Hawaii Community Foundation grant to help mentoring teenage boys
KAPAAU — The donor-advised Na Oiwi Kane Fund of the Hawaii Community Foundation has awarded a grant of $18,150 to Hawaiian nonprofit Partners in Development Foundation (PIDF).
The Fund aims to empower Native Hawaiians through programs focusing on transferring the traditional Hawaiian way of life to the most vulnerable members of our communities.
The grant will go to PIDF’s latest project, Piha me ka Pono, a new initiative at the Kohala Schools Complex on Hawaii Island that cultivates partnerships to bring needed academic, health, and social support services for the students and their families.
“The Complex’s three schools are Title I eligible and it has been recognized that so many of the students are coming to school with excess baggage,” Alison Masutani, PIDF vice president of operations and the program manager for Pili a Paa, said in a press release. “Unless we help to remove that baggage, no matter how strong the instruction is, the students will have difficulty learning.”
That baggage Masutani is referring to includes poverty, food insecurity, and poor physical, mental or emotional health.
One of the Project’s goals is to increase academic achievement of disadvantaged and underserved students through the development of after school enrichment programs that provide positive alternatives for students’ free time. Support from the Na Oiwi Kane Fund will go toward two different mentorship programs: sports conditioning and music.
The Piha me ka Pono Project is an offshoot of the existing Pili a Paa program, which was created to build teachers’ skills in instructional delivery in order to raise student achievement, particularly for the Native Hawaiian students, and it is also at the Kohala Schools Complex.
To learn more about Partners in Development Foundation, visit PIDF.org.
Partners in Development Foundation (PIDF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public foundation that inspires and equips families and communities for success and service, using timeless Native Hawaiian values and traditions.
Malama Maunakea
weed-pull June 1
The Office of Maunakea Management (OMKM) will host a Malama Maunakea volunteer day on Saturday, June 1.
The volunteer weed pulls are part of OMKM’s Malama Maunakea campaign to protect the resources on the mountain by helping to control fireweed (Senecio madagascariensis) and other invasive plant species around the Halepohaku area on Maunakea at the 9,000-foot elevation mark. It also reduces habitat for invasive ants, prevents unwanted invasive species from being transported to the upper elevation areas of Maunakea, and prepares the area around Halepohaku and the Visitor Information Station for future native plant restoration projects.
The volunteer day begins with a project orientation and acclimation to the elevation. After the orientation volunteers pull weeds. Lunch follows and a lecture on the Maunakea resources completes this fulfilling day of stewardship on the mountain.
Transportation to and from Hilo and lunch for volunteers will be provided. Community members coming from other areas of Hawaii Island should contact OMKM to coordinate transportation.
Volunteers are encouraged to bring water, sunglasses, sunscreen, sun protection, light rain gear, warm clothing, hiking boots or good walking shoes. A long-sleeve shirt, long pants, sun-hat, and layers to protect from wind or wet and cool weather are recommended. Lunch, snacks, transportation, drinking water, gloves for pulling weeds and tools will be provided. Families are welcome but space is limited.
Reservations are required. Email omkmvolunteers-grp@hawaii.edu or call 933-3884 to sign up.
Tools for caregivers workshop set
To help family caregivers cope with the demands of caring for their loved ones with chronic medical conditions, Hawaii Community Caregiver Network (HCCN) is sponsoring free Powerful Tools for Caregivers (PTC) classes in Waikoloa.
The six-week class series begins on Wednesday, June 5 and continues every Wednesday until July 17 (no class June 26), from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Waikoloa Community Church, 68-3621 Paniolo Ave., in Waikoloa.
Family caregivers will learn self-care tools to reduce personal stress; change negative self-talk; communicate their needs to family members and health care or service providers; communicate more effectively in challenging situations; recognize messages in their emotions, deal with difficult feelings; and make tough caregiving decisions.
Participants must attend all six classes. A $25 deposit for course materials will be collected at the first class and refunded upon completion of the six-week series. Participants who complete the series will receive The Caregiver Helpbook at no charge. Advance registration is required. Please call Alice Bratton at 323-4392.
Formed in 1995, HCCN (www.hawaiicaregivers.org) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit volunteer organization in West Hawaii.
$1.6M released for Waimea schools
HONOLULU — State Capital Improvement Project (CIP) funds totaling $1.6 million were released by Gov. David Ige Thursday to finance land acquisition for a parking lot adjacent to Waimea Elementary and Middle School on Hawaii Island.
Representative David A. Tarnas, who represents District 7 where the school is located, said in a press release it was an important safety measure for students and families in the area.
“Mahalo to the Governor and the Legislature for providing these funds,” said Tarnas (North Kona, North Kohala, South Kohala). “Acquiring this property is a top priority for me and the Waimea Elementary and Middle School community because it will provide a safe location for families to drop off and pick up the young students — especially on the many rainy and windy days we have in Waimea.
“I look forward to working with Parker Ranch to complete this transaction. We still need to do improvements for paving and drainage, but this is a great first step for this important project.”
From local and wire sources
