Friday, Jan. 15, 2010

Extreme Makeover volunteers exhausted, but content

ALLSBROOK COMMUNITY -- Taking a break from putting up siding to grab a snack Thursday, Charlie Ashby looked tired, but happy.

Ashby, of Conway, has been laid off for the past year.

"My old boss called and asked me to help him out and I came out," he said. "I'm glad to help and it gives me something to do."

It's the kind of story Clinch Heyward, partner of Sterling Homes the builder on the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," has heard repeatedly at the Loris-area job site.

"I hear constantly, 'I'm out of work but I'm here,'" Heyward said.

Horry County has an unemployment rate of about 13.3 percent and Georgetown County has an unemployment rate of 14 percent, according to S.C. Employment Security Commission November figures.

This means about 17,000 people are unemployed in Horry County and 4,227 people are unemployed in Georgetown County.

Because of the number of different volunteer contractors on the site, Heyward said he doesn't have an estimate on how many volunteers are currently laid off, but he said it's a significant percent.

Sterling Homes had to lay off three of its supervisors when the economy got too tough.

All three jumped at the chance to come back and volunteer their time for the project to build a home for a deserving police officer and his family.

"We are touched that our guys have come back to help on this build, but we are inspired by everyone else here," Heyward said. "Because they don't have to be here, they are not getting paid. And the weather these past few days has been brutal."

Crews have worked around the clock to get the home of officer Derrick Suggs ready in time for the Monday reveal. In addition to the new home, the Suggs family will get a BMX and go-kart track, with a surprise from celebrity guest Jeff Gordon. By Thursday, the interior walls were primed, ceilings started going up, tile was being installed, and the siding and roof work was nearly completed.

About 2,000 volunteers have helped with the home building. About 1,000 have actually helped with the construction of the home and another 1,000 have helped with everything from sweeping the floors to feeding workers.

Among those volunteering and currently jobless is Kevin Sluys, who is working as part of a special team for Sterling Homes that is responsible for fixing problems and keeping the build on track.

He owned his own home building company and was steadily building a couple of homes at a time until the economy turned.

"The economy has hit everybody," he said. "It knocked the tar out of me."

Sluys is out at the house for 12 hours every day throughout the build and he said he's happy for the opportunity to help.

"The buzz is good up there, everyone feels good out there," he said. "They're thrilled to be doing something."

One of the show's designers, Johnny Littlefield, commended volunteers.

"Anybody can say 'yes' when the economy is great," he said. "To find it in yourself to give when times are tough is a true testament to the spirit of the people of South Carolina."

Lee Harper and Michael Williamson, co-owners of Palmetto Concrete helped out on the last Extreme Makeover build in 2007, when the show built a house in Longs for Renee Wilson.

This time when they were approached by Sterling Homes, to do the foundation work they first said they needed to see if they could get extra help, Harper said.

Like many other companies they no longer had the staff they needed to complete the project on their own.

So they got in touch with Cliff Torte of Concrete Express and once he signed on, Harper told Sterling Homes they could do it.

"As bad as times are we realize how lucky we are," said Torte. "It's good to be able to help somebody."

Williamson added that its something he is proud of doing and an experience he can pass on to his children and grandchildren.

They were joined Monday night by a crew from S & I Associates LLC who volunteered through the Web site.

"In 2007 in this area was so much work we were working a lot at this time so slow down we decided to come over and help," said Francisco De Los Santos who owns S & I with his brother Marco.

Marco De Los Santos said that after reading about the family and everything they have been through, they wanted to help make this dream come true for them.

Fred and Marion Rose lost their home in Hurricane Katrina and have been roving volunteers traveling the country offering their time to charities ever since. They have been at the build site since it started helping with parking. Fred Rose sticks out with his red clown nose, large red sunglasses and Santa hat.

"It's a healing thing for us to help others," said Fred Rose, who is a retired postal worker and supports the couple's gypsy lifestyle with his pension and odd-jobs.

During the last build Sterling Homes had the help of many companies, but this time around they are relying more on individual volunteers. Some of the companies involved last time have gone out of business and others have slashed staffs as the economy has dramatically slowed the pace of work in the construction industry.

For every one group of subcontractors or trades working on the last build there are about four working together to fill the same need on this house.

"This one is just a huge community effort," said Harry Dill, a partner at Sterling Homes.

"Some people you see out here building are in just as difficult situation as the people we are building for," he said.

But even those who are struggling want to come out and help and not just for the cameras.

"They're not out here to do it for TV, they're here to do it for the family," Dill said.