home is the dual fireplace with all the messages. "Just being able to open the door and see the amount of love that went into that particular part of the house is really great," says Darcie.

"It was such an amazing experience. I can't imagine not having the opportunity to participate in that as a person and I was thrilled to represent my company to be a part in giving back to the community," said Darcie.

That sentiment will surely be echoed by each and every person involved.