Mark McGuinn comes home to Greensboro NC for an Extreme Celebration

 

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Nationwide Homes in Greensboro, NC will celebrate the airing of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on May 16 with a watch party, prizes and the homecoming of Nashville recording artist Mark McGuinn.

 

The season finale of the show chronicles Nationwide’s journey as hundreds of employees and volunteers build a modular dream home – for free – for a very deserving family, and in the process gain a new mission to contribute toward finding a cure for a fatal disease.

Each episode of the show surprises an active family with extensive home renovations or an entirely new house. With two disabled family members and a mold-infested house that was falling apart, Jeremy and Jennifer Williams desperately needed a new home.

Their son Jacob, now 6, was born with Spina Bifida, a development birth defect of the spine. Jacob is confined to his wheelchair and often had difficulty maneuvering around the previous family home. He was helped around by his mother, sister Josie, who is 8, and until a couple years ago, his father.

In 2008, Jeremy Williams was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease, also known as ALS, a fatal, progressive disease affecting nerve cells that causes muscular weakness. According to his doctor, most patients with ALS live only two to four years after diagnosis.

Before the demolition of his old house, Jeremy Williams told camera crews that it “would mean the world to me” to have a new home for his family.

Dan Goodin, vice president of sales and marketing of Nationwide Homes who is from Greensboro, knew he wanted to help with the project after he heard of the family from representatives at Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. 

“We met the family through a video that was sent to us,” he said. “It’s a tough story to see. When the tape was over, everyone in the room said, ‘We have to do this.’ ”

Nationwide, (a subsidiary of Palm Harbor Homes based in Dallas) a leading builder of HiPerformance modular homes for single- and multi-family residences, immediately came aboard and donated a 4,000-square-foot single-story, energy-efficient dream home to the Williams family. Goodin recruited dozens of local and regional builders to assist with the project. As crews got involved with the build, they also were moved to start fundraising for the cause of ALS. Leading up to the episode’s airdate, Nationwide locations across the country have been raising awareness about the disease and donations for the ALS Association.

Hometown country artist Mark McGuinn also was touched by the Williams’ story after high school and college buddy Maury Kennedy called him to tell him the story.  Kennedy is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Palm Harbor Homes and was in Georgia for the entire two weeks for the Extreme project. "Dude, Jeremy Williams’ story of constant optimism in the face of hardship is a Mark McGuinn song if I ever heard one," Kennedy told McGuinn. Less than 36 hours later, McGuinn was in the studio recording Move That Bus.

 

"How someone like Jeremy can feel blessed given the circumstances he is facing is simply awe inspiring,” McGuinn said. “After reading his story, I grabbed my guitar and called my old writing partner Don Pfrimmer and the song was born."  A portion of proceeds from sales of the soulful new single, “Move That Bus,” will go to researchers aiming to cure ALS.

 

The Greensboro native is best known for his breakthrough Top 5 Country Single “Mrs. Steven Rudy,” which debuted in 2001. 

All these factors will come together on Sunday, May 16 as Nationwide hosts a watch party at Arizona Pete’s country music saloon in Greensboro including a full viewing of the Extreme Makeover episode as it premieres.

The party will culminate in a live performance from McGuinn of his new single inspired by the Extreme Makeover episode. One last twist of fate with an extra dose of homecoming is that Mark needed a new drummer. Kennedy is a drummer. "Mark asked me to be his drummer. I assure you I wasted no time responding," said Kennedy. "What an honor to play on the same stage as my buddy from high school in honor of my hero Jeremy Williams. I lack the words to describe how I feel about it."  McGuinn and Kennedy will be touring Texas all next week as well.

Goodin said he and his team also were honored to contribute to helping a family that already gives back so much to its community. Nationwide now also has forged a partnership with the ALS Association and plans to continue fundraising for the cause of finding a cure.

The episode of ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” featuring the Williams family airs on Sunday, May 16 at 8 p.m. EST. Leading up to the airdate, Nationwide’s retail locations plan to celebrate the episode with promotions at each store.

About Mark McGuinn: A native of Greensboro, NC, Mark McGuinn is best known for his breakthrough Top 5 Country Single “Mrs. Steven Rudy,” which debuted in 2001 and dominated the airwaves. Other hits he has penned include the ballad “She Doesn’t Dance,” “Unusually Unusual,” and the emotional tribute to the attacks of 9/11, “More Beautiful Today.”  His new Music Video is set as a fundraising tool on the company's Extreme website at www.extremephn.com.  Every time someone views the video, money is collected for ALS research.     

About Nationwide: Nationwide Homes is a leading builder of modular single family homes, commercial structures, multi-family residences, and remodeling additions with a reputation for high quality, design flexibility and innovative marketing since 1959. For more information, please visit www.nationwide-homes.com. For more on the Williams’ home build experience, visit www.extremephn.com.