Columbia, MO -- A team from Stephens College Interior Design Department will work on two of the seven homes being constructed in seven days in Joplin by Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.  The names of the seven families were announced yesterday and construction begins immediately on what is the largest build so far for the Emmy Award winning ABC reality show.  Close to 13,000 volunteers will be involved in this effort that helps some of the families devastated by the EF5 tornado that ripped through the area on May 22.

Shelley Vincent-Masek, an instructor in Stephens’ Interior Design Department, will serve as a Team Leader in charge of the customization on one of the homes. This involves overseeing many seamstresses, all of which are responsible for window treatments, bedding, upholstered projects and pillows. The team will comprise 30 people, including 11 Stephens’ students and four faculty members.  

All of the homes, which range in size from 1,350 to 1, 700 sq. ft., are located on the same street in the Joplin neighborhood. Vincent-Masek met with the show’s design producer today, to receive her work orders, fabric and specifications for the customization requirements. The installation will be on Wednesday, October 26.

Vincent-Masek and her team have set up their workroom and home base at the Big Red Barn RV Park, where they have a space that she described as roughly the size of a three-car garage. Masek has set up a blog to track progress: http://emhejoplinbuild.blogspot.com

For more information, contact Shelley Gabert, director of Marketing and Public Relations, at 573-442-2211, ext. 4431 or cell: 323-251-4674.

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