Extreme Makeover: Home Edition - Season 7

When the new season begins, these special guests will contribute far more than special appearances - they'll be part of the design team. In each episode, the iconic "EM:HE" bus will pick up a new volunteer to join the team and help during the build, providing a rare chance to visit America's heartland and connect with real people who need help. Celebrity volunteers will pull up their sleeves, create a design project and put their personal stamp on the home. They will get to know the family's circumstances and needs one on one. In between pouring foundations and framing walls, some of the celebrity volunteers will jump right into the center of the town -- connecting with the locals, hanging out with the design team, spearheading a community project and bringing their unique personality and talents to the project. It's not all hard labor and sweat -- every episode has plenty of room for good times with good people. Getting on the bus will allow America to get to know the celebrity volunteers in an entirely new way -- as a real person who wants to make a real difference.

Chris and Niki didn't hesitate to open their hearts and home to young Gage, Kira, Lexi and Jacob, who now range in age from two to eight years old. Squeezing out the space for them, together with eleven-year-old son Dakota and eight-year-old daughter Hannah, has been the real challenge. Currently the three boys share one set of bunk beds in the dining room, and the three girls share another set of bunks in what used to be a utility closet. Since the cottage has no closets, plastic storage bins are stacked floor-to-ceiling in every room. Dinner is served assembly line-style, and everyone sits on the floor except for the youngest children in booster seats. What the family lacks in comfort and space, they more than make up for with love. The children are incredibly close - literally and figuratively - and Chris and Niki look forward to the day when they move beyond full legal custody of their nieces and nephews to become their adoptive parents. Chris, a land surveyor, basketball & football coach and president of the Missouri Family Rodeo Association, and Niki, a saleswoman and MFRA secretary, also have rescued six horses that live on their five-acre farm along with three dogs.

About two years ago, Carlton was shot in the neck while serving a narcotics search warrant. Severe spinal cord damage was immediate, followed by hearing loss and a stroke. Today rehabilitation has restored some of Carlton's mobility, but he is still primarily confined to a wheelchair. Health issues also affect the Marshalls' young daughter, Jessica, who began having seizures about a month after Carlton was so severely wounded. The Marshall family, which also includes a young son, Joseph, must cope with these health problems in a house where snakes have infested the walls, attic, wiring and plumbing. Furthermore, the foundation of the house is sinking, and the septic system backs up on their lawn. Despite their myriad difficulties, Carlton and Susan's big hearts remain open to others as supporters of the nonprofit program TROT, Therapeutic Riding of Texas. The Marshalls hope to modify their horse barn and stables to host TROT sessions, which would also be helpful to Carlton.

Nathan was a promising young engineer on his way to a six-figure management position when he first began volunteering to help the needy. Realizing he wanted to pursue charity work full-time, he stepped off the fast track to launch Salt and Light, the philanthropic organization he leads as executive director. Nathan has seen the number of local families in need rise dramatically in the current economic crisis, and Salt and Light now feeds an average of 250 families each week. But the altruism of Nathan and Jenny, a middle school aide who works with special-needs children, has taken a heavy toll on the family's living conditions. Since both of them have modest salaries, they've been unable to afford much-needed repairs to their dilapidated two-story, 100-year-old home. The roof over their heads is falling apart, much of the siding is gone, and the brick foundation is crumbling, among other problems. The Montgomerys feared that they'd have to move out for safety reasons, and would no longer be able to continue their vital community service.

Two years ago, Steve Mattingly was responding to a fire call at a neighborhood home, where he was asked to direct traffic around the site. Steve's wife, Melissa, was driving by the fire when disaster struck: Steve was hit full speed by a car that didn't see him. An EMT herself, Melissa immediately got out of her car and ran to her husband to give him care. Steve suffered multiple injuries, brain damage and amnesia. To date, he has had seven surgeries to try to repair the damage. Most of his problems with pain, balance and memory are irreparable, and he will probably never be able to work a full-time job again. Although Steve, 41, has regained his ability to walk and retains his humorous personality, his family knows his life has changed forever. They live in a small, 700-square-foot crumbling trailer, and Melissa, 38, is now the sole wage earner. They cannot afford to fix the home, which they also share with their growing daughters, Alana, 12, and Madison, 11. Now it's up to Ty and the gang to give this family who have endured such hardship some comfort in a peaceful new home.

