The popular television program Extreme Home Makeoveris heading to the Lake Oconee area. The Athens Banner Herald reports:

‘Extreme Makeover’ plans Northeast Georgia build

By DON NELSON – don.nelson@onlineathens.com

The popular television show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” will build its first home in Northeast Georgia and is looking for hundreds of volunteers to complete that project in a week.

The Emmy Award-winning ABC reality television series travels around the country to renovate or build an entire home for deserving families. Each weekly episode features a family that recently encountered serious hardship and is in need of new hope.

The show has narrowed the Northeast Georgia home makeover candidates down to four or five finalists, and host Ty Pennington will surprise the winning family July 10 when he arrives on their doorstep to announce project and send them on an expense-paid vacation while the home is being built.

The ABC program selected Lake Oconee-based Pilot Builders and Madison-based Smart Properties to lead the build on the project.

The biggest challenge now for the builders is recruiting the hundreds of volunteers — especially skilled workers such as plumbers, carpenters and electricians — needed to complete the project in a week.

Organizers plan to hold a pep rally June 30 to recruit volunteers and announce the build schedule.

In a follow-up on June 22, the Athens Banner-Herald reports:

Former Georgia football coach Vince Dooley will emcee an “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” pep rally June 30 to recruit volunteers to build a deserving Northeast Georgia family their dream home.

Organizers for the build tapped Dooley and the Atlanta Falcons cheerleaders to lead the 7 p.m. rally in Morgan County High School.