Today the Latif and Morgan families saw their new homes for the first time as Ty and thousands of volunteers and spectators directed the bus driver to “move that bus!” Words can’t begin to describe the excitement.

The excitement extended far beyond the families. The entire community is excited for these two families who give to the community every day. The construction crews that built the homes were bursting with pride (deservedly so) as they watched the joyful reaction of the families. Thousands of volunteers were overcome with emotion knowing they gave of themselves to help others.

This has been an incredible experience. Throughout the week I’ve heard people working on the site talk about how good they felt being part of it. I had the opportunity to work side-by-side with people from all over the state and from all walks of life. I’ve reconnected with old friends who were also working on the site and made many new friends. Everyone was proud to be part of this exciting project.

Now we all go back to our regular lives. But sharing the experience with thousands of individuals and businesses who gave their all to make it happen is something that we will always have.

Two beautiful homes have been built and the lives of the Latif and Morgan families have been forever changed. The lives of everyone who took part in the project have also changed for the better.

Thank you to everyone who took part in making this an amazing experience.

Today was a day of many milestones on the site. Wilmington Mayor Jim Baker ceremonially renamed the street where the new home have been built James Way in honor of James Perkins, the 9-year old son of homeowner Ju-Juanna Latif.

This afternoon Anderson Homes turned the keys over to the Extreme Makeover Home Edition design team. Ty Pennington and the rest of the design team cheered on an enthusiastic group of volunteers who unloaded four truckloads of new furniture for the two new homes built for the Latif and Morgan families.

Senators Biden and Carper, Congressman Castle, New Castle County Executive Chris Coons and state treasurer Jack Markell all visited the site today.

The Extreme Makeover Home Edition design team is busy at work now putting the finishing touches inside the homes in preparation for the reveal tomorrow.

It’s been well over one hundred hours since the start of the project and many people working on it have been at it for many hours. Still there is nothing but a contagious, upbeat spirit on the site.

The outpouring of generosity has been incredible. Not just the material goods but the amazing generosity of spirit too. From donations of food and beverages from area restaurants to keep the crew and volunteers going to the hundreds of volunteers from all over the state and even neighboring states everyday, all of whom are happy to do anything needed.

It’s impossible to say enough about the generosity of the volunteers who have been such an important part of this project.

Today is noticeably different than others. Most of the remaining work is taking place inside so there are considerably fewer people in bright blue shirts and white hard hats that are visible. Less exterior work also means the site is a lot quieter than it has been in the past few days. The reality is that there is still an enormous amount of work being done.

Human nature is a curious thing. After working extremely long hours for what must seem like six endless days you might think people would be growing impatient or getting short with one another. Yet, the exact opposite is true. The crews and volunteers remain completely upbeat and justifiably proud of what has been accomplished by working together.

Everyone working on this project is united on the outside by blue shirts and white hard hats; on the inside we are all united by a common sense of giving back.

Yes, the work being done is helping two families but we are also helping ourselves by being part of this amazing experience.

This morning I watched the sunrise from the site. It was spectacular. It’s hard to rival Mother Nature’s beauty, but the site of the new homes is almost equally spectacular. So much work was accomplished in just the few short hours since I left the site late last night and my predawn arrival today.

One of my first stops this morning was to the catering tent to grab a warm beverage. The tent was full of construction crews eating breakfast, many of whom had been on site throughout the night. I can only imagine how exhausted they must be but the only thing that’s apparent is their energy.

That energy can be seen and felt everywhere on site. From the volunteers on clean up duty to the volunteers distributing hard hats. There is a real sense here that no one job is more important than another job. The clean up is just as important as the drywall installation. Everyone is doing something important.

This is the true essence of teamwork. Everywhere you look there are diverse groups of people working together to make the project come together. Trades people that don’t normally work together at a build site working side-by-side. I’ve watched new friendships develop between workers and witnessed reunions between workers meeting up for the first time in years.

The volunteers, regardless of the job they’re doing, all say the same thing if asked about what made them volunteer—“It’s all about community.”

It’s impossible to be cynical after being part of this experience.

Being onsite is quite an experience. It doesn’t take long to realize that in many ways it’s not about the house. It’s so much bigger than that. It’s really about an entire army of people working together.