Crippled by polio during infancy and abandoned by his American G.I. father in Vietnam, James nevertheless considers himself one of the luckiest people in the world. He was supposed to be airlifted out of Vietnam on a military plane that crashed, killing all the children and aid workers aboard. Instead, he had safe passage, leading to a new life in America as an adopted son in an Ohio family. While growing up, James competed in wheelchair sports and later represented the U.S. at the Paralympics, where he earned both gold and silver medals. He continues to serve his country in civilian technical support for the Air Force and by helping disabled veterans. James also is a frequent speaker at schools, educating children and teens about living with special challenges.

Thanks to a bone marrow transplant from an anonymous donor, Joey Stott miraculously survived leukemia and made a miraculous recovery. She and her family then pursued their dream of life on a self-sufficient organic farm that they'd fantasized about for years. But just as they'd made their dreams a reality, an electrical fire threatened to destroy them permanently: This past spring, Joey woke in the middle of the night to a series of electrical explosions that looked like a fireworks display. The farmhouse's ancient wiring was sparking and threatened the entire house. The fire department arrived quickly enough to save the structure, but warned that the same thing could happen again if the wiring weren't totally replaced. But the family can't afford to replace the home's wiring. Joey, 33, husband Philip, 45, and their three children, Kaila, 19, Jonathan, 16, and Michael, 15, are terrified that they'll have to leave the farm they love and abandon the dream they've fought so hard to realize. The Stotts are currently living in the house, despite the dangers. Now it's up to Ty and the designers to make the Stott home safe and to get the farm up and running again.

Trina, 44, met her husband Dave while he was serving with U.S. Army Special Forces in Fort Bragg - and it was love at first sight. After his discharge, Dave became a Clarksville police officer. In 2002, he and his partner were on duty when their police car was violently struck by a truck. The car spun out of control, hit a guardrail, caught fire and killed both Dave and his partner almost instantly. Overwhelmed with grief, Trina turned to a group called Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc., which helps the surviving family members of officers killed in the line of duty. Inspired by the help she received from C.O.P.S., Trina devoted all of her free time to the organization and became its President in 2003. The time that Trina dedicates to C.O.P.S. represents essentially a full-time job, and that's on top of the full time job she works to support her three daughters -- Leyla, 17, Deidie, 13, and Alethea, 11. Trina has spent more than $20,000 on the mounting repairs to her small home, but the structural problems caused by termites and water damage remain.

Having experienced a childhood of hardship, Clara vowed to make a difference for the next generation, and neither modest means nor the challenges of Myostenio Gradi, a degenerative muscular disease, have stopped her so far. For decades Clara has put her personal needs second to feeding, clothing and nurturing children in her home, organizing charitable drives, arranging field trips, tutoring, giving cooking lessons and much more. But the rampant disrepair of her crumbling two-story home -- including a cracked foundation, a leaky roof, peeling walls and a faulty sewage line -- increasingly threatens the life-long mission that means so much to her and the people in her neighborhood. Furthermore, the house lacks the wheelchair accessibility she needs, requiring her to stay with her daughter and head back and forth each day.

Sixteen years ago, Sandy was pregnant with her first child and working as an early childhood education teacher. After the birth of her daughter, Catricia, Sandy examined her daycare options and discovered that none of them met her standards. She decided to quit her job and start her own daycare in the community where she'd grown up. Because most high-quality daycares were too expensive for her neighbors, Sandy found ways to run her daycare at a lower cost and charges just enough to support herself and her family. She also offers a multicultural environment to these children, who affectionately call her "Tia Sandy." Sandy's dedication to her daycare and her community has produced one of the best daycares in the city; even the Mayor of St. Paul sent his son there. Now it's up to Ty and the designers to build Sandy, 40, her daughter Catricia, 15, and her son Mychal, 12, a safe home that is a sanctuary for their family and will enable the daycare to remain a center of community life and education.

