A crew working on a boarding house for homeless women veterans got a hand Thursday from First Lady Michelle Obama during filming of an episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."
Wearing a sleeveless blue top, green capris and green sneakers, the first lady was cheered during her visit by hundreds of people after a crowd waited for hours in searing heat for a glimpse of the VIP visitor. But the early afternoon heat and excitement got the best of some and a handful of people fainted, requiring the care of emergency medical crews.
The first lady had traveled to this North Carolina base town to view the construction of a new home for the women veterans of the Steps N Stages Jubilee House. The ABC network has said the episode is scheduled to air in October.
Obama toured the site with Barbara Marshall, the 15-year Navy veteran who runs the project as a shelter for women veterans and allowed her own home to be demolished to make room for the new building. After a tour of areas including a playhouse and greenhouse, Obama gave Marshall a hug.
Reporters were only able to catch a glimpse of Obama as she arrived at the house and later returned for the reveal wearing a different outfit.
Chip Smith, owner of Blue Ridge Log Cabins, the primary contractor on the project, said as many as 150 volunteers have worked as late as 2 a.m. some nights to tear down the old house and build the new one.
Obama's visit came a few hours before the finished house was expected to be unveiled. Later in the afternoon, Obama shook hands with members of the crowd and greeted some of the people who will be living in the house.
Fayetteville is home to Fort Bragg, which houses approximately 57,000 soldiers. According to an annual homeless census taken in January by local agencies, there were 96 veterans in local Cumberland County who lacked shelter and another 34 being housed in emergency shelters or short-term housing. The survey was first reported by The Fayetteville Observer.