"EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION" REBUILDS THE FOUNDATION OF AN AMERICAN DREAM FOR A STRONG, IMMIGRANT MOTHER AND DEVOTED COMMUNITY ACTIVIST

Ashanti is Celebrity Volunteer for "Get on the Bus" in Two-Hour Episode

On November 7, 2009, "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" traveled to Buffalo, New York � with music star Ashanti as the celebrity volunteer -- to meet Delores Powell, a Jamaican immigrant and community activist whose home is barely livable despite the work and repairs she has poured into it over the past five and a half years. This two-hour episode will air SUNDAY, JANUARY 24 (8:00-10:00 p.m., ET) on ABC.

Twenty-two years ago, Delores Powell moved to the United States from Jamaica in search of the American dream. Making just $100 a week as a home health aide, she struggled to make ends meet. Delores worked hard to support herself and her growing family and became a U.S. citizen in May of 1999, but the accomplishment was overshadowed by the abusive nature of her relationship with her ex-husband. In 2002, after reaching her limit, Delores picked up her children and moved to Buffalo, NY, in search of affordable housing. They rented an apartment for a year before finding what they believed was the jackpot, a six bedroom "fixer upper." Unable to afford a lawyer, Delores struck a deal with the seller personally, but unfortunately the seller failed to disclose that the house was on the city's demolition list. Never one to give up, Delores begged the city for leniency and they agreed to waive the order if she could get the house up to code. Delores, 49, and her children Joel, 18, Gabrielle, 16, Deborah, 15, and Anschel, 10, began building scaffolding, hanging drywall, installing windows, and countless other repairs. But even after five and a half years of work, the family's home is unlivable.

Delores' hard work and devotion doesn't stop at her front door. She is an activist with the grassroots, non-profit community organization "PUSH Buffalo," which works to rebuild and improve the West Side of Buffalo. Now it's up to Ty and the design team to build Delores and her family the strong, safe home that will support this family and their dreams.

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" team leader Ty Pennington, designers Michael Moloney, Paige Hemmis and Eduardo Xol, local builder David Homes, and community volunteers rebuild the home in this episode. Also, singer and songwriter Ashanti gets on the bus to help the design team in rebuilding the home and an entire neighborhood.

The series is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. It is executive-produced by Anthony Dominici. David Goldberg is Chairman, Endemol North America. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" is broadcast with Spanish subtitles via secondary closed captioning. This program carries a TV-PG parental guideline.

For more information on "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," visit ABC.com