2/17/2006

ABC’S “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” Teams With Mercedes Homes to Make Dreams Come True in Central

Contact: Joyce Wilden, Mercedes Homes, 321-259-6972
Lauren Furey, MPB Communications, 407-592-7923
Email inquiries to ESpence@mpbc.cc

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ABC’S “EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION” TEAMS WITH MERCEDES HOMES TO MAKE DREAMS COME TRUE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA -Altamonte Springs Family Selected to Receive Complete Home Makeover-

Altamonte Springs, Fla. (February 17, 2006) — “Families helping families” described the theme of the door-knock celebration for the Holmes’ family when the design team from ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” showed up on their doorstep to announce that they had been chosen from thousands of applicants to receive a brand new home and operations building for their non-profit assistance center.

Mercedes Homes, an employee-owned, family managed home builder based in Melbourne, Florida has stepped forward to help another family in need. Established by the Buescher family in 1983, Mercedes Homes is a top twenty national builder that actively participates in programs that give back to the community.

“The entire Mercedes Homes family of employees, trade partners, vendors and community volunteers wants to lend a hand to the Holmes’ family to ensure that they can continue to do what they love to do—run this amazing non-profit, ” said Scott Buescher, Chief Operating Officer for Mercedes Homes. “We feel fortunate to have such great partners donating their time, labor and materials. Together, we’re going to build a home and non-profit center that is everything this deserving family could ever hope for.”

For years, Sadie Holmes, a single mother of five children from nine to 16 years of age, battled addiction but eventually won and turned her life around. The generosity shown to Sadie and her family by their community nearly a decade ago during their time of need led Sadie to establish her own non-profit organization, Sadie Holmes Help Service, Inc. The Help Service collects clothing, food and furniture to distribute to people in need of help in South Seminole County.

In typical “Extreme” fashion, the new home will be constructed in only one week. It will include Mercedes Homes’ innovative hurricane-resistant features and building methods, ensuring that the next hurricane to make its way into Central Florida will not interrupt the lives of the Holmes’ family or the lives of those members of the community served by Sadie’s non-profit.

Construction begins at 12 noon on Sunday, February 19. Mercedes Homes and ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” plans to present the new home and non-profit center to the Holmes’ family on Friday, February 24.

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Photography Available: Log on to www.abcmedianet.com for artwork.

How the Community Can Help
Log on to www.mercedes-extreme.com to learn how you can volunteer to help build the home and non-profit center for the Holmes’ family, and also to find out how you can donate to the family. Special utility, non-profit and educational funds have been established through Bank of America.

About Mercedes Homes
Mercedes Homes is the nation’s largest 100 percent employee-owned home builder with 120 locations in Florida, Texas, North and South Carolina. Mercedes Homes actively participates in many programs that give back to the community. The company focuses their donations primarily on organizations helping individuals with special needs, whether medical, physical or developmental, academic programs and scholarship funds, youth programs, construction-related charitable organizations and community service. To find out more about Mercedes Homes’ community efforts, log on to their web site at www.mercedeshomes.com.

About "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"
"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. David Goldberg is the president of Endemol USA. The series is executive-produced by Tom Forman and co-executive produced by Denise Cramsey. The show airs Sundays (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET), on the ABC Television Network.

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Media Notes