Column: Shorelines

Courtesy of Vickie Seekford

Ty Pennington (right), host of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," on the site of a home renovation in Pine Mountain, Ga.

Courtesy of Vickie Seekford

Skeeter Seekford (left in yellow hat) and Andrew Suggs of Nationwide Homes in Martinsville confer before a crane picks up the first modular box.

ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" is known for changing the lives of families by drastically altering their living conditions. For one local couple, the experience of volunteering on a home renovation sponsored by the show left a lasting impression.

James "Skeeter" Seekford and wife Vicki of Rocky Mount first got involved with "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" through Skeeter's employer, Nationwide Homes of Martinsville. Nationwide sold the reality television show on the idea of using a modular home, setting in motion a flurry of activity in Martinsville, Smith Mountain Lake and in Georgia, where the renovation would take place.

"My company first met with the 'Extreme Home Makeover' team last year at the International Building Show in Las Vegas," recalled Skeeter Seekford. "They were very anxious to use the modular concept and our company was the first to bring it to them."

The building experience was different from those he is used to, said Skeeter. The show's premise is to use volunteers to build or make over a home for a deserving family. This is done in one week, with those involved working around the clock.

"It was amazing to watch the volunteers, the local subcontractors and our builders who went down with us come together and work as a team to achieve the goal," said Skeeter.

Nationwide found out in January that its product would be used in a build in Pine Mountain, Ga., in February.

Nationwide donated the home and was helped by sponsors, vendors and employees.

"The Nationwide workers that went down to Georgia gave up vacation days," said Vicki, co-owner of The General Store on Scruggs Road. "Each of the workers in the plant donated a day of their pay to help build the house, so everyone gave a lot for this family in Georgia."

The Jeremy Williams family was the recipient of this generosity. Jeremy, the football coach at Greenville High School, has Lou Gehrig's Disease. His son Jacob was born with spin bifida. They, along with Jeremy's wife and daughter, lived in a 1940s ranch that was ill-equipped to meet the special needs of the family.

Vicki Seekford said she decided to get involved to support her husband. She and two other wives of Nationwide employees donated their time to serve as volunteer coordinators. Their work actually started before the project began. They scheduled 2,000 volunteers to fill four six-hour shifts a day so the show could finish the house in a week.

"We had to work 24 hours," said Vicki Seekford. "There were three of us and we each worked eight-hour shifts. We moved those shifts around so no one had to work night duty all the time."

Vicki said she got about four hours of sleep a night during that week, slightly more than Skeeter, who got about three hours.

While they were working hard in Georgia, there were people at Smith Mountain Lake who helped make it all possible. Vicki's business partner Rita Grisetti and the other workers at The General Store worked extra hours during Vicki's absence. They also worked feverishly to sew a quilt and pennant for the family.

"As soon and the girls at the store found out what we were doing this, they wanted to do something for the family; that's just the type of people are," said Vicki. "In two days, we had a quilt made and because he's a coach, 'Extrem,e Home Makeover' also did over the locker room at the high school as a surprise. The girls at our store made a pennant with a helmet for the locker room. It had a lot of embroidery and applique."

In addition to the quilt and pennant, Vicki's industrious employees made another pennant for Jacob and a pillow for his sister. All of this was accomplished in a week's time.

When the Seekfords arrived in Georgia, they found more helping hands than they had expected.

"The sheriff's wife became my best friend the first day," Vicki said. "She immediately said, 'What do you need?' Anything we needed [was provided] -- down to the inmates doing our laundry. You'd be surprised how nice it is to have clean laundry."

This episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" is the season finale. It airs May 16 on ABC-13 WSET-TV. Vicki and Skeeter were on hand when the home was revealed to the Williams family.

"When the bus moved away, I had a clear shot of the family, and the look on their faces was way worth everything we did," Vicki said.

The whole experience, working around the clock and away from home, reinforced Vicki's belief in the kindness of strangers.

"The love that people showed this family and the love they showed for us to help us accomplish this, it took a whole village to pull together," said Vicki. "It was remarkable."