The community-wide Extreme Viewing Party May 15 at Metro Tab Church is a celebration for those who volunteered, gave to and supported the week-long Extreme Makeover build for the Sharrock family in Rossville.
The viewing party is a free event and all are welcome. The Sharrock family will be in attendance along with Vision Homes builders Craig Smith and Jason Willard.
"We expect a full house," said Metro Tab Church music arts pastor Keith Sammons. "We are excited and glad to be a part of it."
Doors open at 6 p.m. and the pre-show begins at 7 p.m. Music from the Praise Chamber and Mountain Cove, a behind-the-scenes video and special presentations from the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation and Vision Homes will take place. The airing of the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" episode featuring the Sharrock family begins at 8 p.m. on WTVC News Channel 9.
"While admission is free, we are asking everyone to come with the spirit of giving in mind," said KMT Creative public relations coordinator Beth Johnson, of the viewing party. "Help and Hope International will be collecting donations for tornado relief, and organizations like the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation and Alhambra Shriners will be on hand distributing information and collecting donations. Commemorative behind-the-scenes DVDs and CDs will also be available for $10 each to benefit OIF and the Alhambra Shriners."
Following the show, the Sharrock family will give a personal "thank you" to all in attendance.
Sammons said Metro Tab Church members were among the many volunteers to help build the Sharrock family's home earlier this year. He said Metro Tab hosted a concert for the Extreme Food Drive for the Chattanooga Area Food Bank with the help of the show's host, Ty Pennington.
"We hope to see all 'Big Hearts' there for this fun event celebrating volunteerism in our community," said Johnson, referring to the title given to the Chattanooga build titled 'Big Hearts Wear Big Hats.'
• Metro Tab Church at 2101 West Shepherd Road in Chattanooga can be reached at 894-3377 for more information.
New device helps Sharrock hear 'Extreme Makeover' call
Cindy Sharrock credits much of her past year's fortunes to her improved hearing, which is the result of high-tech hearing aids she won from Johnson Audiology at the She Expo.
Being hearing impaired since the age of 15 and sharing this disability with several of her family members, Sharrock understood the value of amplification.
Dr. Megan Johnson recalls Sharrock crying tears of joy during the fitting for the new Phonak hearing aids and Sharrock also received a donated Bluetooth device to further assist her ability to hear clearly.
Johnson Audiology owner Dr. Megan Johnson, right, teamed up with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to equip Cindy Sharrock with improved hearing devices so that she can communicate better and hear her son, Patrick, throughout their house.
Contributed PhotoLater that evening, Sharrock received her first phone call in a crowded auditorium. When she tested the new system by answering the call it happened to be one of the producers from "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."
Sharrock said that her life changed once she was able to communicate better with her new hearing aids and that she has become open to conversation with more people, new friends and experiences.
Within a few weeks of receiving the devices, Sharrock invited her new friend, Dr. Johnson, to see the musical "Cats" at the Memorial Auditorium. During the production, Johnson suggested that Sharrock change her program on her hearing aid to the "t-coil" program, which allowed her to "loop" into the induction loop system in the auditorium. Thanks to support and awareness from the Chattanooga Chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), hearing-impaired listeners can listen directly through hearing aids equipped with a t-coil option.
Along with most of Chattanooga and the Extreme Makeover crew, Johnson Audiology wanted to help with the needs of the Sharrocks. Cindy and her husband, Michael, were forever concerned about their son Patrick's safety when not in the same room as one of them. Johnson Audiology teamed with Phonak and Unitron to provide a Phonak FM system to "boot" Patrick's voice via a personal microphone to Cindy's hearing aids. Additionally, they donated a Unitron Smart Alert system to wirelessly notify Cindy through her hearing aids of a fire alarm, doorbell or home phone.