By Dawn Fluhler

Hundreds of fans and volunteers gathered in Kokomo’s First Church of the Nazarene Jan. 10 to greet the Cowan-Brown family and one another. They enjoyed 1,500 donated Blondie’s cookies and soft drinks provided by Coca-Cola and the church’s Holy Grounds coffee bar. Groups such as the American Cancer Society and the Be the Match national marrow donor program had information booths and volunteers available.

At 7 p.m., the crowd moved into the church auditorium where Dennis Ashley from D. Ashley Design + Events moderated a program that included: opening remarks, Hallmark Homes highlights, volunteer highlights and testimony, Cowan-Brown family highlights, viewing of the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” Bunker Hill episode, Hallmark Homes and Cowan-Brown family responses, an IROK Foundation presentation and closing remarks.

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By Logan Braman

A new house wasn’t all the Cowan-Brown family received during the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” build. The children, Ryan, Trevor, Mason and Kori, also received a gift from Ball State University.

The day after the build was finished, the Cowan-Browns met in their new front yard for a press conference with a twist. Tony Proudfoot, associate vice president for Marketing and Communications at Ball State, came to the build site on behalf of President Jo Ann Gora. The news he carried was a shocker to the Cowan-Brown family.

“If you continue to work and study hard and if you apply and are admitted to Ball State University, we will provide each of you with a scholarship to support the full cost of tuition for in-state students,” Proudfoot told the family. “Working through the Ball State Foundation, we will supplement any state or federal gift aid to cover tuition.”

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It’s over.

After a week-long build that truly can be defined as one of the most unique “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” efforts ever, the family is back in their new house.

Hallmark Homes would like to thank everyone who made this possible. There is no way that it could’ve been done without you.

The Cowan-Brown family is home.

By Logan Bramn

The Extreme Makeover: Home Edition project couldn’t happen without the time and energy of hundreds of volunteers. If the Cowan-Brown family was here, it’s safe to say they would be pitching in as much as everyone else.

The family, and especially daughter Kori Brown, have been donating time and raising money for various causes for years despite a series of health problems they faced due to the growing mold problem within the house.

Kori, the most affected by the mold, faced symptoms that exacerbated her congenital blood disease that has already required 17 operations to treat. According to Tammy Lively, a radio host with WWKI, the operations haven’t stopped Kori from helping others.

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By Megan Scott

By noon on Thursday, the Cowan-Brown family’s home was torn down and dumpsters filled with trash and rubble were removed in order to make space for the new home. Volunteers spent the day setting up the infrastructure needed to support the build while watching the cranes lift the house and throw it in the trash.

At approximately 10 a.m., the cast and crew of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition were on site to film the demolition. Cameras were placed in metal boxes and scattered throughout the house so that they wouldn’t miss a minute. Ty Pennington made a video to send to the family and fired up the crowd.

Sponsors provided snacks and lunch to feed the hungry volunteers while they waited to go back to work and watched the builders and excavators clear the lot.

Hallmark Homes, the construction company in charge of the project, President Paul Schwinghammer was on site to organize the demolition and start of the rebuild. Schwinghammer said they were put in charge of creating a better home for the Cowen-Brown family. One of the biggest changes: the location. (But that question won’t get answered until the Reveal.)

On Friday, the morning Schwinghammer and his crew will begin building the frame of the new house and pour concrete into the foundation.

After weeks of intense planning, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition kicked off on Wednesday at 8 am as Ty and the crew showed up to greet Andy and Heather Cowan, residents of Bunker Hill, Indiana, with the news that they were the recipients of the life-changing event.

The family’s home was contaminated with mold that caused problems for the children, especially Kori, who has a congenital blood disease. “I just hope that you understand that you guys have saved our family,” Heather said. “It’s not about the house, this is a lot bigger than the house.”

The Cowan-Brown’s will be travelling to Disneyland while the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” team rebuilds their house.

See more pictures of the Cowan-Brown family http://www.flickr.com/photos/hallmarkhomesinc/.