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.

During the pre-show family highlights, the family shared information about the application process, working with the community, acclimating to their new house and unpacking.

Andy and Heather shared that the application process was lengthy; not only in paper form, but also in the amount of time it took from application to selection. Andy mentioned that there were many questions on the application that nobody would want to answer – a comment met by laughter from the crowd.

“We are so proud of this community and our church and school,” Heather said. “We are so thankful and we are so blessed.”

She said the family’s clothing and bedding was all professionally cleaned and returned to the garage before Reveal Day. And she is still unpacking – down to about two dozen boxes.

“I’m still sleeping in the garage,” Andy said, emphasizing how very much he likes the workshop garage full of new tools and equipment. Again, the crowd laughed and applauded. When the garage was revealed during the episode, the crowd said, “Wow,” in unison.

The crowd laughed and applauded several times during the show. There were also times of sniffles and tears.

On commercial break, Ashley moderated conversations and brief presentations. During one break, Paul Schwinghammer and Derek Wilder of Hallmark Homes presented Kori a $5,150 check – the proceeds from the auction sale of five handmade “1K” pillows – which she in turn presented to the American Cancer Society.

In case you missed the episode, a home build that usually takes more than 106 days was done in 106 hours for the show. The show presented this in time-warp fashion during about 25 seconds of air time. The home and each special room was designed and furnished to meet the likes of the Cowan-Brown family.

Andy got his garage. Heather and Andy’s bedroom was presented as a quiet retreat. Trevor’s room was designed for his love of building. Ryan’s room was soccer-themed. Mason’s room was motorcycle-themed. And Kori’s room was decorated with 8,950 sticky notes – a tribute to her favorite form of organization.

The full episode is available here .

From Hallmark Homes to the contractors, sponsors and volunteers; from the ABC crew to the community; and certainly from the Cowan-Brown family to their new beginnings … Extreme is the best way to sum it all up.

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.”

Proudfoot said a scholarship like this is relatively rare. The idea of giving the Cowan-Brown children scholarships came to Gora from Paul Schwinghammer, president of Hallmark Homes. Proudfoot said once the idea was on the table, it was a matter of Gora and Tom Taylor, vice president for Enrollment, Marketing, and Communications at Ball State, getting together to finalize the details. In a press release, Gora said the scholarships were given with the spirit of Ball State’s philosophy about education.

“The ‘Extreme Makeover’ team worked hard to provide the family with a wonderful, new environment,” Gora said. “The changes they have made to their home will benefit the entire family for many years to come. It is my hope that seeing this transformation will inspire all of the children to work hard toward their goal of attending college.

“Ball State University believes that our approach to higher education — hands on, immersive learning — can also transform lives,” she added. “It is my pleasure, therefore, to offer all of them a special scholarship to Ball State.”

Ryan, the oldest recipient of the scholarship, said he plans on attending Ball State when he’s done with high school. Ryan’s love for soccer lead to his first question about the university: Whether Ball State has a school-sponsored men’s soccer program or if it’s a club sport. He was relieved to find out that there is a men’s club soccer team on campus. Now, all he’ll have to do is follow the advice Proudfoot gave the family after he told them about the scholarships.

“So, can you say ‘Go Cardinals’?” Proudfoot quipped.

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.

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.

Lively has been fundraising with Kori since 2003. In that time, Kori has raised more than $35,000 for the American Cancer Society through Relay for Life. And it all started with a phone call from Kori’s mother Heather Cowan.

“Five or six years ago I got a phone call from Heather Cowan who wanted to know how young of a member I would take for my Relay for Life team,” Lively said. “Her daughter Kori wanted to join my team and I was kind of skeptical because she was so small and Heather said she would join the team with her. I’m glad I said yes because that little girl has been a blessing to all of us.”

Kori has been awarded the Youth Fundraiser of the year award every year since she joined the Relay for Life team. In 2007, the United Way asked Lively if she would be willing to present their award for its Volunteer of the Year award. She didn’t know if she would be able to fit the presentation into her schedule until they told her who the recipient was: Kori Brown. Lively said it was amazing that Kori was picked as the best volunteer out of the entire pool at such a young age.

“She’s a remarkable kid,” Lively said. “She does fundraising for Gary Brackett of the Indianapolis Colts. She’s just got her hands in everything.”

Kori’s fundraising efforts don’t stop there. Last year, Jennifer Schnurpel, Kori’s fifth grade teacher, and Cassandra Knolinski, Kori’s math teacher, worked with her to raise money for the American Cancer society. Schnurpel and Knolinski received a grant to teach their classes about the economy from the Indiana Council of Education for Economics through Purdue University.

The project involved making a product, selling it and donating the profits to a charity. Schnurpel and Knolinski decided to help Kori with her fundraising for cancer research. The class made about 1,500 hundred bracelets out of hemp and beads that change color in the sun. They sold for $3 a piece at the school and other auctions Kori put together. Schnurpel said the auction was a way for Kori’s classmates to learn more and be involved with Kori’s work.

“A lot of kids didn’t know what Kori did in the past,” Schnurpel said. “They knew she made Christmas cards, they knew she had an auction. A lot of the kids didn’t know what was wrong with Kori. To look at Kori you would never know that she’s a sick kid, she’s an amazing person.”

Kori has appeared on Lively’s radio show many times through the years. The attention has helped Kori with her cause, and Lively said the community knows about Kori and all the work she does. During the bracelet sale, Kori talked with the local newspapers about what she was doing and sparked a discussion about helping others. Shnurpel and Knolinski said some people in the community suggested that adults take a few pointers from Kori and her work.

“People were ordering 20 bracelets at a time,” Knolinski said. “We had the Kokomo Tribune and the Peru Tribune come out. That was great because there were editorials from adults that said ‘If these 5th graders can do this then you adults need to get out there and start doing something on your own too.”

Shnurpel and Knolinski are working on another project this year and, of course, Kori is involved. This time, the class is making Christmas cards for the Gary Brackett Impact Foundation. Lively said Kori is always trying to find ways to help others.

“She’s just a remarkable little girl,” Lively said. “I’ve never seen her down. I’ve never seen her complain. Those little wheels are always turning, she’s always thinking of ways to help people.”

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.

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/.