The College of Charleston is helping to make a Beaufort family’s educational dreams come true.

College of Charleston President P. George Benson yesterday awarded full tuition scholarships to five deserving Beaufort-area children who received a new home as part of the ABC television program Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Watch a video. View photos. The children, who range in age from 1 to 16, will each receive a full tuition scholarship for four consecutive years while they earn an undergraduate degree at the College of Charleston.

Bill Dickinson, India Dickinson, and their five children had been living in a ranch-style house with many structural problems. U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Dickinson has been deployed in Afghanistan since last year. Show organizers said, “Because of Bill’s deployments and financial difficulty, the family home has become almost uninhabitable. They want to move but do not have the resources to do so.”

“I am pleased that the College is able join forces with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to help this deserving South Carolina military family,” said President Benson.  “We are honored to provide all five of the Dickinson children with the opportunity to pursue a college education.”

President Benson told the family the good news just minutes after the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition team, led by host Ty Pennington, unveiled the new home, which was built in a week.

The Emmy award winning reality program “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” now in its 8th season, is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. The show airs Sundays from 8:00-9:00 p.m., ET on ABC.

The College of Charleston is a public liberal arts and sciences university located in the heart of historic Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1770, the College is among the nation’s top universities for quality education, student life and affordability. With more than 11,000 students, the College of Charleston offers the distinctive combination of a beautiful and historic campus, modern facilities and cutting-edge programs.