Extreme Makeover: Home Edition supports Year of the Coast Guard Family

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Posted by: LT Connie Braesch

Ty Pennington on pier with Coast Guardsmen

NASHVILLE, Tenn.- Members from Marine Safety Detachment Nashville and Marine Safety Detachment Cincinnati discuss filming support with Ty Pennington of ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Sept. 10, 2010. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer John Edwards.

Over the past eight years, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition has helped hundreds of people, including nearly two dozen military families, by transforming their homes in an effort to improve their lives. But the show’s producers aren’t stopping there. They are currently looking to provide a makeover for more military families.

Ty Pennington with Coast Guardsmen

(left to right) Petty Officer 2nd Class James Booth, Petty Officer 1st Class Shane Boysel, Senior Chief Petty Officer Darrin Cliffe and Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Hiatt from Marine Safety Detachment Cincinnati pose with Ty Pennington of ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Sept. 10, 2010. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer John Edwards.

“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is more than a show, it’s about recognizing deserving families and helping them to re-build their homes and their lives,” said Ian Young, casting producer. “It is a show dedicated to volunteerism and helping your neighbor. It relies on the very moral compass that implores every one of our servicemen and women, who defend this country for perfect strangers just because it’s the right thing to do. It is always a blessing to help military families, who support all of us day after day, year after year.”

Previous seasons have included episodes highlighting military families from the other four armed services. In support of 2011 as Year of the Coast Guard Family, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition hopes to highlight a Coast Guard family for an entire episode.

Do you know a Coast Guard family that puts their own needs aside to help others and serve as role models in their community? Does their home need major alterations or repair that affects the quality of life of their family? If so, nominations are open until July 10, 2011. Click here to nominate a family and here for more information.

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  • David

    Instead of highlighting one CG family, why not have the show makeover one of the older, traditional small boat station houses.

    There are several small boat stations across the country that routinely give back to their community yet work out of an antiquated facility.

    This would be a great opportunity to highlight the “Coast Guard Family” and not just one deserving individual.

    The Coast Guard is made up of hundreds of deserving individuals that serve and sacrifice everyday, lets highlight the wonderful people the are the U.S. Coast Guard!

  • Nathan

    As much as I agree, in part, with the statement above, I think that a more deserving family should benefit from EM: Home Edition. My reasoning is that even though some small boat stattions are not as up to date as some would like, they still provide what is needed for the day to day job. There are many old cutters out there that people live on for up to 60+ days that they wish could get a face lift. There are many houses that do not have so much as heat in the winter or A/C in the summer among other issues. Another, and more important, point is that the government will not routinely go around and fix everyones house that is not up to date, however, the small boat station houses are the responsibility of the government. Specifically the Coast Guard. Again, I do not disagree that it would be nice to see a few small boat station houses get redone, but I think the goal of the EM is on the families in need.

  • Sean

    Dave has a great idea to do a makeover on a Coast Guard Unit. I see that the Coast Guard Station in Burlington VT. was flooded recently and they have been trying to work out of the flood unit the last month or so. A make over there would help out the Coast Guard Family!

  • Kristen

    I absolutly agree with David, though another option would be to make over a CG housing unit instead of a station. I think it’s somewhat of a waste to make over a single military members house into some gigantic home, when they will move in a few years. A more lasting and impactful act would be to do more simple makeovers on a number of CG housing units – that will impact many CG families for years and years to come!

  • Isaac

    I can strongly agree with Nathan that a family situation is the primary focus of EM. I and many others like me serve in a unit that deploys sometimes for very long periods and it’s difficult to leave my family, 6 to 9 months at a time, in an old house that needs maintenance on a regular basis. The homes were I live are old, so I know a blessing like this one would make a huge impact on our lives, and offer peace of mind. My heart goes out to all stations that are getting a bit run down but perhaps those stations could utilize the skills and man power of the current personnel (volunteers) to touch-up, rebuild or fix many of the current problems that are there until the government steps in to do the rest. My unit has done this several times where ever we go on deployment and at our own place of work in VA. If the funding isn’t in our lap at the time we try fund raising to make up the difference. I think this edition of the make over should go the family this time. Government codes and regulations prevent a makeover on government property for insurance and contract reasons but I still like the idea. Cape Hatters, NC’s old Watch station was restored by a retired BM1 almost single handedly after the government gave it up to the historic foundations of NC. His example just encouraged me to simply do the right thing and take care of our stuff regardless if the gov. helps or not.