KraftMaid Cabinetry and ABC Reality Show Hit Home With Build for Cleveland-Area Family

KraftMaid Cabinetry and ABC Reality Show Hit Home With Build for Cleveland-Area Family

Partnership Spans Seven Years, Eight Seasons and Touches Lives of nearly 200 Families

MIDDLEFIELD, Ohio, Sept. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- KraftMaid Cabinetry has partnered with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on every home since the show debuted in 2004; but family number 177 is particularly special, because they are part of our community. This morning, Ty Pennington and team surprised The Anderson Family of Maple Heights with the infamous, "Good Morning Anderson Family," and began the week-long build that will result in a fresh start for this deserving family. Having Extreme Makeover Home Edition in the hometown of one of the show's leading national partners means that employees of Middlefield-headquartered KraftMaid Cabinetry will participate on-site in the build. Nearly 200 KraftMaid employees have responded to the call.

KraftMaid Cabinetry is Extreme Makeover: Home Edition's first and only partner to participate in every build, donating several million dollars in cabinetry and design expertise since the show's first episode aired in early 2004. In 2005, ABC brought the on-air team and crew to Boardman Township to build a new home for Jeff Novak and his three daughters, making this the show's second visit to northeast Ohio and first to a Cleveland suburb.

Kim Craig, director of communications and media, says, "Something wonderful and amazing happens when Extreme Makeover Home Edition touches a community. Neighbors and strangers work side-by- side to help make a difference and for a family they may or may not know. It is a magical experience and has truly been an amazing thing for KraftMaid to have had a part in helping to change the lives of nearly 200 families.

"Every build touches the heart, but it is especially meaningful when our employees get to share in that joy and experience the excitement of working together with neighbors and the entire community to help a local family. It's a wonderful and very rewarding experience." Nearly 200 KraftMaid employees will be volunteering on-site, participating in the "Braveheart" march to kick off the build, installing cabinetry, building special projects in the art tent, moving in furniture and helping in many other ways to complete the home in seven days.

Both Andre Anderson, 37, and his wife, Jasmine, 32, became blind as adults due to diabetic retinopathy. Andre is completely blind while Jasmine is legally blind but still has some sight. The couples' oldest son, Jaison, 13, is hearing-impaired. A younger son, Jahzion, 7, also lives at home while Andre's son, Andre Jr., lives with his mother in Arizona but spends summers and holidays at the home. Andre and Jasmine attend graduate school, operate a counseling center for people with disabilities, and have maintained an infectious love of life, enjoying volunteering, cooking, playing sports and other activities.

The Anderson's disability income was cut along with other disability services when the economy sank. Their 1200-sq.-ft.-house is badly in need of repair and modifications to eliminate hazards and accommodate their disabilities. The three-bedroom, two-bath home at 5101 Anthony Street was built in 1950 and will be replaced with a "smart home" containing many supportive technologies for the disabled. The family will participate in the demolition before being whisked away to vacation at the Adaptive Sports Center in Crested Butte, Colorado, a resort that specializes in improving the quality of life for people with disabilities through outdoor adventure activities.

Craig notes, "I continue to be amazed by the infectious nature of this show. Over nearly seven years and eight seasons, the generosity and spirit of giving that this show brings to a community has continued to strengthen. What's most amazing is that it stays long after the production crew pulls out of town." Craig says, "I'm especially inspired by the generosity and heartfelt pride KraftMaid employees have toward our partnership with Extreme Makeover Home Edition. It's one of many examples of how we come together to help others. We're especially grateful that Extreme Makeover: Home Edition chose to come to the Cleveland-area to transform the home environment of this wonderful, caring family. We're so thrilled to share the spirit of this revitalizing and rejuvenating experience with our local community."

KraftMaid Cabinetry is one of the nation's leading manufacturers of built-to-order cabinetry. Founded more than 40 years ago, KraftMaid is one of the largest employers in Northeast Ohio with manufacturing headquarters and three facilities in the region. KraftMaid is a Masco Cabinetry Brand.