The site is a constant hub of activity. The actual construction of the house is at the forefront of course. But at any given moment there are hundreds of people, all volunteers, doing very important work behind the scenes. The catering tent is full of volunteers who work on the line cheerfully serving food to the tired but enthusiastic team of workers. There are constant deliveries of donated food and beverages to fuel the crews. Neighbors visit the site and quietly ask if there’s anything anyone needs.

The site is sandwiched in between two schools and classes venture over to watch the amazing progress on the homes. I had a chance to talk with one of the teachers who told me that they were using it as a lesson plan in the classroom about the importance of giving back to the community.

The spirit of giving is a driving force at the site. Some of the workers have been on the job for upwards of 15 hours but they are all happy to do it and willing to do it until the job is done.

As the sun started to set a parade of 110 drywall people came down the street excited to work and knowing, like everyone involved, that they are part of something very special.

We arrived at the bustling site at about 7 a.m. The sun was just starting to rise. Some of the volunteers who had been on the site since 2:00 a.m. were huddled around the kerosene heater, tired but in amazingly good spirits. We walked down to see what was left of the houses, but they were no more. In fact, all that was left was a huge hole in the ground.

Back at the volunteer tent, at about 8 a.m., contractors started arriving in groups. There was an amazing sense of camaraderie and enthusiasm. Also, there was a sense that these contractors were donating their services because they truly wanted to help the family.

While waiting for the many reporters who were covering the story, we overheard a conversation about how a contractor was also providing siding and roofing to the neighbors to help beautify the block. The amount of giving was incomprehensible.

Shortly after this, we met Rene Luther, her daughter and neighbor who had traveled from Cecil County to volunteer. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition recently built them a new home and remodeled their barn where they give riding lessons to special-needs kids. Rene described how she wanted to meet with the Latif family once they were settled in their new home and have their 9-year-old son James ride horses on their farm. 

Back at the hole in the ground, a 300-foot crane was lifting 35, 5,000- to 6,000-pound foundation blocks, one by one. The crane lifted them gracefully over the house next door and placed them gently in the hole as if in a choreographed performance. Later, another crane and a cement mixer joined the dance with meticulous movements on Clayton Street. Within about four hours, the entire foundation was laid.

We parked the car behind Frawley Stadium and took the shuttle bus to the site at about noon. Everyone on the bus was so excited to help out. This excitement continued to escalate throughout the rest of the afternoon. By about 3:30 p.m., the sea of volunteers clad in royal blue T-shirts and white hard hats was awe-inspiring. They were lined up for the “Braveheart” parade. The parade was just the prelude to what we were all there to witness…the demolition of the houses.

Before the demolition, fireworks were set off and then the defining moment came. The jaws of the escalator (a huge dinosaur-like piece of equipment) took the first bite out of the second floor. By now, there was a huge crowd of spectators. Many of the neighbors across the street invited the spectators to watch the spectacle from their porches. While the escalator was eating the house, Ty Pennington was on the scene making the event even more special as his fans craned their necks to get a glimpse or click their phones to get a photo of him. It was like a Hollywood movie set—bright lights, lots of excitement and a heartthrob.

Making last-minute preparations, we were all anticipating the call that we had long been waiting for…that the Latif family and Grandma Rose got the “door knock” from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Finally at 8:37 a.m., Nancy Rochford with her inimitable spirit and ability to hyper-multitask announced, “Time to rock ’n’ roll, baby.” Immediately, we all jumped to our positions, sending out press releases, making the website go live, and fielding calls from reporters, volunteers and corporate donors. During this frenzy, we were each secretly reveling in what it must feel like to be the recipient of such an unbelievable gift and how it would change the lives of the two families on Clayton Street forever.

We got to the homes late in the morning and met Ju-Juanna, her children and Grandma Rose, dressed in her elegant red hat and perfectly polished nails. Upon our introductions, the warmth and closeness of the family was overwhelming. Ju-Juanna’s children don’t miss a thing when it comes to caring for their 9-year-old brother James, who has cerebral palsy.

At about 4 p.m., after many tears and hugs with the staff of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, employees at Anderson Homes and their neighbors, the Latif family and Grandma Rose piled into the spic-and-span white Hummer limousine. They were headed for the airport and then seven days in Disney World.