The Kansas City Star May 14, 2007
Mara Rose Williams and Paul Wesnske

A Rebuilt Jacobo Home Takes A Bow On TV

A crowd gathers for a private showing of the Jacobos’ experience.
Watching “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” Sunday was like reliving the impossible dream come true for Jesus and Michelle Jacobo, and their bigger-than-average blended family.

The 12-member family – three adults and nine children – had lived in a cramped, 920-square-foot, leaky Kansas City, North, home, The children’s 70-year-old grandfather slept on the floor.

Then in just one week nearly two months ago, 1,350 volunteers and the ABC show’s design team built them a new house five times the size of their old one.

Sunday night the family shared a special Mother’s Day.

At Harrah’s VooDoo Lounge the Jacobos were joined by friends, family and well-wishers to watch a big-screen television as their new 5,300-square-fott, three-level home at 4132 N. Spruce Ave. was unveiled to the world on the “Extreme Makeover” show.

They were serenaded by gospel recording artist Lynda Randle. And they found out Kansas City area residents raised enough to pay off the $120,000 mortgage on their old house. The Kansas City Wizards donated 25 percent of the price of every ticket bought online through Ticketmaster for their Saturday game to help that cause.

“This is a miracle,” Jesus Jacobo said. “There are not enough words to thank everyone.”

The family watched their story unfold on the screen. When it was explained that Michelle and Jesus had taken in five nieces and nephews after the children had been abused by their mother, Michelle wiped tears from her eyes.

A day earlier, the Jacobo family gave The Kansas City Star a tour of the new house.

The printed sign on the door of her new bedroom says it all for Jessica Jacobo, 11 – “Do Not Enter,” it warns.

In her former home, Jessica shared what little space there was with her two brothers, older sister and five cousins. The new, 20-room house has seven bedrooms and six-and-a-half bathrooms.

The family’s former home, where they lived for eight years, had bad plumbing and leaky walls – and the house was so small that the family ate in three shifts. Michelle Jacobo said mice often scampered through the house, “but we kept that our secret because we were so afraid social services might take the children and put them in foster care…,” she said.

The family pays little attention to the publicity about the new home, she said. “We knew in our hearts there is just one reason for us to have this beautiful home,” she said, “God has a plan for us.”

The Jacobos have four of their own children and have custody of five nieces and nephews. The children range in age from 9 months to 18 years.

Jesus Jacobo, 39, builds cranes and Michelle Jacobo, 38, cares for the children. Her favorite room is the large kitchen with its two giant refrigerators.

The dining room table with its12 chairs “is very, very special,” she said. They can now sit around the table and catch up on school, work and gossip.

Jesus Jacobo likes the quality of the two-story home. He used to muck water out of the basement after a rain or when the faulty sewer drain backed up.

The new home’s primary builder, Kevin Green of Parkville, coordinated donations toward the Jacobo’s mortgage on their own house.

Jesus Jacobo now drives a new Ford-150 pickup to work. His wife drives a new Ford Explorer.

But their experience apparently hasn’t engendered any jealousies in their working class neighborhood, Jesus Jacobo said. “All our friends are very happy for us,” he said.

The children are happy, Michelle Jacobo said. “It’s done wonders for their self esteem. They see that good comes out of perseverance. They have a positive attitude about their future.”

Each of children’s rooms was built around a theme.

On the wall of 16-year-old Brittany’s room is an artful display of X-rays. She wants to go into medicine someday.

The room shared by Tyler, 11, and Gabriel, 4 has a working weather map. Nine-month old Merriam has a colorful nursery.

Grandfather Ray McMahan also has his own room. A passionate fisherman, designers made use of stone and wood to create the look of a lake cabin.

“It’s all great. What it’s done for the kids is just miraculous. “We’re still trying to soak it all in,” he said.