About Masco Cabinetry. Based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Masco Cabinetry is the manufacturer of three nationally recognized cabinetry brands: KraftMaid®, Merillat® and QualityCabinets®; and the DeNova(TM) countertop brand. The company has manufacturing plants and branches/service center locations throughout the United States. Offering an unmatched selection of stylish, high-quality products at a variety of price levels, Masco Cabinetry brands are favored by builders, dealers and distributors, and home centers throughout North America. A leader in environmental stewardship, Masco Cabinetry is ISO 14001 certified and has been granted an Environmental Stewardship Program certificate by the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association. www.mascocabinetry.com.

About Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The Emmy award winning reality program "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," is entering its 7th season, is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. It's executive-produced by Brady Connell and George Verschoor. David Goldberg is Chairman, Endemol North America. The show airs Sundays from 8:00-9:00 p.m., ET on ABC.

Helpful links

For directions and information or to follow the build, visit http://extremehome.marousbrothers.com/

www.kraftmaid.com

http://www.facebook.com/kraftmaidcabinetry

http://twitter.com/kraftmaid

www.facebook.com/ExtremeMakeoverHomeEdition

KRAFTMAID CABINETRY & EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION

FACTS and PHOTO OPPS FOR THE ANDERSON FAMILY BUILD

The Address

5101 Anthony St.

Maple Heights, OH 44137

The Anderson Family

-- Andre, 37 (Dad), completely blind due to diabetic retinopathy
-- Jasmine, 32 (Mom), legally blind due to diabetic retinopathy
-- Jaison, 13 (son), hearing-impaired
-- Jahzion, 7 (son)

The House

-- 50-year-old two-story home
-- 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, basement, attic, back porch
-- 1200 square feet
-- City sewer, water, and gas

The Problems

-- Has a damp basement, crumbling porch, parts of roof are missing, broken
windows,
-- Loose electrical wires, mold, cracked and uneven pavement, holes in
floors
-- Lacks supportive features for the blind such as sufficient space for
Andre's seeing eye dog, Valentine; a talking thermostat, easy-to-use
door locks, etc.

The Solution

-- A completely new, "smart home" for the Andersons loaded with
technologies to help the disabled
-- Designed and built in approximately one week
-- Builder: Marous Brothers, Willoughby, OH
-- Major Contributors & National Sponsors: Northeast Ohio-based KraftMaid
Cabinetry, Sears, Kohler, United Rentals & other national brands

The Team

-- Team leader Ty Pennington, Tracy Hutson, Michael Moloney, Xzibit.

The Schedule

Wednesday, September 29th: The Door Knock

-- The family is surprised by Ty Pennington
-- Design walk-through
-- "Braveheart" to kick off the build
-- KraftMaid Volunteers begin a week of daily support on the build

Thursday, September 30th: The Demolition

-- The home is leveled beginning roughly at 7:00 a.m.
-- Family participating!
-- Materials delivered beginning at 1:00 p.m.; exterior construction begins

Friday, October 1st:

-- Exterior of home construction continues; drywall installation during
overnight hours

Saturday, October 2nd: The Cabinetry Delivery

-- Late-night cabinetry delivery; home construction continues

Sunday, October 3rd: The Kitchen Construction

-- Cabinet installation to begin around 2:00 am; interior home construction

Monday, October 4th: The Fight to Finish

-- Interior finishing finalizes
-- Landscaping
-- Turning over of the keys from builder to EMHE that afternoon
-- Furniture move-in begins

Tuesday, October 5th: The Reveal (between 1-3 pm)

-- An emotional moment when the family returns home to see their new home

Media

-- Exterior home access and exterior photos ONLY
-- On-site and telephone interviews may be scheduled
-- Available for interviews:

Kim Craig, KraftMaid Cabinetry,Director of Marketing Communications & Media, contact Paula DePasquale: 440-893-9676

The Broadcast

-- The Anderson family build episode will air later this year on a date to
be announced - estimated to be early December 2010

Follow the Build

http://extremehome.marousbrothers.com

www.facebook.com/ExtremeMakeoverHomeEdition

SOURCE KraftMaid Cabinetry

KraftMaid Cabinetry

CONTACT: Paula DePasquale, Prima Public Relations, +1-440-893-9676, paula@primapublicrelations.com, or Kim Craig, Director of Communications & Media, KraftMaid Cabinetry, +1-440-632-2389, kim.craig@mascorcg.com

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

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