For additional information, contact:
Shane Jefferys (817) 584-3200
shanejefferys@
MANSFIELD, Texas (October 9, 2009) – Shane Jefferys has often watched Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. What the Grounds For Play marketing and sales director didn’t expect was a call from the show’s design team asking for help from the Fort Worth-area manufacturer of children’s play environments.
“I remember getting the call,” said Jefferys. “Just two days before the big reveal, they realized they were missing an important request from the homeowner to be. Fortunately, we were able to make it happen for them.”
The urgent call came as the popular ABC-TV show, now in its seventh season, was taping in Lancaster, Texas, in July, building a dream home for injured Dallas police officer Carlton Marshall. Shot in the neck while serving a narcotics warrant two years ago, Marshall suffered immediate spinal cord damage, followed by hearing loss and a stroke. Today, rehabilitation has restored some of Carlton’s mobility but he still is primarily confined to a wheelchair. Marshall and his wife, Susan, a homicide detective, have two small children: a son, Joseph, and a daughter, Jessica, who began having seizures about a month after her father was injured.
One of the Marshall’s requests to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition was for Carlton to be able to spend time in the backyard with his children as he always had. The family already had a play set, but it was surrounded by grass – not a surface suitable for Marshall’s wheelchair.
“They needed an ADA suitable surface and they needed it the next day,” said Jefferys. “In our 26-year history, we have designed and installed literally tens of thousands of commercial play spaces worldwide for clients such as the military, child development centers and churches. It’s generally about a five-week process but we obviously didn’t have the luxury of time. Although we’re traditionally a commercial design-build manufacturer and installer, we knew the special surface they needed was something we could easily do so we agreed and headed out to the site that afternoon.”
After meeting with the project manager for construction, they quickly surveyed the area and returned the next day with a crew of four, including Jefferys, ready to get started.
“We installed artificial turf with a resilient safety pad underneath,”
“Having three young children myself, this was a commendable cause that really hit home; it was an amazing thing to be part of. Seeing 300 or 400 volunteers all working together to make this happen just like you see on TV – it was great. We got to work with Paul DiMeo and Tracy Hutson of the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition team and they were wonderful.”
The episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition featuring the Marshall family is scheduled to air Sunday, October 18, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
For more information on Grounds For Play, call (800) 552-PLAY (7529) or go online to www.groundsforplay.com.
About ABC-TVs Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
The Emmy award winning reality program “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” now in its 7th season, is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. It’s executive-produced by Anthony Dominici. David Goldberg is Chairman, Endemol North America. The show airs Sundays from 8:00-9:00 p.m., ET on ABC.
