Mahalo to those who care

No Kane`ohe mai au...I am rooted in Kane`ohe

Ua mau ke ea o ka `aina i ka pono...the life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness

For those who care

Putting the 'Wow' into a wonderful event...
It takes members with a giving spirit to put in the long hours and commitment with no thought of personal gain, and in the Ko`olaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club are such members. Mahalo nui loa to master floral designer/member Patti Bright Ramirez (Rim Architects), who led a team of volunteers -- Charmaine Bright, Rocky Kaluhiwa, Harriet DeCosta, Napua Kobashigawa and Mahealani Cypher -- in designing fabulous centerpieces and other decorations for the recent first annual fundraising event for the civic clubs' non-profit partner, Hawai`i Maoli.  The event was held July 23rd at Ko`olau Golf & Country Club in Kane`ohe. Hawai`i assists with seeking and managing grants for native Hawaiian organizations, programs and projects. Maika`i!

At Ha`iku Valley, they malama na wahi kapu...
A big mahalo nui loa to our awesome team of volunteers, Ka`ahakeuli Jury, Noe and Kaohu Stibbard, Marty Taum, Jill Adair, Mahealani Cypher and all the other volunteers who have come out every month to kokua with the cleaning of Kanehekili Heiau in Ha`iku Valley. They are all doing a fine job clearing Kanehekili Heiau at Ha`iku-uka, awakening this important wahi kapu.

It takes an energized membership to support future scholarships...
A big mahalo to our Annual Garage Sale chairperson Haleaka Martin and her energized team of committee chairs Shandry Lopes, Harriet DeCosta, Shirley Kaluhiwa, Andrea DeCosta, Janine Tully, Kona Pelekai, Clifford and Teri Loo, and our small army of workers who came out to help with the recent "Renewable Treasures" scholarship benefit held at He`eia Elementary School. A special mahalo to He`eia School for providing the venue for the sale, and to custodian "Mel" for facilitating with opening and closing. We also want to thank Mahealani and Shandry's team of workers from the Cultural Education & Mentoring program (funded through Alu Like), who came out to help with loading and unloading; Darryl, Jim Turse, and others who helped with transporting goods to the school; Uncle Clarence Kelley, Sandy Nichols and Aunty Mary Jenss for their donation of beautiful plants; Haleaka Martin's `ohana; the 2010 scholarship recipients Ashlie Duarte-Smith, Jessica DeCosta, Mikki O`Phelan; Aunty Carol Bright, Cindy Turse, Julie Tomomitsu, Sandy Nichols, Tom Wenska and many others for their generous donation of goods, plants, and other items for the fundraiser; Aunty Alice for her help with sorting; Noe Stibbard for her help with signage and receiving donated goods. Proceeds from the garage sale will be used for our scholarship fund. In addition, a portion of the proceeds from food sales will go toward the scholarship fund.

An exciting new program will create young cultural educators...
In a new partnership with Alu Like, the Ko`olaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club - with the help of Native Knowledge LLC - is training 10 Kane`ohe teenagers on the history, heritage of Hawaiian culture of the Kane`ohe and Ko`olaupoko area. Mahalo to our volunteers Mahealani Cypher and Shandry Lopes, who have been taking the youths to wahi pana as part of their training, to our kupuna Aunty Alice Hewett and Rocky Kaluhiwa for helping with their orientation, and to Uncle Sol Nalua`i and Liko Kaluhiwa for working with the group on the lo`i kalo fields at He`eia. This is part of a federally-funded summer youth employment program.

Remembering our core mission: to support our scholars...
Our civic club owes much of its success to our continuing effort to malama our youth and education program. We extend our deepest mahalo to our Education & Scholarship Chairperson Cindy Mahina Turse and her excellent committee: Alice Hewett, Georgi DeCosta, Leina`ala Davis, Emma Frias and Erika Liashenko for their hard work reviewing all of our 2010 scholarship applications.

Mahuahua Ai o Hoi work continues...
Our deep mahalo to the hard-working team of volunteers working to restore the kalo fields at He`eia these past few months, especially to the family of Rocky & Jerry Kaluhiwa, Kanekoa Kukea-Shultz, Brad Wong, Kalani Kaanaana, and all the rest of the gang. The land lives and flourishes once again!

The tours enrich our community...
Our glassbottom boat tours continue to raise awareness in our community about the rich history and cultural resources of our Ko`olaupoko ahupua`a. Mahalo to the terrific team of volunteers who helped out April 24th at He`eia-kea Pier, including cultural educators Jerry Kaluhiwa and Mahealani Cypher, and members Shandry Lopes, Harriet De Costa, Rocky Kaluhiwa, Kona Pelekai, Queenie Kobashigawa and Leah.

