AlohaCare launches Imua Loa with $300,000 in holiday giving

With contributions of $300,000 to benefit 20 organizations throughout the islands, AlohaCare has launched its newly named community giving program called Imua Loa, which means to go forward in health and well-being.

Eighteen organizations received donations between $5,000 and $35,000 to help meet essential and holiday needs of keiki to kupuna who are facing houselessness or food insecurity.

Special Olympics Hawaii received $25,000 for health-related programming and Waikīkī Health was awarded a grant of $50,000 for its Emergency Room Diversion Program.

Four island food banks — Hawaiʻi’s Foodbank, Maui Food Bank, Kauaʻi Independent Food Bank and The Food Basket on Hawaiʻi Island, share $95,000.

The Imua Loa program supports AlohaCare’s strategic goal of strengthening Hawaiʻi’s healthcare safety net, and its new one-stop digital site Imualoa.Alohacare.org provides a streamlined way to apply for funding.

The application portal for grants, sponsorships and charitable donations opens on Jan. 5, 2023. AlohaCare’s annual education scholarship applications will be available by Feb. 6.

“As a safety net health plan, we consider giving back to our community a vital part of our mission, and through Imua Loa, we look forward to continuing to uplift our community” said AlohaCare CEO Francoise Culley-Trotman. “With this round of donations, our goal was to fund programs or activities that will brighten the holidays for those in need, particularly our keiki and kupuna.”

Since AlohaCare’s inception in 1994 as a community-led health plan, its kuleana has been caring for and helping Hawaiʻi’s most vulnerable. The pandemic underscored the need to expand community partnerships in order to help achieve health equity.

Culley-Trotman shares the significance of the program’s name: “In tribute to the organization that gave us our name, we returned to the Waiʻanae Coast Comprehensive Health Center’s Kupuna Council for their recommendations – and in their wisdom, Imua Loa perfectly aligns with our vision of a healthier Hawaiʻi.”

With Imua Loa, AlohaCare looks forward to continuing its tradition of assisting organizations to elevate the health of all who call Hawaiʻi home.  Applicants who may not be able to submit online applications will still have the opportunity to email or mail the required information to AlohaCare.

Other recipients of funding: Hale Kau Kau, Hale Opio Kauai, Hawaiʻi Children’s Action Network, Hawaiʻi Meals on Wheels, Kahiau Project, Kauaʻi Independent Food Bank, Lānaʻi Baptist Church, Lanakila Senior Center, Marshallese Community Organization of Hawai’i, Maui Economic Opportunity, Maui Youth and Family Services Shelter, Pasefika Empowerment and Advancement, Project Hawaiʻi, RYSE and YMCA Kauaʻi Family Violence Shelter.

For more information, visit Imualoa.Alohacare.org or email ImuaLoa@alohacare.org.