On Nov. 10, over 700 people united during a five-day period to collaborate with TV’s Extreme Makeover Home Edition team to construct a 3,200 square foot home in Kingston for the Dore family. The family lost its home and all their possessions in a fire in March.

The event got national media exposure for Kitsap County as well as massive regional coverage. It seemed as if everyone wanted to be involved. At the local level, there were many familiar names that contributed their time and resources to rebuilding the Dore’s home. They include:

• Kingston Lumber donated the use of its just completed contractor yard, located on Hwy. 104, which was used as a staging area for construction materials, and as dispatch center building that saw duty as a conference center and rest facility for the show’s crew.

• Northstar Sportswear of Kingston donated the use of its land (near Kingston Lumber) for staging and storage of heavy equipment used for the project.

• A&A Tree Farms also donated the use of its land for staging and storage.

• Pacific International Tool & Shear produced the accent siding used in the gable areas of the new home.

• Construction Development Inc. of Kingston built the Yurt buildings on the property.

• Port Gamble General Store provided coffee for the construction crew at the site.

• Poulsbo RV contributed to the success of the project in several different ways.

• Ivar’s Seafood Bar from Edmonds served 200 bowls of chowder to the team, including the landscapers and crew of Extreme Makeover Home Edition.

   The show's successful first season garnered an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Reality Program. As the reality series enters its second season, each episode features a race against time on a project that would ordinarily take at least four months to achieve, involving a team of designers, contractors and several hundred workers who have just seven days to totally rebuild an entire house — every single room, plus the exterior and landscaping.

The first season of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition brought extreme happiness to several families. Among those projects were one that enlargedthe home of a couple expecting triplets, rebuilding a house for eight children who had just lost their parents, giving a facelift to an entire community whose homes were flooded during a hailstorm, and remodeling the living space of a wheelchair-bound young man by making it more accessible — which included the installation of an elevator. In addition the makeover team did a special live episode, during which they remodeled the New York apartment of two firefighters — in just 12 hours!
But the Dore family makeover was a true community effort that showcased not only our area and the participating businesses, but how a community can come together to make things happen. Kitsap County, and the numerous local businesses that were involved should all be proud.