The grand move...
Our deepest mahalo nui loa to the family of Rocky and Jerry Kaluhiwa, Kanekoa Kukea-Shultz, B Kalani Kaanaana, Shandry Lopes, Shirley Kaluhiwa, Harriet De Costa, Elizabeth Lau, Malia and Kalai Sarah Kaluhiwa, Leilani Jones-Tollefson, Liko and Mahi Kaluhiwa, and Mahealani Cypher for all their kokua with our recent move from the second floor to our new first floor office in room 104 at the Kane`ohe Atrium Building. Now we have room for many more programs!

A celebration for the citizen Prince...
We are grateful to our members Pamai Tenn, Elizabeth Lau, Rocky and Jerry Kaluhiwa and their `ohana, Teri and Clifford Loo, Ed and Kona Pelekai and their `ohana, Shirley Kaluhiwa, Napua Kobashigawa, Harriet De Costa, Shandry Lopes, Haleaka Martin, Andrea De Costa, Julie Watson, Uncle Bert Akiona, Mahealani Cypher and all the other volunteers for the great job they did putting together the vehicle for the 2010 Prince Kuhio Parade and preparing and handling our food booth at Kapi`olani Park. What an awesome team and a terrific spirit - mahalo to you all!

For coordinating compassionate support...
With our recent participation in the annual Walk for Diabetes, our civic club thanks Andrea Ilima De Costa for coordinating our participation in Team Kaho`onei, which exceeded its fundraising goal for our contributions to a very worthy cause. Mahalo also to members Lisa Phee, Lia Carlson, Pamai Tenn and Mahealani Cypher for joining in the walk, and to our members and friends who made contributions to the team's effort.

With gratitude for generous kokua to our work...
If it were not for the generosity and help of the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, many of our projects would have been much more challenging and less successful. From all of our members and our communities we extend our gratitude and mahalo to Mitch D'Olier, Terry George and the board of the Castle Foundation; and to Haunani Apoliona and the Trustees and staff of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs for your support. Thanks are also extended to the staff and board of Hawaii Maoli, our fiscal non-profit partner, which has facilitated many of the grants that have come to help our community.

For their commitment to the Ko`olaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club...
A sincere mahalo nui loa to Kona Pelekai, Clifford Loo, the members of our fundraising committee and our general membership for doing such a terrific job coordinating and carrying out the Hawaiian plate and other fundraising events this past quarter - it has been a lot of work, but great for building fellowship and fun among our members. Maika`i!

Community outreach efforts...
Our community outreach efforts continue to build community awareness and support for the perpetuation of our Hawaiian culture. Kudos to Rocky and Jerry Kaluhiwa and Mahealani Cypher for the work they are doing with our cultural tours and presentations at the State Capitol and in our community.

For their help with Mahuahua Ai o Hoi...
Much mahalo to members Jonathan Kanekoa Kukea-Shultz and Brad Wong, our hard-working coordinators of the project to restore the kalo fields at He`eia (an area also known as "Hoi"), to the Nature Conservancy, to Tony Ching and the Hawai`i Community Development Authority, and to our many partners in the community and among government agencies who have helped make this important project a reality, and to the countless volunteers like Uncle Sol Naluai, Kalani Akana, Kahiwa Sumida-Aki and others who have come out to malama `aina and plant kalo for our people.

We also extend many thanks to the Koaniani Fund of Hawai`i Community Foundation, NOAA and to the Coastal Zone Management program for their generous contributions to help us get started on the wetlands project and other work being done to preserve Hawaiian cultural practices.

For the joy of music and dance...
We are ever grateful and have fond aloha for two of our kumu who have generously provided their time and talent to work with our members and friends to perpetuate our beautiful Hawaiian music and dance. Aloha nui loa and mahalo to our choral director Aaron Mahi, who has patiently taught and sung with all of us at our weekly kani ka pila at the civic club office on Monday nights. Aaron is world-renowned as the former bandmaster of the Royal Hawaiian Band, and his many musical talents as well as his knowledge of our Hawaiian history and the mo`olelo of our mele have greatly enhanced our understanding and enjoyment of the music. A fond mahalo and aloha also to Kumu Earl Pamai Tenn, who has trained our members to perform the hula - both wahine and kane - and who enjoys so much the sharing of his personal stories behind the hula and the kupuna whose teachings he has passed to all of us through the dance. Hula practice is every Thursday night at Windward Community College.