the grouch speaks out on extreme overload

There's a TV show that I've read about called Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The basic idea is that for each of the 26 episodes in a year, the producers find a family that's fallen on hard times. They send the family on a one-week, all-expenses paid vacation while they empty out the family's house, give it a huge rehab or just knock it down and rebuild it, bring in all-new furniture and appliances, and then bring the family back to see the changes a week later.

All the labor and materials are donated. The TV show provides tee shirts, lanyards, and hard hats for all the volunteers. The TV show provides police details, crowd control barriers, buses, TV stars, film crews, jackets for the guards, daylight lighting 24 hours a day, and probably more. Oh, there's also a food tent (with all food and labor donated) and a massage area.

Why do I know this? Recently, a family from Maynard was chosen. Two years ago, the mom was in the hospital having her third kid. That evening, the dad was driving and had a one-car accident, which nearly killed him. He spent 16 months in the hospital and in rehab, and then had to move in with his parents who live in a wheelchair-accessible elderly-housing apartment.

Meanwhile, the family homestead was falling apart. The roof was in danger of collapsing, the electrical and plumbing systems were shot. It was a modest house in a modest neighborhood. The mom -- who was a hairdresser before this all happened -- hasn't brought in any income since the accident, understandably enough.

The mom thought she had a shot at being on the show. Last fall, she somehow organized a huge rally and sent a video to the producers. And her family was chosen. The town and surrounding communities came together. There were several thousand volunteers on the job.

The house was torn down and a new house was put up in its place -- 3000 sq ft, nine-foot ceilings with ceilings reaching higher in some spots, jacuzzi tub, huge play equipment in the fenced-in back yard. The front yard was completely landscaped (yes, in the middle of winter, and yes, just a few days later, the plants look like they're dying). The changes all happened between a Sunday and a Friday. Oh, and about $50,000 was raised to keep the family going.

This was a real feel-good story. So what's my problem? I have a few issues with the whole story, actually.

A. This house is huge. It will be expensive to heat and light (there are over 100 lighting fixtures). Real estate taxes will likely be around $7500 -- $9000 a year. The water bill will be huge (no small consideration). And eventually, there will be maintenance to pay for, something that obviously wasn't done on the previous house, even before the accident. Has anyone sat down with these people and explained how to create and stick to a budget? What happens when the money runs out? Do they just sell the house and move on?

B. I'd feel a lot better about this whole feel-good story if these were the only people in town with needs. It so happens the family members are cute. They're thin. They speak English as a first language. They are white. They're young and have young kids. But having served on the board of the Community Chest for about a decade, I know that there are plenty of people in town who have heart-breaking needs. Many of these people could benefit from even 1% of what was spent on this one family, which is clearly several hundreds of thousands of dollars. What if 100 families had benefited, rather than just one? Probably, the television values wouldn't have been as great, but the impact would have been far far greater.

C. I feel like we're all being tested. OK, so people came out for the TV cameras and for the chance to see the stars and to get their still pictures posted on the web (this really was important to at least one volunteer I spoke to). But what happens now that the cameras have moved on to some other small town? Do we continue to help this family? Has anyone learned what it means to help a family in need? Or do we all go back into our comfortable, well-maintained homes and say "I volunteered. I did something good." or "I taught my kids the value of helping others." After a few weeks, will any of this continue to affect our lives?

A friend recently said that we no longer have heroes -- people who put themselves in enormous danger to better others' lives. I suppose we have a few of them around, quiet folks who don't want much publicity. But my friend says that we now have "hero-victims," people who are called heroes because something awful has happened to them, people who have become "heroes" through no thought or action on their part.

The dad in this story is most definitely a hero-victim. He became the center of the rallying cries -- "Bring Paul home" and "Welcome home, Paul" -- and yet, I wonder if anyone would give him a second glance if he anonymously rolled down our streets. They might look on in pity or disgust, but would they give him a hand?

The story, of course, is the latest sacred cow in town. People are moved -- I will admit that I was moved by the family's good fortune and gracious reaction. It is definitely Not OK to have these feelings, and yet, not much of the story feels very good to me. I wish the Giuntas well; I hope they find a path through the upcoming shoals.