Michael Sharrock, his wife, Cindy Sharrock, and their son Patrick Sharrock attend a screening party Sunday for the airing of the ABC television series Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The party was at the Chattanooga Metro Tabernacle.
Staff Photo by John Rawlston/Chattanooga Times Free Press
Michael Sharrock, center, sits with his wife, Cindy Sharrock, and their son, Patrick Sharrock, as they watch the ABC television series Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on Sunday with others gathered at the Chattanooga Metro Tabernacle.
Staff Photo by John Rawlston/Chattanooga Times Free PressIt was hard to sit still with big screens showing footage of a new Rossville home from the eighth season of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."
Smiling, 9-year-old Patrick Sharrock sat in a chair in the Metropolitan Tabernacle Church in Chattanooga, swinging feet clad in flashing sneakers and clutching a sign reserving seats at a viewing party that featured his family and their new home built in February.
His favorite part of the new house? That's easy.
"My room. It's really cool," Patrick said during a break in Sunday's events.
"It's the gears and stuff," he said, referring to a secret passage that goes to a room where he is homeschooled.
Metropolitan Tabernacle members were among the volunteers who helped with the weeklong construction of the new home. They gathered to sit with Patrick's parents, Michael and Cindy; the builders; and some 800 volunteers and supporters to watch how their efforts were shown in the "Extreme Makeover" season finale.
Vision Homes owners Craig Smith and Jason Willard, who headed up the building team, were among the speakers at the viewing.
Willard said it would normally take seven to nine months to build the home the Sharrocks received.
"Obviously it was controlled chaos, very organized, very fluid," he said. "It's a challenge, as you would expect. It was amazing how everyone came together and had a smile."
The new home was crafted to provide Patrick with a safer environment. He has a rare genetic condition known as brittle bone disease that makes him vulnerable even to a small bump. To date, Patrick has had 59 broken bones, his father said.
Built with no steps, the house has an indoor pool for physical therapy and counters custom-made for Patrick's size, Willard said.
"Before all of this, we stayed busy all the time because we were dealing with problems. Now we stay busy getting involved," Michael Sharrock said, sitting with his son.
After the April 27 tornadoes, the family decided to volunteer to help victims after so many people helped make their new home possible.
"We're really thankful to a lot of people who helped and tried to help," he said, smiling.
The viewing party and show season finale capped a weekend where another Rossville resident was in the local limelight.
"American Idol" finalist Lauren Alaina Suddeth made a whirlwind trip home to thank supporters and film video for the show.
Michael Sharrock said Suddeth and the Sharrocks have known each other since their pre-celebrity days.
They became friends after Suddeth, a former server at CiCi's Pizza, served the Sharrock family during one of Patrick's birthdays, Michael Sharrock said.
"She took care of everything," he said.
The viewing party also featured numerous organizations that accepted donations to help others.
Hope and Help International collected items to aid tornado survivors, including toiletries and bottled water.
Members from the OI Foundation, which provides awareness about brittle bone disease and supports research, sold wrist bands.
Donations were encouraged to the local Alhambra Shrine, which helps transport crippled and sick children to Shriners Hospitals.