In February 2012, Project Makeover renovated Chester Shell Elementary. Chester Shell Elementary is located in Hawthorne, Fla., a town just outside Gainesville, Fla. Project Makeover: Shell Edition 2012 had over 1,200 volunteers and fundraised $10,000 over the course of the 2011 - 2012 school year. A large donation of $5,000 from ACEL allowed Project Makeover to give Chester Shell its dream project, a new science lab. New tables, chairs, microscopes, murals and science kit completed the lab along with a full-sized skeleton. Mayor Matt Surrency and his family were very involved with the process and had a huge impact with the surrounding Hawthorne community.