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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, June 7, 2007

TV show helps out a Kalihi mom

By Tiffany Hill
Advertiser Staff Writer

A Kalihi mom has won a makeover for her family home from "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," it was announced yesterday. The home, damaged by flooding in October 2004, is being torn down and rebuilt from the ground up.

Theresa "Momi" Akana earned notice from producers of the ABC show as the founder of the nonprofit Keiki O Ka Aina Family Learning Center, which provides free educational support to Native Hawaiian families.

When she founded it 11 years ago, Akana was a single mom of three children on welfare, but she used her food stamps to buy snacks for the center, producers said.

Akana's family now includes her husband, Ben, 14-year-old Keahi, 12-year-old Ku'ulei, 8-year-old Maka and their newest addition, 2-month-old Poli.