Bruce Main and UrbanPromise alumni take a break after volunteering on the construction of the home.



A sea of blue shirts fill Federal Street in front of UrbanPromise on Tuesday, July 31, 2007. Over 2,000 volunteers decended on the UrbanPromise campus to help build a home for the family.



Ed, designer from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition takes a break to hang out with the children of UrbanPromise after they help him move in furniture to the UrbanPromise Eastside space which will be shared with Single Fathers of Camden.


UrbanPromise choir performs to the audience gathered to watch the home reveal on Sunday, August 5, 2007.



The Single Fathers of Camden space, donated by UrbanPromise is revealed to Victor and his son's.

Move That Bus: The Marrero Family see their new home for the first time.


UrbanPromise supporters, Steve & Mike (from Texas) and Paul (from Vancouver, Canada) flew in for the week to help in the rehab of UrbanPromise afterschool program.

Madeline and Erin Main

August 2, 2007

It's day four of "Extreme Makeover" and impatience, excitement, and nervousness are around every corner. The project is coming to a close and workers and volunteers are really working hard on this. We are two hours ahead of schedule, but that is no shock because of the numerous builders working their tails off. Crowds are increasing with every passing day. The eagerness of the crowds really shows because they stay out all night. In the heat, people cheer for the occasional camera man, coming to catch a glimpse of the house in progress. In the moonlight, they stand in silence as the bright flood lights drown out the darkness and listen to the symphony of hammering and drilling.

A royal blue building now stands where a grassy lot use to lie. White trimmed windows match the white trimmed door frame with a brick base and the front door faces away from Federal Street. They are making their final touches on the outside of the home and are now focused on the internal structure. The painters are concluding their posts and the floors are beng put in right behind them. As soon as the paint is dry and the floors are in, the plumbers will follow with the porcelain bathroom. It is really a work of God!! We are expecting that this will be a positive week and will have no problems at all.

It's been an exciting week for Urban Promise. The house is almost complete. We have had a wonderful response for volunteers and the contruction has continued day and night. What started out as a phone call, now has become a reality for the Urban Promise family.

With the outside of the house just about complete, the design team will take over on Saturday. With the anticipation of the family coming home on Sunday, workers and volunteers are eagerly awaiting the moment when they get to say, "Bus driver, Move That Bus!"

It took the efforts of everyone involved to complete this house in just 1 week. All the volunteers worked hard as a team. You didn't have to know how to use a hammer to be part of this great accomplishment. Whether you helped prepare meals, hand out water to the construction team, or wiped tables - every volunteer's efforts were appreciated and helped to make this a reality for the community.

This is a wonderful moment for the Marrero family, but Urban Promise also is having some makeovers done as well. The Eastside Building is taking on a new look inside with help from volunteers and the Extreme Makeover Team. Comcast Cable has taken over one of the downstairs rooms which should be completed by Sunday. Campbell Soup has donated a makeover of the kitchen area that will take place in the near future.

The Eastside Building was purchased by Urban Promise a little over 1 year ago. The 2 top rooms in this building are being used by the Single Fathers of Camden Support Group. It is a blessing to have Extreme Makeover, Camcast Cable, Campbell Soup, and all the volunteers opening their hearts to give this building an overdue makeover. Giving new life to this building will help the children of Urban Promise as well as the community.

We hope you can join us on Sunday, August 5th as the family returns for their first glance at their new home. We expect the Marrero family to arrive back from vacation around 10:00. Depending on the timing of the completion of the final details, you can expect the family to arrive in front of the house anywhere from 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Bring your friends and family to experience this blessing that has been brought to the Marrero family and to Urban Promise.

Thank you to everyone that made this possible. View our photos from throughout the week below.