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Falcons surprise young fan with room makeover
Room make-over pic
Atlanta Falcons running back Michael Turner surprised Riverview Middle School sixth-grader Erikson Sieber and his family recently with a room makeover, compliments of Rooms to Go. - photo by For the Dawson Community News

A Riverview Middle School student found the surprise of a lifetime when he arrived home from school Nov. 13: Atlanta Falcons running back Michael Turner.

Erikson Sieber, 11, was among a handful of young fans selected to receive a room makeover by Rooms to Go, which partners every year with the Falcons to award deserving student athletes who also excel academically.

Dad Erik Sieber said his son was "completely blown away" when he walked into his room and saw the renovation.

"Michael Turner led the way up the stairs and opened the door to his room. I think [Erikson] was just in shock," said Sieber, a sergeant in the Army Reserve who served a one year tour of duty in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

"We're huge Falcons fans, so this is something special for all of us."

The family recently canceled their cable television subscription to save a few dollars each month.

"So it's hard for us to catch every Falcons game. We sometimes try to watch the games with relatives, but we've missed a few," Sieber said.

The family's looking forward to the Falcons' final home game of the season when they will join other winners from across the state at the Georgia Dome as VIPs.

"The seats will be on the 50 yard line, right behind the bench. That's going to be pretty awesome," Sieber said.

The makeover also will be featured during "Falcons Game Day Live" on CBS Atlanta to be aired Dec. 16.

The family was nominated by a friend in the National Guard through a program known as Operation Home Front, which provides emergency financial and other assistance to the families of service members and wounded warriors.

"Rooms to Go and the Atlanta Falcons reached out to military organizations for kids that are doing well in school to give them a pat on the back for being all-around good kids," Sieber said.

Warren Kornblum, chief strategy officer for Rooms to Go, said the company has been working with the Atlanta Falcons to provide deserving students with the room makeovers for three years.

Through the partnership, he said, several students throughout the greater Atlanta area are selected each football season for the honor.

"For each home game, we just sort of work with the Falcons community relations people to identify really deserving kids in the community and give them a special day," he said.

"The thought is we want to identify kids who are outstanding and just acknowledge them and say, ‘Good things happen to good people.'"

Turner has been helping with the partnership all three years.

"I get a kick out of doing these sorts of things," he said. "All the families are different and unique. They all have different reactions, so it's pretty fun and cool."

DCN regional reporter Crystal Ledford contributed to this story.