HCF honors nonprofit leaders with 2024 Ho‘okele Awards

The Hawaiʻi Community Foundation (HCF) recognized four exceptional leaders in the Hawaiʻi nonprofit sector with its 22^nd Annual Ho‘okele Awards during a reception on Tuesday. Named for the ho‘okele, or canoe steersman, the award recognizes the significant role that a nonprofit leader plays in improving the quality of life for Hawai‘i’s people.

Each Ho‘okele Award recipient receives $10,000 to be used for professional development and personal renewal. Past recipients have used the fund for travel, retreats, home renovation projects, or other pursuits. A portion of this year’s award gifts are being generously supported by the Gerbode Foundation, a key partner that helped create the Ho‘okele Awards in 2002. Since 2002, $890,000 has been awarded to 89 nonprofit leaders statewide, the majority of whom remain in the nonprofit sector.

The Ho‘okele Award was made possible from 2002-2016 through a partnership between the Gerbode Foundation, led by then-president Tom Layton, and HCF, at the time led by CEO and president Kelvin Taketa. In 2017, HCF’s Board of Governors created the Kelvin Taketa Ho‘okele Leadership Award Fund in honor of Kelvin’s visionary leadership. The Fund ensures that the award will continue in perpetuity.

“This year’s nonprofit honorees have shown exceptional leadership, leaning in and stepping up to guide and support our communities,” says Micah Kāne, HCF CEO and president. “We hope the Ho‘okele Awards provide an opportunity for each leader to practice self-care and renewal, because in order to take care of others, we must take care of ourselves.”

Aimee Sueko Eng, executive director of the Gerbode Foundation, says, “We are thrilled to be able to reinvigorate our longstanding partnership with the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation and the Hoʻokele Awards this year. Our nonprofit leaders are the unsung heroes in our communities. It is important not only to celebrate their many contributions to the field, but also invest in their self-renewal and well-being. Congratulations to this year’s recipients of the Hoʻokele Awards for this well-deserved recognition.”

The following four 2024 HCF Ho‘okele Award recipients were selected based on community nominations and their ability to think strategically and get results, bring different groups of people together, inspire others, make a difference in Hawai‘i and enthusiastically share their knowledge:

Maude Cumming, Executive Director, Family Life Center

Cumming has led Family Life Center since 1994, serving residents on Maui, Moloka‘i, and Kaua‘i.

Family Life Center strives to stabilize the lives of people in times of need by connecting them to social services such as homeless outreach, emergency shelter, permanent supportive housing, rental assistance and more. Under her stewardship, Family Life Center has achieved remarkable milestones, including the successful management of emergency shelters across multiple islands and pioneering the housing-first approach with over 80-percent permanent housing placement rates. Most recently, Cumming has been instrumental in leading Family Hope Center and multiple partner organizations working to construct ‘Ohana Hope Village, an 88-home interim housing community for survivors displaced by the Maui wildfires, which today houses around 50 individuals. Cumming’s profound connection to the community, built over decades of service, embodies the spirit of ʻohana, where every individual is seen, heard, and empowered to achieve lasting change.

Janice Ikeda, Founding Executive Director, Vibrant Hawai‘i

With a focus on resilience, Vibrant Hawai‘i, under Ikeda’s leadership, has become a community-building organization advancing equity and agency for all Hawai‘i Island residents. The organization supports community transformation by facilitating cross-sector collaboration, serving as a conduit for information and resources, and supporting action teams with data collection and reporting. Together with industry experts and community champions, Vibrant Hawai‘i identifies and measures what matters to residents, develops strategies and solutions that are actionable and relevant, and invests in holistic wealth and resilience for a vibrant Hawai‘i. The result is a comprehensive community-driven collective-action network that genuinely represents the unique needs, goals, and culture of Hawaiʻi Island’s residents. Ikeda is actively involved with the Punawai o Pu‘uhonua Advisory Board, Aspen CSG’s Rural Action Roundtable on Equity, the ALICE Research Advisory Committee, and The Prosperity Agenda’s board. 

Kūhiō Lewis, CEO, Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA)

Since assuming leadership of CNHA in 2018, Lewis has been instrumental in driving CNHA’s impressive growth advancing the culture, economic, political and community development of Native Hawaiians. The organization has emerged as a leading advocate for policy issues and has become a significant political influence in both Hawai‘i and Washington, D.C. In the year following the Maui wildfires, Lewis has played a leading role in Maui’s recovery by leading CNHA to support workforce development training, housing support, and case management. He helped stand up the Kāko‘o Maui Fund, a donation campaign to aid communities impacted by the Maui wildfires that has donated $5 million to the Maui Interim Housing Plan. He has also helped create the CNHA Host Housing Program, providing $1.9 million to 169 households who welcomed individuals and families displaced by the fires into their homes.

Kelly Maluo-Pearson, CEO, Boys & Girls Club of Maui (BGCM)

Maluo-Pearson has served the Boys & Girls Club of Maui for more than 27 years, first as director of operations before being named CEO in 2014. BGCM’s mission is to inspire and enable all youth, especially those in most need, to reach their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. After the Maui wildfires, in response to the immediate needs of Lahaina club members and other youth in West Side communities, Kelly acted swiftly and effectively. She mobilized resources to reach affected areas even when roads were closed and basic necessities like shelter, food, water, and clothing were in critical shortage. Her prompt actions ensured that essential care was provided during a time of great uncertainty.

Kelly’s dedication to BGCM’s mission has been evident throughout her career. As a long-time member of local youth coalitions, she has excelled as a coach, created a scholarship fundraising event, and tapped into her national Boys and Girls Club connections to bring national resources to Maui. Her efforts ensure that Maui’s youth benefit from a wealth of knowledge and support extending beyond local boundaries.