CAP employee Louis Piccotti participates as one of 1,000 volunteers on the Montgomery, Ala., build site for "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."
Mitzi Palmer
Contributing Writer
ALABAMA -- Building a home from start to finish is challenging enough, but when you’re on a seven-day deadline to get the home ready for a well-deserving family to move in, extra hands are needed.
About 1,000 pairs of hands, to be exact.
So when ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” came to Montgomery in February to do just that for the Jordan family, Civil Air Patrol National Headquarters employee Louis Piccotti volunteered to help get the job done.
Known to his friends and co-workers as Joe, Piccotti is a professional development program manager for CAP, headquartered at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery. In this role, he provides leadership, management and ethics guidance to senior members.
When his wife told him ABC was coming to town on this incredible mission, Piccotti knew immediately that he wanted to participate.
About a week before the build, Piccotti and the rest of volunteer team. led by Aronov Homes, met at a local church for a pep rally and to hear the Jordan family’s story.
Brady and Monica Jordan lost one of their daughters in 1995 to domestic violence and then a son eight years later to a drunk driver. They are now raising their three grandchildren, in addition to their daughter, and spend their time advocating for Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the state of Alabama’s Crime Victims Commission. The Jordans also uses their home to provide a safe haven for kids in their neighborhood.
“The family was so inspiring to all of us,” Piccotti said, “but sadly their home was in need of some major repairs.”
According to ABC, the Jordans’ bathroom leaked into their kitchen, some of the siding on their home had been blown off and the kitchen had rotting counters and a stove that barely worked.
Inspired, Piccotti volunteered about 24 hours of his time during the week of the build, Feb. 16-22, in five areas. He assisted the production crew, put up tents around the site, helped move items out of the house, relocated plants and directed traffic.
“The experience was very rewarding,” he said. “It was awesome to be a part of so many people working together for such a great cause.”
A Burnt Hills, N.Y., native, Piccotti is a U.S. Air Force retiree. He also volunteers with the Boys Scouts of America as a merit badge counselor and committee member for Montgomery’s Troop 4, assisting in scout advancement.
He hopes his work with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition will inspire fellow CAP employees and patron members to participate in volunteer activities in the community.
“Community service is such a wonderful thing,” Piccotti said. “It has a great way of bringing fellow citizens together and giving people a greater sense of belonging and pride in their community.
“I see the same volunteer spirit in CAP, and it makes me proud to be part of the organization.”
Segments from the episode featuring Piccotti and the Jordans , which aired April 26, can be watched at ABC’s Web site. The network also offers information about community volunteer opportunities.