De Young Properties

The last day of the year was a memorable one not only for the De Young Properties team but for our entire Central Valley community. After much anticipation we were excited to share our exciting news...De Young Properties has been asked by ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to build a new home for one deserving Central Valley family and we were honored to say yes. We knew our community would have a tremendous response but could have never predicted how supportive our entire Valley would be. Within hours of our announcement, we were receiving volunteer sign ups at a rate of 100 per hour! By the end of day one, we had nearly 600 volunteers sign-up. Additionally, our local business community contacted us to offer donations of food, goods, supplies and more. While we do not know who the family is, we are looking forward to January 8th, when we find out which of the five finalists from our Valley has been chosen. In one-week one family’s life will be forever-changed and we are so honored to be part of this extraordinary project. The De Young Properties team thanks everyone in advance for their support and enthusiasm...let’s work together to do the impossible...build an affordable, quality constructed, energy-efficient De Young home in just 7-days for one deserving family!!!

Yesterday was an extremely exciting day for the entire De Young Properties team as we joined our many trade partners and supporters at a pep rally for the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition build. Conrad Rickets, the executive producer of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition was there to rally the troops, tell us all the details and provide us with inspiration for the build ahead. It was unbelievable to listen to Conrad speak about how many families have been helped by the communities who have opened their arms to this opportunity. It became apparent during the rally that this isn’t about Hollywood, and it isn’t about a show…it’s about an entire community coming together in the spirit of neighbor-helping-neighbor to change a family’s life for the better. It doesn’t take a television show to accomplish this, just open hearts willing to lend a helping hand. We’ve never been more proud to be a part of this community! Thank you to everyone for your overwhelming support!

Today was the day we had all been waiting for. The excitement could be felt in the air and everything finally seemed real. This morning Ty knocked on the door of the Riojas family to let them know that they had been chosen for this amazing experience. Production crews hurriedly set up, neighbors walked back and forth along the streets to see the commotion and media crews rushed in to capture the action. Although it was exciting to be a part of such a huge production of events, what was most memorable was meeting the family. When we finally had the chance to meet Mary Ann and her four wonderful children it was such a heart warming experience. To hear her speak about her adversities and how she’s overcome what most people would have never thought possible was unbelievable! The days ahead are going to be a challenge for our team…building a house in only 106 hours…most probably think it’s crazy. But when you meet Mary Ann and her family and see their smiling faces and hear their story the impossible, seems possible! She is an inspiration to us all and it is an honor to have such an admirable women and her family be a part of our community!

Today was a set-up day for the production of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Production trucks set up in the neighborhood and the Riojas family’s belongings were packed up and moved into storage. We got word that the Riojas family arrived safely to their vacation in Colorado and are already having a wonderful time. While they are on vacation, the entire De Young Properties team will work together to build Maryann the home that she deserves. Everyone in our community has come together to help build Maryann the home of her dreams. A safe, quality constructed, energy efficient home that she can create memories in for a lifetime. We are looking forward to what the next 6 days brings; and cannot wait to welcome Maryann home next Thursday!

This morning, bright and early in Fresno the sun broke through the clouds and the entire De Young Properties team joined together with its team of talented trade partners and volunteers for the Braveheart March toward the Riojas family home. Jerry and Paula De Young gave motivational speeches thanking everyone for their support and reminded the team that while building a home in 7 days seems impossible, Maryann reminds us that nothing is impossible. Today was about Maryann, a member of our community who has given back so much despite many challenges. She is a mentor, hero and activist for people with disabilities who inspires us all. At 1:00 p.m. demolition crews in excavators tore down the Riojas family home and the countdown has begun. Concrete is set to begin late tonight as we build a new foundation to better support Maryann’s hopes, dreams and future. We are so honored to be part of this extraordinary experience.

What started out as a foggy morning turned out to be a beautiful day in Fresno. Late last night, the ground was finally finished being prepped after demolition. The concrete was poured early this morning and framing began. The new Riojas family home started taking shape as almost 100 volunteers from our framing team worked together to get the walls up. Our Extreme team is working closely with our well seasoned De Young construction team to help guide us in this unique building schedule. Today was the first day for spectators and near 1,000 people came to the build site to show their support for the Riojas family and the De Young Properties construction team. Cans of food were overflowing from our collection bins in another example of how our community is stepping up to the plate to give back. Spectators cheered and showed unwavering support as hundreds of contractors worked to give Maryann a home custom built for her special needs…a home that she can create memories in with her family for generations to come. Our deepest gratitude to all of our trade partners, volunteers, supporters and community at large for their support and encouragement.

Day five of building was full of excitement as the Riojas family home gets closer and closer to being finished. Today, framing was completed, windows and cabinets were being installed and the house was being prepped for painting. De Young Properties and their team of contractors are energetic and working hard to make sure the Riojas families’ home is completed in time for their return on Thursday. We cannot wait to welcome them home! It’s amazing to see how much has been done in such a small amount of time. Spectators are continuing to bring canned goods to support our local food banks. They are also writing checks and giving cash donations to a fund to pay off the Riojas family’s previous mortgage. Over $100,000 has already been raised to help the effort! We’ve always known that Fresno is a community that helps their neighbors, but acts of kindness and support like this make it even more apparent. Thank you Fresno for your support of the Riojas family, De Young Properties and this exciting build!

Today was another eventful day at the Extreme build site. The painting was completed, wallpaper was put up, baseboards were installed and the landscaping was prepped. It is hard to believe that in less than 24 hours we will hand the keys over to the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition design team to add the finishing touches on the home before it’s revealed to the Riojas family. There is still a lot of work left ahead of us but it is unbelievable how far we have come since the house was demolished just three days ago. It’s amazing how beautiful the weather has been and the welcoming neighborhood and helpful volunteers are more than we could ask for! This truly is a neighbor-helping-neighbor project and we appreciate everyone’s efforts in making the impossible, possible for the Riojas family!

Today we put the final touches on the Extreme home before handing the keys over to the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition design team this afternoon. As we write this they are adding those extra special touches to the house that will truly make it one of a kind for the Riojas family! It’s hard to believe that we are less than 24 hours away to yelling “move that bus” and welcoming Mary Ann and her children home. We can’t wait to see the reaction on their faces as they see their beautiful new home for the first time. This has truly been a week we will never forget and tomorrow will be another truly memorable day. We can’t wait to see all of you out there to help us yell, “Move That Bus!”