At the age of five, Kori Cowan was diagnosed with a congenital blood disease affecting her immune system. Since then, her parents have made multiple trips every month to Riley Hospital in Indianapolis, where Kori meets with her doctors and receives intravenous blood infusions. Recently Kori started developing polyps in her nasal cavity and behind her eyes. She has already endured 17 operations as a result of these painful growths that have to be surgically removed. Doctors believe the polyps may be the result of environmental issues in the family's home, including an extreme mold infestation. Ryan, the oldest boy, has also fallen ill and gone to live with his biological father - tearing this close-knit family apart.

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 with her ex-husband. 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 countless other repairs. But even after five and a half years of work, the family's home is unlivable.

On November 11, 2009, "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" traveled to Davidson County, NC - with celebrity volunteers Jewel & Ty Murray -- to meet Tricia Creasey, a beloved teacher who is battling stage-four cancer while her husband struggles to keep their home livable for their family.

Over three decades ago, Tripp's father ran a bus ministry for the Woodland Baptist Church, hoping to make his rough neighborhood a better place. Now a generation later, Tripp and Tamara are continuing a family tradition of service and generosity. About 40 kids each week and over 90 children on holidays board the bus for fun and safe activities that have ranged from bowling on a Friday night to flower arranging for Mother's Day. Tripp, an electrician, and Tamara, a teacher's aide, serve as Bus captain and Project coordinator, respectively. More importantly, Tripp, 31, and Tamara, 30, have taken on the role of mentors to many of these children who sometimes look for a sympathetic ear outside the home. The Tripps give of themselves lovingly -- but their generosity literally has its costs. Since their church cannot afford to fund the activities available through the "Big Blue Bus," the Tripps pick up the tab. Earning only modest salaries from their regular jobs, Tripp and Tamara have little left over to repair the crumbling 900-square-foot, two-bedroom, one bathroom house they share with their young sons, Micah, 5, Ethan, 3 and Aaden, 9 months.

Growing up in Gainesville, Jill Wagstaff always knew of the huge impact the arts had on the lives of her friends and family. In college she met Tobin, who shared her love of the arts, and they eventually married and had four beautiful children: Tobin James Jr., 7, Rudy, 6, Dallas, 5, and Larissa Jolene, 4. In 2002 the Wagstaffs started Studio Percussion, Inc., a non-profit music school and arts center specializing in the use of drums and percussion to encourage and inspire students towards community involvement and leadership development. The family runs this organization out of their home, in the space where Dallas and Larissa Jolene currently sleep. The studio currently serves about 200 people, half of whom receive financial aid. Their utter devotion to their family, their school, and their community leaves the Wagstaffs little time and few resources to tend to their dilapidated home. Now it's up to the "EM:HE" team and hundreds of local volunteers to build a safe, new home that will allow this family to continue to support the arts in the lives of their family and their entire community.

On February 1, 2010, "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" traveled to Slaughterville, OK to meet Brian and Audra Skaggs, whose son, Jhett, survived a heart transplant at just 10 months of age. Although he's made incredible progress over the past two years, the poor condition of the family's moldy, rotting, termite-ridden home poses serious risks to Jhett's weakened immune system. In only seven days, team leader Ty Pennington, the design team, plus celebrity guest designer Jillian Harris of ABC's "The Bachelorette" will help build a safe and healthy home.

Heathcock, 39, and his wife Gina, 40, are working themselves ragged in order to afford the best education for their children Annie, 12, Gary, 10, and Tessa, 7. In addition to his work for the Army National Guard, Sherman works as a sheriff's deputy, a SWAT team leader, a grocery store security guard, a neighborhood watch group organizer, and volunteers his time to provide security for his kids' school and to coach his son's football and baseball teams, while Gina works part-time as a paralegal. During Sherman's first tour in Iraq, Hurricane Katrina sent several large trees crashing down on their property and onto their home. Adding insult to injury, while beginning to tackle the long list of repairs, Gina fell victim to a re-roofing scam. The rotting ceilings and damaged foundation are crumbling beneath them, and with Sherman currently serving in Iraq, his wife and kids are worried about losing the battle in their own home.

