THE SHOW
Seeing herself on television Sunday night, Mary Ann Riojas wept. Chances are, many among a national television audience also choked with emotion as ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" aired the story of Riojas and her family.
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The day after was just as sweet for Mary Ann Riojas and her four teenage children. After sleeping in their "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" house for the first time, the Fresno family was showered with dozens of gifts at a ceremony Friday.
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List of donated gifts | List of project supporters | Blog
THE REVEAL
It took just three small words Thursday to enable Mary Ann Riojas and her four teenage children to enter a new world. More than 5,000 people followed Ty Pennington's cue to shout, "Move that bus!" And then the Riojases saw their new house for the first time.
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If this home could talk, it'd shout out that it's loaded -- with a lot of extreme things. The show's celebrity designers worked with local builder De Young Properties to replace the Riojases' old home with one that better suits their needs.
THE BUILD
When thousands of volunteers rushed to help the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" team build a new home for the Riojas family in Fresno, many in the city's business community joined in.
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Map and details | Blog
Wood sanders hummed and sawdust flew Tuesday morning when about 25 carpenters and special designers worked in Wayne Stonecipher's backyard.
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When the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" bus moves Thursday, Mary Ann Riojas and her family will enter a house that has some of most energy-efficient technology available.
Home designer Michael Moloney has been a mainstay of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" since it premiered six seasons ago. The Bee caught up with Moloney before crews started the fast-paced task of building new home for Mary Ann Riojas and family.
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Map and details | Video | Blog
More than 3,800 local residents are wielding hammers, mounting solar panels, picking up trash, serving lunch and pouring coffee to help a Fresno family get a new home in a week.
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Kathy Cartwright choked with emotion Sunday morning as she viewed the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" local project taking rapid shape with framing right before her eyes.
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Map and details | Video | Blog
THE SETUP
The jaws of an excavator rose high up into the air in front of a cheering crowd before plunging through the roof of the Riojas family house Saturday.
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With the Riojas family whisked off to a ski resort in Colorado, construction crews and volunteers on Friday set the foundation for the extreme makeover of a tiny portion of west-central Fresno.
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THE SELECTION
Mary Ann Riojas, 37, a Fresno mother of four who was born with no legs and only one complete arm, was named Thursday as the recipient of the local build by the ABC reality show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."
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THE WARMUP
Show business meets philanthropy in the Fresno area this week as the ABC reality television series "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" comes to town, putting thousands of volunteers -- and one lucky family -- in an international spotlight.
Most neighbors willingly cooperate when "Extreme Makeover" comes knocking. But Twyla Stanislawsky isn't happy -- and she isn't mollified by the show's offer to pay for a hotel so that she wouldn't have to endure the hassles of 24-hour-a-day construction.
A Fresno homebuilder is teaming up with a popular television show to build a house for a family in the central San Joaquin Valley.
