West Chester ‘Extreme Makeover’ couple files for divorce

WEST CHESTER TWP. — Greg and Ginger Akers, a West Chester Twp. couple who along with their three children were featured on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” in 2008, have filed for divorce, according to Butler County court documents.

Clerk of Courts records show Ginger filed for divorce on March 5, and on April 14 she filed for a protection order against her husband. The divorce filing cites “incompatible” as the grounds.

The couple has been married since April 4, 1997, according to court documents.

Thousands of area volunteers showed up to help build the Akers a new ranch-style home on Manor Drive in July 2008. Two of the children have spinal muscular atrophy, a degenerative disease that makes mobility difficult.

The one-story, ADA-compliant home was built specifically for the Akers’ three children. In addition to the girls’ illnesses, the Akers’ son suffers from Crohn’s disease. The new house was designed to help Greg and Ginger better care for the children, and to let the girls move from room to room on their own, something that was not possible in the family’s old split-level house.

The next court hearing for the domestic violence protection order is set for 8:30 a.m. June 17 before Judge Sharon Kennedy. At 3:30 p.m. the same day, the non-contested divorce will also have its final hearing.