Never before have I been so aware of so much community involvement. Maybe it's because I have become so involved personally with CAN DO! (College Avenue Neighborhood Development Organization) but I don't think so. Much has been written in The Broad Ripple Gazette about the corner at 49th and College and about all the visioning meetings for Broad Ripple Village. A picture on the last issue showed a volunteer painting the Rainbow Bridge over the canal on Guilford. Last week had Community Day and businesses such as Lilly let their employees out of the office to clean up the community and paint murals on walls. Food banks are springing up everywhere. The mail carriers collected food on their routes on a designated Saturday. Earth day provided an opportunity for people to get involved and clean up. My husband's office spent the day out on the street picking up trash, which they have done for many years. There are so many walks and runs for good causes. The Indianapolis Humane Society had the Mutt Strut out at the racetrack and it was exceptionally well attended.

But, the mother lode of community involvement was ABC's Extreme Makeover. The TV production came to Indy to bestow single dad Bernard McFarland and his three sons a new home. McFarland was nominated for the show due to his own community involvement. He is employed by Indianapolis Public Schools. He is a mentor of his Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood kids, bringing them into his home and giving them encouragement, tutoring, friendship and hope. The neighborhood is in the vicinity of 25th and Keystone and is on hard times with homes in bad need of repair. McFarland is loved by everyone on his close-knit street (23rd & Oxford). When interviewed they all said he had done so much, it was time for someone to help him. Enter 5,000 volunteers and 300 businesses all donating their time, talent and treasure to work with the show to tear down and build a new home from Estridge Home Builders all within one week's time. Paul Estridge, Jr. really outdid himself stepping up to the plate to this challenge. We saw it on the nightly news and we read it in the daily paper. Then May 17th came the "Big Reveal", as the show's two-hour season finale was called. If you watched it, you know it really was unbelievable. It opened showing all the volunteers flooding down Oxford Street in their hard hats and blue shirts. McFarland and his sons were whisked away to Paris for a field trip of history at the Louvre Museum, to expand on his love of sharing knowledge. While they were gone, a wrecking ball painted with the word KNOWLEDGE, was dropped onto his house and then the enchantment began. A house, with the kitchen ceiling leaking and a toilet that could only be flushed by pouring in a bucket of water each time, was hauled away and replaced with a wonderful home complete with a separate annex for the neighborhood that McFarland mentors. It is a clubhouse called Pack House 2000 that is a library with a big screen TV, wireless internet and donated laptop computers (100 were given out). While they were in Paris they got to check in via internet to connect with the crew and neighbors to hear how it was going back home. In all, twenty two homes got repaired with the help of the Estridge team and volunteers. Over one thousand trees were planted in the neighborhood. Wi-Fi was donated to the community. The McFarlands received a trip to France, a paid-up mortgage from Sears for the demolished home, a new home from Estridge, furniture, appliances from Sears, a Ford 2010 Taurus family car, a fifteen passenger Ford van for the Pack House 2000 kids' field trips, season tickets and fifty basketballs from the Pacers for the backyard court, and because of Bernard McFarland's love of knowledge and mentoring, his three teenage sons got full ride scholarships to Butler University. The man was melted mush! So were the viewers. I couldn't help but think that the only thing missing was Ted Kennedy stepping up with a gift of a Portuguese Waterdog puppy for this family in their new home, as he did for our new First Family. After all, I always end this column by saying "pets make you smile". The McFarlands simply couldn't smile any harder. They were in tears. As a city we should be smiling at all the volunteers who make things happen. A big smile goes to Estridge Home Builders who have committed to this neighborhood and will continue to do so. Go to their web site to see videos if you missed the show. Better yet, do as I did. Drive over and see the house. The neighbors are really proud to show if off. It is beautiful. Yes, it is a diamond in the rough but blends in nicely and is a beacon of hope. If we all stay involved our city and neighborhoods will prosper.