For anyone familiar with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, you can imagine how much that morning greeting meant to Momi Akana and her family.  Those four words would mean a world of difference for the very deserving Kalihi family, especially for Momi, who has dedicated the past 11 years of her life to helping the native Hawaiian community. 

As a single mom on welfare, Momi started Keiki O Ka Aina (KOKA) Family Learning Centers, a non-profit organization that offers culturally educational programs for free to those who would not normally be able to afford them.  In the beginning, Momi used her food stamps to buy snacks for the center and considered her welfare check her paycheck for the services she was providing for these families.

Her family’s needs came second
While Momi and her three children attempted to make their own improvements to their home, they never had the money or the expertise to complete anything properly, so the house is a series of unfinished construction projects.  Until a month ago, the Akana home was also the home for KOKA.  The center operated out of the top floor of the house while Momi and her kids lived in the two-bedroom downstairs portion. Operating the center out of the family home took a huge toll on the structure, necessitating extensive repairs. Momi knew she needed a change, so she applied for a grant to acquire another place to house KOKA.

After receiving the grant, Momi relocated KOKA out of the family home, to a property right up the street. However, the property KOKA moved into was also in extremely poor condition, with extensive termite damage, roofs that were not connected with the walls, severe flooding and leaking, bad electrical wiring, and virtually no security.  As a non-profit, there was no money to fix the damage done to Momi’s home or to fix the structures that now house KOKA.

When the Akanas return from their paid vacation to Whistler, Canada, they will see the fruits of the work of over 2000 volunteers where their house used to stand.  The work being done on the Akana property represents the largest project the Extreme Makeover team has ever tackled.  In a press release, the team explained that everything is being done to “help transform the life of this very special woman and her family be giving them not only a safe secure home in which to live but also give KOKA a safe secure place out of which to operate, allowing Akana the opportunity to continue making a difference in thousands of
other lives for the better.” 

Mark your calendars! The episode featuring the Akanas will serve as the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition season premiere, and will air in early September. Don't forget to tune in and see the surprised faces of the Akana family as the bus is moved and their lives are transformed.