Congratulations Harris Family ~ of Floresville, Texas!
On Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (EMHE) traveled to Wilson County southeast of San Antonio to surprise a deserving family with the door knock that can change lives. EMHE host Ty Pennington and the team of designers surprised the Shilo Harris family. The detonation of an IED signals the end of the road for far too many of our brave troops, however for Army SSG Harris, the IED that nearly took his life signaled the beginning of a long, hard yet ultimately brighter road ahead.
On Feb. 19, 2007, while on patrol in Iraq, a massive IED struck the truck Shilo was in, ripping it to pieces. Shilo’s face was literally melted away. Despite suffering catastrophic injuries including burns on over 40% of his body, he wouldn’t allow himself to receive any treatment until he was assured his fellow troops were out of harm’s way.
During his endless months of painful surgeries, Shilo and his loyal wife, Kathreyn, found their true calling -- to help wounded warriors through the agonizing and traumatic process of recovering, rehabilitating and learning to bravely face a life forever altered. Once sufficiently healed, Shilo began a career as a motivational speaker, giving hope to those similarly impacted. Kathreyn, taking up the cause as well, began working for the Army Wounded Warrior Project. Shilo and Kathreyn have dedicated their lives to giving back.
With each passing day, the Harris family puts more distance between themselves and the event that shaped their lives. Unfortunately, their old home stood as a constant reminder of their struggles. Its inability to protect Shilo from dust and heat inhibited him from living a normal life. But all that changed Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, when the Harrises saw their spacious new house for the first time.
While construction proceeded around the clock for seven days, the Harrises took a dream vacation to Landstuhl, Germany, where Shilo and Kathreyn met with other wounded warriors who recently returned from combat. Meanwhile, EMHE team leader Pennington, designers Michael Moloney, Paige Hemmis, Ed Sanders, and Xzibit, along with Gordon Hartman and the Morgan’s Wonderland team, plus wave after wave of community volunteers, built the Spanish-style structure.
Why did Morgan's Wonderland get involved? Because Morgan’s Wonderland believes in miracles; it's witnessed countless miracles in just two years of operation. The EMHE project for the Harris family was definitely in keeping with the Morgan's Wonderland mission of changing lives for the better.
Hartman, who was a successful builder before becoming immersed in the creation of Morgan’s Wonderland and other causes to help those with special needs, used his three decades of construction expertise to assemble a homebuilding team and coordinate the team’s efforts. It marked the first time in nine EMHE seasons that a non-profit organization was tapped to serve as "builder" and take the lead in coordinating such a herculean project.
When all was said and done, the project involved almost 200 construction-related firms and more than 3,000 dedicated volunteers. The team effort also attracted many generous gifts for the Harrises such as decorative art work from the Monarch Academy at Morgan's Wonderland school for students with special needs, and two $50,000 college scholarships for son Glen and daughter Lizzy from the University of the Incarnate Word!
"We'll never be able to adequately express our gratitude for the outpouring of support and generosity from so many organizations and individuals," Hartman said. "In retrospect, the producers of EMHE said this was one of the top three projects in EMHE history. We're truly honored to have taken the lead in this once-in-a-lifetime endeavor, which is now another exciting chapter in the unfolding story of Morgan's Wonderland. It underscored what we say and demonstrate time and time again:
'Together, we can make a difference!'
This final episode of Extreme Makeover will air as a 2-hour special some time around Christmas 2012. Check back for more details.
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