Concordia Magazine

The House That Hope Built

By Gia Rassier

The last time Brenda Levos '92 stepped inside the forest green home on Eighth Street in Moorhead, she was covered in layers of dust, paint and sweat, remnants of long hours on a build site.

This time she is a guest in the home designed for ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," a house that features several of her designs. This time, she sees firsthand how one week’s work truly makes a difference. 

"The experience of being in the house as it was being built was such an atmosphere of synergy, selflessness and community," Levos says. "It’s fun to be back and see my work again."

Levos never dreamed the idea of paying it forward would become a recurring theme in her professional life. During a rally for the build that took place in October, a TV producer requested the help of local graphic designers.

Levos, who owns her own design and consulting business, volunteered and was hooked. Her work has since been featured in four renovated homes on the popular ABC show.

"It’s definitely a calling for me,” Levos says. “It brings me great joy to have discovered a vocation that allows me to share my gifts in this way. I feel a strong desire to give back."

The TV show chose the Grommesh family to receive a wheelchair-accessible home for Garrett, 10, who has spina bifida. Parents Bill and Adair run HOPE Inc., an adaptive sports program for children with disabilities. Daughter Peighton, 12, rounds out the family, which is a constant source of hope and inspiration for the community.

Appropriately dubbed the "Pay It Forward" episode, Moorhead’s build week centered on not just one home, but two. When the Grommeshes learned they’d been selected to receive a new wheelchair-accessible home, Garrett asked that their old home be repurposed and given to the Hajdaris, a refugee family from Kosovo.

"They deserve to live the American dream too," Adair Grommesh says. "Simple random acts of kindness go a long way in creating a better world for everyone to live in."

Levos also believes in the power of random acts of kindness. During the build week, she was hard at work on a multicolored mural centered around a "Sparkling Spuds" logo – the perfect combination of hometown pride (the Moorhead High School nickname is the Spuds) and pizzazz for Peighton, who loves volleyball and pop icons Lady Gaga and Katy Perry.

"They did a beautiful job in Peighton’s room. It’s wonderful that she has her own unique space. Now she just has to learn to keep it all clean," adds Adair Grommesh with a laugh.

With the Grommesh home just blocks from Concordia, Cobbers were among the 5,800 volunteers who came together to build a new home and, simultaneously, a new life for two families.

One of the lucky volunteers assigned a shift was Amanda Pederson ’12, Bloomington, Minn., who says the experience helped solidify the importance of service-learning discussed in the classroom.

"Concordia instills a great sense of volunteerism in us," Pederson says. "I think it was an incredible opportunity for students to go out and represent Concordia’s values."

Dr. Mark Krejci, provost and dean of the college, took off an afternoon to help install  windows in the handicap-accessible home. He also represented the college in presenting the two families with scholarships.

"This all started with the family," Krejci says. "They’ve given back to this community in so many ways and it’s an incredible thing to be a part of."

Levos couldn’t agree more, describing the atmosphere of the build as incredible. At times, there were as many as 30 people working in a single room at once.

"Everyone there was more than willing to do whatever was required to get the job done," Levos says. "It was truly a spirit of community and coming together."  The idea of community is something the Levos family can attest to themselves.

Levos’ daughter Hope was born prematurely in 1996, weighing only 15.6 ounces. Now 14, Hope is a constant reminder of how the Fargo-Moorhead community rallies to raise money for those in need.

"The support of so many people we didn’t know was incredible," Levos remembers.

"I definitely understand the importance of paying it forward." And that is just what she did.

"Concordia taught me to think for myself," she says. "That it’s permissible to question, to see another’s perspective and discern for myself what resonates with my heart."

Months after the chaos of construction, with the anticipation of the reveal long gone, Levos quietly reflects on the simple process of making a difference.

"Seeing a smile on Peighton’s face and knowing my work brought joy to her makes it worth the effort," she says. "Knowing that this house and this experience is helping HOPE Inc. share their story and their ambitions for children make it that much more gratifying."

Watch more videos and read more stories on Cobbers' participation in ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."

Photo: Sheldon Green

preston johnson

Family Matters
By Preston Johnson '11

The phrase "it’s all for the family" kept us going, even as we approached the end of our standard 12-hour day. For one week in October, I was hired as a production assistant for the hit ABC television show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."

On this particular day – the sixth of nine production days – I had been assigned to "Site B," crew lingo for the Hajdari family’s new home (the one the Grommesh family donated), and we were getting ready to shoot the first reveal – that’s the shorthand for when the family sees their new home for the first time. We had been getting ready all day – setting up a mobile control room for the producing staff, rolling the long camera jib into the front yard and setting up the snacks and drink table.

I was assigned to make the final addition to the house – a new mailbox on the street. As I swung the mallet to drive the post into the ground, the ache in my lower back throbbed and sweat poured down my sunburned face. By midafternoon, a modest crowd had gathered in front of the house, waiting.

The reveal was just like it is on television, but generosity is something the magic of television can’t quite capture. After the taping wrapped up, the producing staff still had to interview both families. When it was Garrett Grommesh’s turn, he wheeled himself across the driveway, only to get stuck in the newly laid sod. As I helped him push his wheelchair through the grass, I realized the same mantra we had repeated as a crew – "it’s all for the family" – seemed to be the very same thing that motivated Garrett. Except it wasn’t about his family; it was about the Hajdaris.

I learned many things about producing a television program during my time on the set of EMHE, but the lesson that I’m most grateful for came from a wise young boy.


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