Today, August 18, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” traveled to Crawford, New York, to surprise the Korpai family with the door knock that can change lives. After giving birth to a child with dwarfism, Jimmy and Darlene Korpai turned their attention to advocating for their little girl. As President and Vice President of the New York chapter of Little People of America, their goal is to erase ignorance, increase understanding and give families of little people support and help. On an even more personal level, they also dream of having a home that offers their daughter, Hailey, independence and autonomy, so she can grow from the happy-go-lucky, playful girl she is at this moment into a strong adult who can rely on herself and not let her size deter her from pursuing life with the same energy and joy she has now.
High school sweethearts Jimmy and Darlene Korpai had been planning their life together since they were both 17. They got married, bought a great piece of property with a two-story fixer-upper and got pregnant – all according to plan. Fifteen minutes after Hailey was born, Jimmy and Darlene’s carefully orchestrated future took a turn. They learned that their new baby girl had a form of dwarfism, and for weeks that was about all they knew. Information was hard to find and it took them months just to learn that there was a Little People support group in their area. Hailey is now 5, and the Korpais have added baby brother Hudson, 1, and a whole lot of advocacy to their lives. But they don’t have enough room in their home. More importantly, there are not the right kinds of rooms to keep Hailey safe, independent and happy, or to host functions and meetings for their organization. They dream of a home where Hailey can grow up with access to every aspect of their home – one which allows her the freedom and independence to do everyday things on her own like brushing her teeth, baking, turning off light switches, etc. The Korpai home is also the facility for the New York chapter of Little People of America, so there is a need for it to be one-story and wheelchair accessible to accommodate little people visitors as well as Hailey.
The “EM:HE” design team has just seven days to build a brand new home for the Korpai family, one that is safe, secure and accessible for little people. The Korpai family has been whisked away on a Disney Cruise vacation to the Bahamas, while “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” team leader Ty Pennington, designers Jillian Harris, Ed Sanders and Paul DiMeo, plus local builders Hearthstone Commercial & Residential Contracting, as well as community volunteers, build the structure.
The build location is 99 Petticoate Lane, Crawford, NY 12721.
The series is produced by Endemol USA, of Endemol Holding, and executive-produced by Brady Connell & George Verschoor. David Goldberg is Chairman, Endemol North America.