Jessica Lynch Forums: Lori's Dream Comes True With Help From A Friend - Jessica Lynch Forums

Jump to content

Page 1 of 1
  • You cannot start a new topic
  • You cannot reply to this topic

Lori's Dream Comes True With Help From A Friend 'Extreme Home Makeover

#1 User is offline   mlm005 

  • Newbie
  • Pip
  • Group: Members
  • Posts: 1
  • Joined: 23-April 05

  Posted 23 April 2005 - 01:51 AM

Family of POW Lori Piestewa gets ABC Home Makeover Thank to a Nomination from Jessica Lynch



POWSuser posted image


Percy looked to Jessica and said “Thank good you made it back, you’re the reason we are here.�


Lori's dream
Piestewa family sees new home in unveiling to air on 'Extreme Makeover' May 22 By Jan-Mikael Patterson .Navajo Times.April 22, 2005
FLAGSTAFF -

It was windy, dusty and the sun was strong enough to cause sunburns, but that did not stop the Piestewa family from enjoying Tuesday's "reveal" of their new home, a gift from ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."The 4,300-square-foot home is nestled on a six-acre plot near the San Francisco Peaks north of Flagstaff.Percy and Terry Piestewa stood with grandchildren Brandon and Carla and the show's host, Ty Pennington, in front of a maroon tour bus which hid their view of the new home.More than a thousand people watched from a designated area east of the house, chanting, "Move that bus." Pennington gave the familiar sign and the bus rolled forward.Percy Piestewa jumped up and down, hugging Pennington and Jessica Lynch, the former Iraq prisoner of war who had nominated the family for the program.Percy knelt on one knee, clutching her granddaughter as tears sparkled in her eyes.Terry Piestewa looked out over the crowd of homebuilders and volunteers wearing bright blue T-shirts."Thank you guys," he shouted to the volunteers, who responded with applause and a cheer."Gosh, my parent's dream came true today," said Carlotta Piestewa." "Not only their dream but Lori's dream came true too."
Carlotta said her sister, the late Lori Piestewa, had wanted to save money to buy her parents a home for their retirement. Lori, who was killed in Iraq in April 2003, is the first Native American woman to die in combat.Lori's dream came true, however, as a joint effort by her best friend Lynch, Shea Homes of Phoenix, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, the National Congress of American Indians and the popular television show.After Lynch nominated the family, show producers decided to make their new house the focus of the two-hour season finale, scheduled to air May 22 on ABC nationwide."The house is a castle," said Mary Christine Martin, Percy Piestewa's younger sister. "It's just breathtaking."It includes six bedrooms, a three-car garage, patio, playground, and a solar panel on the roof.The Piestewa family owns a three-bedroom doublewide mobile home in Tuba City. Located on land owned by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, it will have to be relocated when Terry retires from his job at the BIA-run Tuba City Boarding School.When asked if the couple is nearing retirement, Martin said, "I don't know because they love to work. Look at her, she's flying like an eagle."Percy, with a broad smile and five-year-old Carla in her arms, stood before her new doorway, waving to friends and family.Family members declined to discuss details about the home saying they are under a "gag order" until their segment the television show airs.About 300 Shea employees and 1,000 trade partners joined forces to build the house from the ground up in a five-day period. They worked 24 hours a day to get the job done."All the volunteers have trade experience," said Josh Eiseman, producer for Media Stream Partners.Eiseman's company was filming a documentary for Shea Homes, a national homebuilder, which also provided construction materials for the home.He said this is the second "Extreme Makeover" project Shea Homes has backed. The other was for the Garay family in south central Los Angeles. The segment was aired in October 2004.The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, based in Patton, Calif., paid $180,000 for the six-acre plot of land where the home was built.Deron Marquez, chairman of the San Manuel Band, said his tribe was contacted by NCAI, which had been working with show producers to identify a Native American family for the program."We were contacted by NCAI about three weeks ago," Marquez said. "Within the hour, we approved (assisting the family), a time frame which is unheard of in Indian Country."The San Manuel Band, which owns a successful casino in southern California, is becoming a familiar benefactor to Arizona tribes. In 2002 it donated $1 million to the White Mountain Apache Tribe to help repair damage from the Rodeo-Chedisky fire."If there is a tragedy or a family in need and we have the ability to assist we will do what we can," Marquez said. "I think all tribal communities feel strongly about one thing and that is our children."





If you cut and past this is the web site where you can read the article and view videos from the local news http://www.4law.co.il/L697.html

0

Share this topic:


Page 1 of 1
  • You cannot start a new topic
  • You cannot reply to this topic

1 User(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users