Oprah Coming to La Verne?

John Paddock began an extensive remodel of Tony Sandell's (left) home in early June.

The more you know about John Paddock, owner of La Verne Construction Co., the more you wonder when the man sleeps.

Currently, his company is hammering away at two remodels on 10 th Street in La Verne and another on Amherst above Foothill, and then there are those 10 or so children (we’ve actually lost count) that he and his lovely wife Leeann escort around town and feed every night around the dinner table.

“It gets pretty crazy,” John told La Verne Online last year.

Lots of big and little Paddocks

Well, now it’s going to get even crazier, and we’re not talking about John and Leeann’s upcoming 34th wedding anniversary on July 29.

On Aug. 3, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) is coming to La Verne to film his unique family, including several of their adopted children, many of whom they rescued from dire circumstances and conditions, like fetal alcohol syndrome. (Read our story from July 19, 2010, “La Verne Construction: It’s Way More than a Family Business.”

“In my heart, I believe that every child can live in a home and have a family,” Leeann said. She and John have more than backed up that belief.

One of the reasons is Leeann has a brother, Kevin, who as an infant was diagnosed with a rare congenital disorder called Cornelia Delange Syndrome. Her parents still provide Kevin with around the clock care today, some 40 years later. Meanwhile, growing up in Seattle, John watched his grandmother operate a board-and-care facility. They’re paying forward every second of each day.

Today, John and Leeann shoehorn a lot of people and activities into their La Verne lives, and their lives and their work are about to gain a lot more exposure way beyond La Verne’s humble borders.

Another 10th Street remodel

The Amherts remodel is also under way.

To link to LVO’s previous story on the Paddocks click on http://www.laverneonline.com/2010/07/19/la-verne-construction-its-way-more-than-a-family-business/

While in La Verne, OWN will also turn its spotlight on Sowing Seeds for Life in La Verne. The La Verne-based food bank distributes food to hundreds of families each month.