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Show Friday Maifch #8,f20G8 features@statesman.usu.edu 4 MEMBERS OF T H E P A U N I FAMILY stand on •"' their backyard deck. From left to right George, Hyrum, ' None, liaise, Joe, Latu. Picture to the left: the Pauni house in Logan that was built by thousands of Cache , Valley volunteers and by the crew of "Extreme Makeovers, Home Edition." BRITNEY BRENT and CAMERON -| PETERSON photo •i By AMANDA MEARS staff writer In October 2006, thousands of USU students and Cache Valley residents gathered together with Ty Pennington, the host of ABC's hit show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," and watched as he revealed the house that would change the lives of the Pauni family forever. Thanks to the contributions of the community, mother Janet Pauni said the family is now doing better than she could have imagined. Originally from the island of Tonga, Janet said she and her husband, Danny, moved to Cache Valley in 1991 so they could give their children a better education. "In Tonga, there is only one college on the whole island, and they only accept a certain amount of people," Janet said. "So we came here, looked around and decided to stay." Janet said her husband began doing landscape work and was able to get a contractor's license so the family could begin their life in the United States. Janet said they started out renting a five-bedroom house in Hyrum for Danny, Janet and their seven children and through hard work were eventually able to purchase the house they live in now. Although things were looking better for the Pauni family, Danny suffered from a heart attack in 2005 and passed away in a hospital in Ogden. Although Janet said the family began working overtime to keep financially afloat, things were looking bad. A year later, Janet said her son Joe told her "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" was coming to Utah. "To save the house, we applied," Janet said. "We filled out the paper work, and my best friend in our ward filmed a clip to send to 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.1" After receiving a complete home renovation from the show in 2006, Janet said their lives were changed. "I do get recognized on the street," Janet said. "A FROM L TO R: T W O OF THE PAUNI BOYS rest on their beds. Janet Pauni, mother, speaks to a reporter. Members of the family show off their dance moves in their dance studio. BRITNEY bRENT photo lot of people will come up to me and ask, 'Are youthe lady from "Extreme Home Makeover"?' but some people will say, 'I think I know you from somewhere,' and I don't want to say it was because I was on TV, so I just tell them I am out around Logan a lot so maybe that's why I look familiar." In addition to being recognized on the streets of Cache Valley, Janet said one big change the show brought is the free time that allows the family to be together. She said the family has been able to spend less time worrying about their finances and more time enjoying each other's company. "Life is easier than before/' Janet said. "Before we had to make the house payment while we were paying to fix it. Now the kids get to focus on school instead of focusing on money." Latu Pauni, 13, said his favorite part of the family's new house is the landscaped backyard. His sister, liaise Pauni, agrees. "It's fun, we just hang out as a family," she said. For Hyrum Pauni, 24, the best thing about the experience has been being able to relax. "Life's not so stressed," he said, "not so pressured. It's much easier to get together as a family, and now I . can focus more on my education." In addition having a beautiful new home, Janet said the exposure the family's catering business received has helped them continue to live comfortably and without worry. "Last year was a very good year," Janet said. "We had so many people that saw us on the show and hired us. We were able to get a new catering trailer and make a living off the business." Janet said she first began catering Polynesian food, including grilled chicken with sweet sauce and Kahlua pork, in the valley as a hobby and is grateful she has been able to turn something she loves into a career. Thanks to "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," Janet said she now enjoys bringing a little bit of her culture to people across Utah on a regular basis. "It's mostly people who don't have access to the Polynesian culture," said Janet's daughter-in-law Lyza Pauni. "That way they get to experience it." Though it has been more than a year, Janet said the family will never forget the people who came together to change their lives. On the family's coffee table sits a hard hat with signatures from the cast and crew who helped turn the Paunis' dreams into reality. Janet said she is thankful for everyone she met through "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" and still keeps in contact with many people she met through the show. Recently, Janet saidrnembers of the show called to ask the family to donate a gift to a cast member who was leaving the show. The catch, said Janet, is that the gift had to be a penny. "They wanted us to decorate a penny, so our family sat down and decided we wanted to do something that would represent us and our family being the first Tongan family on the show," Janet said. "So we glued a penny in the center of a sei and mailed it to them." Janet said they chose a sei, which is Tongan for flower, because of its roots in the Tongan culture. When a girl wears it by tucking the flower behind the right side of her ear, it means she is taken, and when she puts the flower on the left side it signifies that she is single. In Hawaii, Janet noted, its the opposite. Since being a part of "Extreme Home Makeover," Janet said she is continually looking for ways to give back. "I will do whatever anyone asks," Janet said. UI need to give it back as much as I can." This year, Janet said she would like to hold a luau and donate some of the profit to people in the community who are in need. "1 have a great love for this valley and the people in the valley," Janet said. "I want to help them out as much as I can. I want to give thanks to people in the valley. So many people helped us out, and we will never forget that." - am anda. m ears@aggiemail. usu. edu TOP RIGHT: ILAISE'S ROOM A F T E R "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" came to town. Bottom Right: Sui Pauni's room. BRITNEY BRENT photo |