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Canisius College President Rev. Vincent M. Cooke, S.J., presented Delores Powell and her four children, the Buffalo family chosen by ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” with an “extreme gift” during “Home Edition’s” news conference on Sunday, November 15 – Canisius scholarships for the family of five! To see a video of this presentation, click the image to the right.
The news conference was held at the newly-built Powell residence at 228 Massachusetts Avenue on Buffalo’s West Side.
“Canisius is very proud to be part of this event today,” said Father Cooke at the event. “Ms. Powell, we offer your children, Joel, Gabrielle, Deborah and Anschel, full-tuition scholarships to Canisius, where we hope they will become the next generation of leaders for our region.”
“I have more good news, Ms. Powell,” Father Cooke continued. “I understand that one of your regrets in life is that you, yourself, never pursued a college education. So, the certificate states that Canisius College will also make a full-tuition scholarship available to you. We look forward to helping you make this dream come true.”
David M. Stapleton ’87 and his company, David Homes, constructed the home for the Powell family. Stapleton founded David Homes more than 12 years ago. The company is dedicated to building energy efficient, high-quality homes across the region, and has grown to become one of the most well-regarded custom designers and builders in the region. Stapleton and Western New York AmeriCorps coordinated with nearly 4,500 subcontractors and other small businesses, skilled laborers and members of the public, who volunteered their services throughout the construction project.
When Stapleton, from the Canisius College Class of 1987, welcomed Father Cooke to the podium, he said that the college was near and dear to his heart. “When I contacted Canisius to be a part of this, I wanted to make sure that the values that I was raised with, and that continued at Canisius College, became a part of this.”
In addition to the scholarship award, Canisius students were among the thousands of volunteers who marched up Massachusetts Avenue to the Powell family home during the show’s famed Braveheart March. Following the march, students assisted in moving the family’s belongings out of the home and volunteered their services throughout the week.
Twenty-two years ago, Delores Powell moved to the United States from Jamaica in search of the American dream. Making just $100 a week as a home health aide, she struggled to make ends meet. Delores worked hard to support herself and her growing family and became a U.S. citizen in May of 1999, but the accomplishment was overshadowed by the abusive nature of her relationship.
In 2002, after reaching her limit, Delores picked up her children and moved to Buffalo, NY, in search of affordable housing. They rented an apartment for a year before finding what they believed was the jackpot: a six bedroom “fixer upper.” Unable to afford a lawyer, Delores struck a deal with the seller personally but unfortunately, the seller failed to disclose that the house was on the city’s demolition list. Never one to give up, Delores begged the city for leniency and they agreed to waive the order if she could get the house up to code. Delores, 49, and her children Joel, 18, Gabrielle, 16, Deborah, 15, and Anschel, 10, began building scaffolding, hanging drywall, installing windows, and making countless other repairs. Even after five and half years of repair work, the family’s home was barely livable.
Each week, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” selects a different family in need as the recipient of a new or significantly refurbished residence. In seven seasons, “Home Edition” has come to the aid of more than 160 deserving families and dozens of communities, transforming and beautifying neighborhoods. The show attracts approximately 11 million viewers. This is the first time “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” has filmed in the Buffalo area.
The Emmy award winning reality program “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” in its 7th season, is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. It is executive-produced by Anthony Dominici. David Goldberg is chairman, Endemol North America. The show airs from 8:00 – 9:00 p.m., ET on ABC.
Photo Gallery
Click on any thumbnail below to view a larger version of that image.
Photos courtesy of Mark Tortelli ’10, president of the Undergraduate Student Association, Dylan Buyskes and Kristin Etu '91
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Canisius Students Volunteer For Extreme Makeover: Home Edition – Buffalo
BUFFALO, NY – Nearly 45 Canisius College students volunteered on the Buffalo set of ABC-TV’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” on Saturday, November 7. The reality television series will spend the next week demolishing the severely distressed Powell family home on Massachusetts Avenue and building a new David Homes energy-efficient residence.
About half of the Canisius College students who volunteered on Saturday, November 7 pose for a group picture before being bused to the construction site.
Canisius College students first participated in the show’s famed Braveheart March. They were among thousands of volunteers who marched up Massachusetts Avenue to the Powell family home. At the site, David M. Stapleton ’87, president of David Homes, delivered a “call to action,” which officially launched the demolition of the old house and the building of a new one. David Homes was selected by “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” to serve as the lead builder on the project.
Following the Braveheart March, Canisius students assisted in moving the family’s belongings out of the home.
"Canisius students coming together to serve on a local project with a national audience was a truly unique experience, especially with a Canisius alumnus in charge of the project," says Mark Tortelli '10, president of the Undergraduate Student Association. "We emptied every room of the house and cleared out the garage so that the demolition and disassembling teams could go to work right away. It's one of those things that we will be able to look back upon and know that we played a part in giving an extremely deserving family a new start."
Each week, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” selects a different family in need as the recipient of a new or significantly refurbished residence. In seven seasons, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” has come to the aid of more than 160 deserving families and dozens of communities, transforming homes and beautifying neighborhoods. The show attracts approximately 11 million viewers every Sunday.
The Emmy-award winning reality program “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” now in its seventh season, is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. It is executive-produced by Anthony Dominici. David Goldberg is chairman of Endemol North America. The show airs Sundays from 8:00 – 9:00 p.m., ET on ABC.
To read more about “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” click here.
Alumnus’ Company Selected As Builder For Extreme Makeover: Home Edition – Buffalo
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| Canisius College alumnus David M. Stapleton ’87 delivers a “call to action” on Saturday, November 7, which officially launched the deconstruction of the Powell Family home on Massachusetts Avenue in Buffalo. Stapleton is the president of David Homes, which is the lead builder on the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” project in Buffalo. |
Each week, the show selects a different family in need as the recipient of a new or significantly refurbished residence. In seven seasons, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” has come to the aid of more than 160 deserving families and dozens of communities, transforming homes and beautifying neighborhoods. The show attracts approximately 11 million viewers each week.
Stapleton is president of David Homes, which he founded more than 12 years ago. The company is dedicated to building energy efficient, high-quality homes across the region, and has grown to become one of the most well-regarded custom designers and builders in the region.
For “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” Stapleton and his team of employees at David Homes will work with a legion of volunteers to design and construct an energy efficient home in just one week. Construction begins on Saturday, November 7 and concludes on Saturday, November 14. David Homes is donating its employees’ labor and some building materials and other resources. The builder and Western New York AmeriCorps have coordinated with nearly 4,500 subcontractors and other small businesses, skilled laborers and members of the public, who will volunteer their services throughout the construction project.
The Emmy-award winning reality program “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” now in its seventh season, is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. It is executive-produced by Anthony Dominici. David Goldberg is chairman of Endemol North America. The show airs Sundays from 8:00 – 9:00 p.m., ET on ABC.
To read more about “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” click here.
Canisius College is one of 28 Jesuit colleges in the nation and the premier private college in Western New York. Canisius prepares leaders – intelligent, caring, faithful individuals – able to promote excellence in their professions, their communities and their service to humanity.