Extreme
Makeover Volunteer Pep Rally Report
February
16th, 2010 - Columbus, Georgia
What a GREAT morning! We just completed our first Nationwide and Palm Harbor Homes Pep Rally for the Extreme Makeover Volunteers in the Central Georgia Community. What a GREAT group of people we get to work with!
Dan
Goodin , Vice President of Sales and
Marketing,
Nationwide Homes, kicked it off by
explaining how we became involved as well as
some logistics for the next few days. Then
I 
reminded everyone the real reason all
of this is taking place. It’s not for the
cameras or TV ratings or Hollywood heros.
This is all about a deserving family in
desperate need of a better place to call
home. I started by reminding the man in the
mirror (ME!) because I have had a tendency
to forget. It becomes such an overwhelming
“job” to plan and coordinate all the moving
parts that I almost lost sight of the real
meaning. My 10 year old son Reece reminded
me that it’s about helping a family in
need. Of course, I couldn’t leave without
also bragging about being a true Braves fan
and the only member of the team to have ever
eaten a hot dog at Varsity (I lived in the
Atlanta area for five years right out of
college – good to be back).
Then
the Senior Producer Milan Vassic told the
history of Extreme Makeover Home Edition
and explained that their process of building
a home is done in just 104 hours! It is
TRULY an around the clock endeavor – from
start to finish. The perception of some
people is that because it is such a large
television production backed by ABC, a huge
television network partnering up with a
large homebuilder that all of this is easy
to plan, coordinate and complete. The truth
I learned at this Pep Rally is that this
entire event is ONLY possible thru the help
and support and HARD WORK of the
volunteers! Without them, This amazing home
gift simply will not happen. 
We need skilled labor but we also need people who are just willing to do anything that needs to be done. We need donations but we also need people wanting to get their hands dirty. We need people who love the show but we also need people who simply want to help a deserving family. We need people who live in the area but we also need people who are willing to travel. Basically, we need anybody and everybody willing to do the hard work of charity – work that rewards way beyond any other type of work.
So – grab a hammer, lace up your work boots (or buy some. I got mine at Wal Mart for $20) and head to central Georgia for a life-changing experience – for you and for the recipient family. And if you work really, really hard, I highly recommend rewarding yourself with one chili dog at Varsity on the way home
Maury Kennedy I VP of Sales & Marketing
Palm Harbor Homes I Retail Division
972 764 9393 I Office
mkennedy@palmharbor.com I Email
