Volunteer Workers Gather At Kalihi Makeover Home

HONOLULU -- Hundreds of volunteers started to work on building a new home and school center deep in Kalihi Valley for day two of the filming of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

The workers gathered at the site, arriving by bus and car and wearing their blue volunteer shirts.

Carpenters, plumbers, truck drivers, electricians, masons, iron workers and more are donating their time to work 24 hours a day for the project. About 1,500 volunteers are expected to work on the project.

"I always told myself that when Extreme Makeover comes to Hawaii, I hope they call my company. I watch the show every week, and just so happen they called," electrician Ron Dalmacio said.

"When they said it was going to be for this homemaker I thought 'Wow! Awesome.' I couldn't sleep," said Audrey Salvador of Hawaiian Telcom.

All of the workers are volunteering their time for what they said is a great cause.

"People want to be a part of something that's good, and the program merits that kind of opportunity for all that participate as well as those who benefit from it," electrical worker Don Saaga said.

Besides the excitement, there was also a lot of nervousness.

A job that usually takes months has to be finished in 106 hours.

"For us to do our air conditioning on the mechanical side and the plumbing, we have one day-- eight hours on the house, and six hours for the building the community center on the sheet metal side, and that's crazy," metal worker Mark Palendey said.

A mass of blue shirts marched on the site with high fives, cheers and cameras catching the moments from every angle.

Then it was time to get to work. The work had already started the day before.

"We started delivering at 10 o'clock last night and then we started putting in the rebar at four o'clock this morning and we are still going," said Dean Kagawa of Paradise Reinforcing.

The conditions have been muddy because of passing showers, but the workers said they will push through to get the job done.