Good Morning Tripp Family and The Fishing School!

Good Morning Tripp Family and The Fishing School!

"EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION" COMES TO THE NATION'S CAPITAL TO HELP BOTH A COMPASSIONATE COUPLE WHO SPEND THEIR MODEST INCOME ON UNDERPRIVILEGED CHILDREN AND A YOUTH AND FAMILY SUPPORT ORGANIZATION

Actor/Producer Tyler Perry Volunteers for "Get On The Bus" Campaign

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today the life of a Hyattsville, Maryland family and the operations of a Washington, D.C. youth and family support center changed forever when they were surprised by Ty Pennington and "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition's" design team and told they would be the recipients of a new home and community center (respectively) in just seven days!

Burch Builders Group, LLC (based in Warrenton and Alexandria, VA) and G&M Contracting (based in Vienna, VA), along with thousands of local volunteers and donors organized by the United Way of the National Capital Area and Smith-Fairfield, Inc., an Integrated Communications and Event Management Firm, will work 24/7 for the following week to make possible the impossible for the deserving family and organization. This week actor, producer Tyler Perry is "Getting on the Bus" to join the design team to give back to the D.C. community.

"I am excited to welcome 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' to our nation's capital and would like to thank the volunteers for their generosity and dedication to our community," says Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty.

About the Tripp family: Nikema aka "Tripp" (age 31), Tamara Tripp (age 30), and sons Micah (age 5), Ethan (age 3) and Aaden (age 9 months). More than three decades ago, "Tripp" Tripp's father ran a bus ministry for the Woodland Baptist Church, hoping to make his rough neighborhood a better place. Now a generation later, Tripp and Tamara are continuing a family tradition of service and generosity. About 40 kids each week more than 90 children on holidays board the bus for fun and safe activities that have ranged from bowling on a Friday night to flower arranging for Mother's Day. Tripp, an electrician, and Tamara, a teacher's aide, serve as Bus Captain and Project Coordinator respectively.

More importantly, Tripp and Tamara have taken on the role of mentors to many of these children who often look for a sympathetic ear outside their home. The Tripps give of themselves lovingly - but their generosity has its costs. Since their church cannot afford to fund the activities provided by the "Big Blue Bus," the Tripps pick up the tab. Earning only modest salaries from their regular jobs, they have little left over to repair the crumbling 900-square-foot, two-bedroom, one bathroom house they share with their three young sons.

The Tripps will go on vacation to Disney World while "Extreme Makeover: Home

Edition" transforms their home.

The Tripp house will be demolished on Sunday, August 23 at 9:00 a.m.
Address: 5102 West Lanham Drive, Hyattsville, Maryland.

Media Instructions

Parking on site is only available Sunday morning for the demolition, on a first-come first- serve basis.

There is no parking available on site for the rest of the week. Beginning Monday, August 24th, please drive to the check-in area at Capital Plaza located at 6200 Annapolis Road in Landover Hills, MD (2.75 miles west of 495 on Annapolis Rd./Highway 450).

Once you check-in, you will board a shuttle bus which will take you to the build site. Shuttle buses will be running regularly starting on Monday, August 24th to Friday, August 28th, from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Saturday, August 29th shuttle buses will run from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

-- Closed-toe shoes are required on the build site.

-- Please contact Robert Deposada at 202-255-1480 or Erika Langhart at
970-749-3963 if you have any specific questions or needs.

Spectator Instructions

Spectators are welcome August 24th to the 29th from 8:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. There is no parking on site.

Take the Metro to the New Carrollton Station and walk to the Spectator Area (look for signage). On Saturday, August 29th ONLY, park or metro to the New Carrollton Station and walk or ride the shuttle bus to the spectator area. Time of the "reveal" to be determined.

About The Fishing School: In 1990, The Fishing School, a youth and family support organization, was created. But the story didn't start there. Tom Lewis, TFS's founder, was born in Chadbourn, North Carolina, the sixth of 15 children. His mother, Martha, picked cotton, and his father, Gaston, worked in a sawmill. Lewis dropped out of school after tenth grade and, like most of his siblings, left home. He found work as a migrant farm laborer picking fruits and vegetables in Virginia, West Virginia, New Jersey, New York, and Florida. In 1959 Lewis moved to New York, was drafted into the U.S. Army, and was stationed in France.

He eventually achieved his dream of joining the Metropolitan Police Department and spent 18 years in the Officer Friendly program visiting classrooms throughout the D.C. public school system to counsel students and to teach good citizenship, drug abstinence, and safety. His dedication and commitment to children was evident. Lewis was frequently overwhelmed when he visited classrooms and witnessed the poverty and desperation exhibited by the students. He tried to set an example for students by having earlier earned his GED and eventually earning a college degree.

In 1986, Lewis retired from the police department and a few years later in 1989 he dedicated himself to serving those children he'd met along the way as Officer Friendly. He decided to convert a rental property that he had purchased in a drug infested northeast Washington, D.C. neighborhood into a family support center. He spent the next nearly two decades proving that if one man stands up, he can truly make a difference. The Fishing School programs have gone on to reach over 2,500 students and their parents in under-served communities throughout the District of Columbia.

The Fishing School will be demolished on Sunday, August 23 at 2:00 p.m.
Address: 4737 Meade Street NE, Washington, DC

Media Instructions

Parking will be available on-site throughout the week. Please drive to the Houston Elementary School, 1100 50th Pl. NE, Washington, D.C. 20019. Follow signs to build site.

-- Closed-toe shoes are required on the build site.

-- Please contact Derek LaVallee at 202-615-7134 or J. Peter Donald
508-566-1869 if you have any specific questions or needs.

Spectator Instructions

Spectators are welcome August 24th to the 29th from 8:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. There is no parking on site. Ride the Metro to the Deanwood stop and walk to the Spectator Area

(look for signage).

About "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition": The Emmy award winning reality program

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," now entering its 7th season, is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. It is executive-produced by Anthony Dominici. David Goldberg is Chairman, Endemol North America. The show airs Sundays from 8:00-9:00 p.m., ET on ABC.

For regular updates throughout the week please monitor: www.BurchBuildersGroup.com

Source: Smith Fairfield, Inc.

CONTACT: Derek LaVallee, +1-202-615-7134, dereklavallee@hotmail.com

Web Site: http://www.smithfairfield.com/

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