By Myleigh Lanham
Ten years have passed since the Extreme Makeover Home Edition television show visited Kansas City and connected with Missouri Western to give a family a better life.
Thanks to ABC’s hit television show at the time, the Jacobo family of 11, had their home rebuilt in March 2007. While the makeover was occurring, the MWSU Foundation informed the parents that they were offering full tuition, as well as room and board scholarships to the nine children.
For alumna Stacy Williamson, the home makeover was a pretty amazing experience. She said she is glad that such a nice family got the space and the help that they needed.
Williamson volunteered to work on the house during construction. Many other MWSU students and Kansas City community members volunteered to rebuild the home for the deserving family.
However, Williamson added that within the last 10 years she believes that volunteerism hasn’t increased, but that doesn’t mean it is not an important activity to participate in.
“I think people need to volunteer in their communities, no matter what it is,” Williamson said. “You need to be an active member of society and participate in what your community has to offer.”
Williamson still spends time volunteering, but added that she was raised to participate in the community and help others to raise benefits for everyone. Williamson is now a teacher at Eastgate Middle School in Kansas City, not too far from where the makeover took place.
Another volunteer who worked on the home, Cory Hanavan, who is Western alumnus, said that the hours volunteered opened his eyes to the impact one can make just by coming together with one goal in mind. Volunteers not only helped build the new home, but they got the chance to walk in the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Kansas City to help raise money for the family.
“Even though I was merely carrying a bucket and asking for donations, I had the opportunity to witness the generosity of the Kansas City community, first hand,” Hanavan said. “Donors didn’t personally know the Jacobo family, but they were willing to open their hearts and their wallets because they knew if Extreme Makeover Home Edition was helping the family, they should too.”
Western helped a Kansas City family through volunteerism and the MWSU Foundation. The family received help from a number of student volunteers and financial help for their children to attend college. Western opened up many opportunities for the family through its dedication to making everything possible.
Ten years have passed, yet the volunteers and the family are still remembering and cherishing the Extreme Makeover Home Edition experience.
The Jacobo family was unable to be contacted.