For many years, the Beach family have been a huge blessing to their surrounding communities, and they continue to go above and beyond to help others. Larry, 40, and Melissa, 39, have fostered 80 children, adopted 9 (Jose, 20, Mikala, 18, Paul, 14, Faith, 12, Hope, 9, Jake, 4, Gracie, 3, Jeremiah, 1, Mercy, 1), and given birth to 4 boys of their own (Chris, 22, Mike, 21, Cody, 19, Justin, 8). Many of their adopted children are living with serious mental and emotional disabilities, but Larry and Melissa's love and support has shaped and developed them into well-adjusted children with passion for life. When Hurricane Ike stormed through town, flooding and tearing apart the Beach's house, the family struggled to survive as snakes, rats and mold overtook the home. Eventually they were given two FEMA trailers. But after one year, FEMA took them back, and now two adults and nine children are crammed into a small travel trailer in the backyard. Struggling to find money to repair their crumbling home, Larry and Melissa remain positive and focus on not just their family's needs, but the needs of others.

At a very young age, Amanda was forced to take on the role of a mother figure to her siblings. The children were often left alone for extended periods of time and, because the family moved so often, they were frequently out of school. Between missing school herself and caring for her siblings, Amanda fell so far behind that she dropped out after the seventh grade. At 16 Amanda reached out to her aunt for help, and she agreed to take care of Amanda and the two oldest boys. Living with her aunt helped Amanda get her life back on track, and within three months she received her GED and began community college classes. When she turned 18, Amanda moved to Myrtle Beach to continue her college education. When she met Derrick, they instantly fell in love, were married, and soon welcomed their first born, Walker. But shortly thereafter Amanda's brother, Jacob, informed her that he and his younger brothers were being taken away from their parents and placed in foster care. Without hesitation, Derrick and Amanda brought the boys to live with them.

Katrina and Mike Carr met while working at a summer camp for special-needs children. After they married six years later, the couple followed their passion of making a difference in the lives of others by adopting four kids from Kazakhstan who'd been abandoned at birth. Two of the children were born with Amniotic Band Syndrome, which caused Ryanne, now 7, to have both legs and one arm amputated, and Rina, 3, to lose a leg. Their brother Nikolas, 9, was recently diagnosed with Sensory Integration Dysfunction, which causes an inability to organize information as it comes through the senses. Compounding the family's struggles, health problems have required their father, Mike, 41, to have both pancreas and kidney transplants over the past decade. Yet, for all the challenges Ryanne, Rina, Nikolas and Mike face -- and which Katrina, 37, and daughter Haydn, 8, face with them - the Carrs carry on with unfailing spirit and optimism. Being a triple amputee hasn't stopped Ryanne, for example, from climbing trees, riding a handcycle and running. She's learned to rely on different prosthetics for different activities. Katrina, who has a master's degree in education, home-schools her children who otherwise would miss public school classes too often for doctors' appointments. Mike has taught environmental education at camps for special needs kids and is also an artist and jewelry designer.

In light of everything he endures living each day with Prader-Willi, Ethan maintains a remarkably contagious positive attitude. With the help of his parents and older brothers, Jared, 15, and Ryan, 13, Ethan maintains a healthy weight, is in a traditional 4th grade class in school, and is a "poster child" for how a child can progress with this disease. After the national Make-a-Wish foundation granted his wish to visit Walt Disney World, Ethan made it his mission help other Make-a-Wish children with life threatening illnesses reach their goals. As an ambassador for his local Make-a-Wish chapter in Tulsa, he is working to shed light on Prader-Willi syndrome and has also raised thousands of dollars to help grant wishes for other local children. Because Ethan will never be able to live on his own, his current home needs to provide him the things he needs to thrive. Now it's up to the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" team to build a new home that will allow Ethan and his family to manage this disease and continue to help others who are living with Prader-Willi syndrome as well.

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" travels to Pine Mountain Valley, GA, to meet Jeremy and Jennifer Williams, whose son, Jacob, was diagnosed with Spina Bifida before he was born. Then, several years after Jacob's birth, Jeremy was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease. Now the home Jeremy and Jennifer bought 13 years ago is falling apart around them. In addition to mounting repairs, the home is too small to accommodate two disabled family members. NFL Star Michael Oher and the Tuohy Family ("The Blind Side") are the "Get on the Bus" volunteers, while ESPN football analysts Herm Edwards, Mark Schlereth, Mark May and Desmond Howard are special guests. Plus, Demi Lovato and Wilmer Valderrama also appear in the episode.