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Pennington’s megaphoned voice informed them they were the lucky Wisconsin family chosen to win a custom-designed home on the popular show, now in its sixth season.
The show’s producers choose families facing hardships, but who are deeply involved in the community, to receive a new home.
Rochelle “Shelley” Anders, a first-grade teacher, has not been able to afford upkeep to the home, which sits on a homestead amid rolling tree-lined hills, just southwest of Richland Center.
The surprise announcement landed on the anniversary of the death of Anders’ ex-husband, the father of her five children, four of whom live with her in the home: Tess, Reid, Drew and Tyler, ranging in age from 12 to 20.
Gary Beatty died suddenly of a heart attack at age 47 four years ago during a fireworks show with three of his sons, said his brother, Todd Beatty.
Since then, Anders has struggled financially, friends and neighbors said.
“We’ve been through a lot,” Anders said, with a tremor in her voice. “But we’re here.”
The house is in poor condition. The once yellow siding on the farmhouse barely is visible amidst peeling paint. The roof leaks and chunks of the ceiling are missing from the living room. Upstairs windows are broken. Vermin live in the walls.
Last winter, Anders said she could not get wood for her wood-burning furnace and instead used a space heater. Her children had to stay with relatives.
She applied for the show after ReNah Chitwood, principal of Jefferson Elementary in Richland Center, where Anders teaches, approached her with the application papers. But she hesitated to share her story, waiting until the day before the deadline to apply, one of her sons said.
Anders did not easily accept the help from the benevolent television program.
“It’s a really hard thing to do,” said Sandy Breininger, a neighbor. “Shelley, she’s a very private, proud woman. She doesn’t like to ask for handouts.”
In the face of her troubles, Anders said she maintained a positive resolve.
“We’re like campers,” she said. “We had a roof over our heads. There’s other people that are worse off than us. There’s always someone who’s worse off.”
Anders coordinates the “Big Buddy” program at her school and was named the Richland County Walmart “Teacher of the Year” in 2005. She also tutors adults for their GED through the Richland Literacy Council, according to a release from the show.
The identity of the family has been shrouded in secrecy for days, but it was evident a family near Madison would be chosen when Veridian Homes of Madison was tapped to run the build site.
The build will continue day and night until the home is finished, with the help of generators and floodlights, said David Simon, Veridian’s president of operations.
A call for volunteers resulted in an overwhelming response by more than 2,500 people, Simon said.
Makeover Schedule
Construction is set to begin Saturday when the house is demolished. It will end Thursday, when the family is scheduled to return from an ABC-sponsored vacation to Canada. The show is tentatively scheduled to air sometime in October.
Deborah Ziff is a reporter for the Wisconsin State Journal in Madison.
