NAMI Hawaii announces annual conference
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Hawaii State Chapter is raising awareness of mental illness through its 2021 annual State Conference, “Community Resiliency for Hawaii” slated March 22.
Partnered with Mental Health America of Hawaii, NAMI Hawaii’s interactive virtual conference aims to connect Hawaii’s community with resiliency strategies as so many are faced with stress, mental health issues, and mental illness. The virtual event will run 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. via Zoom.
The keynote speaker will be Manu Aluli Meyer of UH West Oahu, who will speak on “Community Resiliency through Aloha Practices.” She will share how we can find healing in traditional Hawaiian practices such as basic ho‘opono ideas to practices and gratitude songs.
There will be also various interactive breakouts sessions with information on accessing peer services, NAMI suport for families and peers, recovery through art, recovery vision boards and toolkits and finding meaning in an unbalanced world.
NAMI Hawaii is a nonprofit organization that provides free support, information and resources for individuals and families affected by a mental health condition.
The virtual conference is free and open for registration statewide. Find out more at https://namihawaii.org.
OHA grants to aid COVID-19 response
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs Tuesday announced the release of two grant solicitations totaling $2.92 million to provide support and assistance to the Native Hawaiian community.
OHA has committed $1.67 million to a COVID-19 Response Grant to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Native Hawaiian ohana and communities. OHA has also committed $1.25 million to a Ohana and Community Based Program Grant to support programs specifically designed to bolster the family unit.
Applications are being solicited from nonprofit organizations that administer community-based projects designed to strengthen Hawaiian beneficiaries, families, and communities.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has heavily impacted our Hawaiian community from the loss of employment to our families’ ability to provide the necessities of life like food and shelter. These grants will assist with finances in a variety of areas in this time of great need,” said OHA Board Chair Carmen Lindsey. “OHA is enacting a new grants structure that ensures every island will have a share of both of these grants so that there’s fairness in the distribution of these assets.”
A pre-recorded solicitation orientation session along with a PowerPoint presentation will be posted to the OHA Grants Program webpage today. The application deadline for both grants is March 19.
For more information and an online application, visit www.oha.org/grants.
Jenna Shotwell named to dean’s list at Biola University
Jenna Shotwell, of Waikoloa, was named to Biola University’s dean’s list for academic excellence. Shotwell was one of approximately 1,800 students who were named to the dean’s list in fall 2020 for having a GPA of 3.6 or higher while enrolled in 12 or more credits and whose cumulative GPA is at least 3.2.