Freda Sauni never set out to become a leader; she simply stepped up when her community needed her.
Five years ago, she walked into her first resident committee meeting with no agenda other than to listen. The room was full of unfamiliar faces, community leaders, nonprofit partners, city staff, and residents. She initially felt out of place. But the more meetings she attended, the more she understood the power of resident-led organizing in West Valley. The work clicked and felt meaningful, and she continued to show up. That quiet decision to stay became the start of something much bigger.
Today, Freda coordinates the Community Leadership Partnership for Westside Community United (WCU), part of University Neighborhood Partners (UNP). In that role, she helps bridge gaps, connecting West Valley City staff, University of Utah and University of Utah Health leaders, local nonprofits, and residents. Those relationships have been essential throughout the planning and development of the new University of Utah Eccles Health Campus, now under construction in West Valley.
Because of consistent, constant communication between WCU and University Neighborhood Partners and University of Utah Health, community residents have had a seat at the table in shaping the hospital’s development.
Freda’s path to leadership came from love. Love for her family and love for her community. She leads with humility. “I’m not a leader,” she says. “I’m a servant and a messenger for the community.” And in every part of her work, she focuses on making sure West Valley residents are heard, valued, and included in the decisions that shape their city.
Breathe 4 Trees: Healing Through Nature and Story
One of Freda’s proudest achievements is co-founding Breathe 4 Trees, a grassroots nonprofit rooted in cultural storytelling, environmental stewardship, and community healing. The organization grew out of the Westside Leadership Institute, where four women, connected by shared purpose, came together to bring their vision to life.
Breathe 4 Trees now plants trees, teaches youth, and helps families reconnect with nature as a source of resilience and well-being. For Freda, this work is deeply personal. She grew up learning traditional healing practices from her grandmother, using the leaves and roots of local trees as medicine.
Recently, the group hosted a community tree-planting at the Jordan River Nature Center. Families named trees in honor of loved ones they had lost, transforming grief into growth through a ceremony that blended remembrance, culture, and hope.
Voice for the Pacific Islander Community
Freda’s identity is deeply rooted in her heritage. Born in Samoa, she carries her culture with pride and lives its core values, service, family, and collective responsibility, every day. In West Valley City, home to one of Utah’s largest Pacific Islander communities, she sees herself as both a member of that community and an advocate for it.
She works to create spaces where Pacific Islander families feel understood, supported, and seen. Whether she is organizing programs, sharing traditions, or guiding conversations, Freda brings cultural knowledge forward so it can shape decisions and strengthen connections. She proudly represents a community that has long made West Valley its home, and she is committed to ensuring Pacific Islander culture is honored, reflected, and woven into the fabric of the city.
Looking Forward: A Community United
As WCU prepares for its Fall Festival on November 22, centered on the theme of unity, Freda continues doing what she does best: bringing people together. The celebration will mark another year of Westside Community United’s work while offering families access to resources, meaningful youth activities, and pathways to education and employment.
For Freda, the vision has always been clear. Community is strongest when everyone shows up, shares their strengths, and works together toward a common goal.