| Ty Pennington
and the design team for ABC's hit TV show, Extreme Makeover:
Home Edition made their first official visit to the Martinez
family of Albuquerque, NM bright and early this morning. The
family has dedicated itself to the revitalization and
rebuilding of the Trumbull section of the city, and Gerald
Martinez's ministry has helped reduce violent crime in the
area during the past four years.
"This is a first for New Mexico," Kyle Fisher, president
of Atreus Homes & Communities' New Mexico division, said
when asked about the company's third-time involvement as
lead builder for the TV show. "Extreme Makeover: Home
Edition hasn't yet been to our beautiful state and they've
found a great family that we're proud to help out."
Ty and his team of designers - Paul DiMeo, Paige Hemmis,
Ed Sanders and Michael Moloney - called the family out of
their home to signal the beginning of the week long project
during which the home will receive a complete "makeover" in
Extreme Makeover style.
"Completing an entire home makeover in one week is a
miracle in today's homebuilding industry, but thanks to
builders like Atreus Homes, who are willing to really pull
out all the stops for the show, we've always been able to
meet our own outrageous deadlines. Each show is more fun
than the last," Denise Cramsey, executive producer of the TV
show, states. "And the show's introduction to New Mexico
will be memorable."
Those interested in volunteering for the project should
visit
www.ExtremeAtreus.com
to register, and keep visiting the site for updates
on construction progress.
About The Martinez Family:
Five years ago, Gerald Martinez, his wife Liesa and their
four children moved into the Trumbull section of
Albuquerque, an area at the time rife with social problems,
Gerald began transforming his church into a refuge for the
needy, which included a café, daycare facility, and working
bathroom with showers so the homeless had a place to clean
up. The community welcomed the Martinez family and was very
grateful for all of their hard work. However, there were
some members that did not take a liking to Gerald and even
attacked him with a glass bottle in front of his own house.
Still, Gerald managed to work together with the community
and quickly transformed an area formerly known as "the War
Zone" into a new and better place now called "God's Block."
As crime rates decreased and the community began getting
media attention, Gerald purchased two other duplexes that
would be used to create the "Mission Outpost," a place where
broken people could recover from their troubles. With an
open door policy, many people were making use of the
Outpost. The Martinez family was finally connecting with
their neighbors, but they also began to lose their own
family privacy.
Soon enough, the family began to undergo financial
difficulties as well, considering they do not charge rent.
Although the family has made a great impact on the
transformed community, they do not have enough space for
themselves to live in. They don¹t have a working stove and
use hot plates to do their cooking. With little privacy and
on the verge of financial ruin, the Martinez family is in
severe need of a new and safe home where they can continue
their mission to save the town of Trumbull.
About The House:
Atreus Homes & Communities will work with the designers
of the home, to demolish two homes too dilapidated to save,
build two new structures including a home for the family,
and remodel two existing homes. The company is also speaking
with officials from the city of Albuquerque about how it can
help it with its goal of revitalizing the neighborhood and
continuing to create a safe neighborhood.
About the Team:
A team from Atreus Homes & Communities will be filling
the lead builder role on site at the Martinez family home
makeover in Albuquerque, NM. This is the company's third
time partnering up with Ty and his design team from "Extreme
Makeover: Home Edition."
"At this point it feels like a semi-annual reunion, where
we get to do what we do best and help out a family that
deserves it," Darren Drevik, Director of Marketing, US for
Atreus Homes & Communities said. "Our company doesn't just
build neighborhoods, it builds them up. As a relatively new
builder to the area, we're looking forward to showing folks
in Albuquerque what type of homebuilder we are."
Atreus Homes & Communities has already completed two
homes in conjunction with the ABC-TV show: one for the
Yazzie family of Pinon, Arizona, and another for the Riggins
family of Raleigh, N.C. The new project in New Mexico is
another challenge it is excited to take on.
The Build:
The week-long marathon began with Ty's famous line that
starts off every show, "Good Morning, Martinez family!"
Demolition of the old home is scheduled for Thursday, Jan.
16. Specific requirements for this makeover include:
framers, carpenters and general help. Hundreds of Atreus
Homes & Communities' employees, trade partners, and
community volunteers will gather for the initial symbolic
"charge" toward the home suggesting a sense of unity that
has become a large part of the show.
Immediately following the charge, the remnants of the
home are removed to an offsite location and the lot is
prepped for the build. The weeklong build will undoubtedly
be hectic, but in the end, the Martinez family home will be
replaced with one specifically designed by Extreme Makeover:
Home Edition. Construction is scheduled to be completed by
Monday, Jan. 21, with the family returning to see their new
home for the first time on Tuesday the 22nd.
Throughout the week of building, the public is welcome to
monitor the progress by visiting the build site, or by
visiting
www.ExtremeAtreus.com.
SPECTATOR INFORMATION:
Spectators are encouraged to visit the site during the build
and cheer on the builders and design team. Spectators should
park at the Fairgrounds parking lot (pick up a free-parking
ticket across the street) and a shuttle service will take
them to the set. The shuttle service will run from 7am to
7pm starting Thursday. Be aware there will be temporary rest
rooms, but no food or water will be available on site.
ABOUT EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition has won back-to-back Emmy
Awards as the Best Reality Program (non-competitive), the
Peoples' Choice Award for Favorite Reality Show/Makeover,
The Family Television Award for Best Alternative/Reality
Program and is in its fifth 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. Tune in Sundays 8/7c on
ABC.
ABOUT ATREUS HOMES & COMMUNITIES
Atreus Homes & Communities, formerly HomeLife Communities,
is a third-generation family-run homebuilder headquartered
in Atlanta that is currently selling new homes in more than
100 neighborhoods nationwide. The company currently builds
in Atlanta, Raleigh, Charlotte, Phoenix and Albuquerque,
with prices ranging from townhomes in $80's to detached
homes from the $120's to high $200's. The company is the
only homebuilder to offer the Customer Satisfaction PlusTM
buyback guarantee on every home it builds. For more
information on Atreus Homes, visit
www.AtreusHomes.com.
ON SITE MEDIA CONTACT:
Darren Drevik
Director of Marketing, US
Atreus Homes and Communities
www.atreushomes.com
Phone: 678-777-7577
Email: ddrevik @ atreushomes.com
ABC CONTACTS:
Mozell Miley
ABC Publicist
Phone: 212-456-6444
Mozell.i.miley @ abc.com
Jonathan Hogan
ABC Publicist
Office: 818-460-7016
Cell: 310-254-4416
Jonathan.Hogan @ abc.com |