A TV Show Comes to the Rescue: ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" visits the Oregon School f
The campus came alive with excitement when the team from the ABC television show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," hosted by Ty Pennington, took on the facilities for the Oregon School for the Deaf (OSD) in Salem, Ore. The 140-year old school for students in kindergarten through 12th grade was overdue for a faceliftfastfor its "Nightmare Factory," a haunted house fundraiser held each Halloween that brings in much-needed revenue for the school.
The Nightmare Factory is held in a 12,000-square-foot, open-air area under the boys' dormitory. The outdated space required extensive work to make it safe, but the school lacked funds. So it appealed to the experts for help.
"We receive about a thousand nomination letters a week," says Diane Korman, a senior producer for "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." "We knew the 'Extreme' team could make a difference helping to rebuild," she adds. "And so we headed to them."
OSD students were thrilled to see their school get help. But their school wasn't the only recipient of new gifts. During the weeklong build, the Starkey Hearing Foundation treated more than 100 students, family members, faculty, and alumni from the school to a trip to its headquarters in Eden Prairie, Minn. Guests were fitted with more than 500 hearing aids and treated to a visit with actress Marlee Matlin.
"The new hearing aids are very helpful," says Ben Kuechler, 18. "I also enjoyed the trip to Minnesota. The whole thing was awesome."
Patti Togioka, the OSD executive director, explained the fundraiser's background in an online interview taped after the show. "People ask us why we do the Nightmare Factory," she said. "What it is is a student-run business." By working on the project, making decisions, and doing such things as handling money, she said, "the students learn how to become adults and to live in the world."
The Extreme Makeover team also transformed the institutional boys' quarters into an inspiring space for living, sleeping, and studying. "The old dormitory wasn't built with deaf children in mind," Ed Roberts, a dorm counselor, said on the show. "This new dorm was built with their needs in mind. There are no walls blocking anything. It allows clear and free communication."
The episode aired last October 31 on ABC. The students continue to be thrilled by their new space. "My favorite part is the solar panels on the roof of the boys' dorm. That saves OSD money on energy costs. It's really smart," says Leviathyn Cruikshank, 15. "I loved the makeover."
Andrea Delbanco is a senior editor.
