Olowalu Cultural Reserve Among 35 Projects Receiving 2010 OHA Grants

Posted by Wendy Osher

The Olowalu Cultural Reserve on Maui will get more than $44,000 in the latest round of grants announced today by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.  The money will be used for the reconstruction of the ahupua’a at Lihau, Olowalu.  The project is aimed at perpetuating traditional and customary practices of Kanaka Maoli and protecting natural resources.

File image © 2010

Another project exclusive to Maui and included on the list of grant recipients is the Kihei Youth Center.  The facility is earmarked for $48,000 in grants to support the MERITS after-school homework assistance program at the Kihei Youth Center.

OHA trustees approved a total of $2.2 million in community grants for 35 projects aimed at supporting non-profit community groups who work to make a difference in the lives of Native Hawaiians, and ultimately the community at large.

OHA Chairperson Haunani Apoliona said the OHA is pleased to support those who make a difference in the midst of a struggling economy, “The $2.2 million will fund projects ranging from mobile health screening for diabetes to substance abuse rehabilitation to the promotion of innovative, culturally-based curriculum development at Hawaiian immersion schools,” said Apoliona.

In selecting grant recipients, the OHA Board of Trustees gave full consideration to projects that would ensure that Native Hawaiians have continued opportunities in health care, human services, education, housing, economic development, native rights and cultural preservation.

“With resources dedicated to these critical arenas, Native Hawaiians will be in a better position to contribute to the state’s economic recovery and OHA is thankful that it is able to come through with help during these tough economic times,” Chairperson Apoliona added.

The complete list of Office of Hawaiian Affairs Community Grants Program Recipients for fiscal year 2010 is as follows:

• Aka‘ula Middle School – $86,076 for PRISM, a culturally responsive educational program. (Moloka‘i)
• Alu Like, Inc. – $49,605 for coordination of ten workshops to help küpuna manage chronic disease. (O‘ahu, Moloka‘i)
• American Diabetes Association of Hawai‘i – $34,350 for the Vision Project, providing a mobile retinal scan screening unit for early diagnosis and treatment of diabetes. (All islands)
• American Lung Association of Hawai‘i – $28,843 for Maopopo Oli Hänö, a school- based asthma education and management program. (O‘ahu, Maui & Hawai‘i Island)
• Arizona Memorial Museum Association – $100,000 to support a Pearl Harbor Visitor Center display on the Hawaiian cultural significance and history of the Pu‘uloa area (O‘ahu)
• Bay Clinic – $42,000 to support expansion of a diabetes self-management program in the Puna district, targeting high-risk Native Hawaiians (Hawai‘i Island)
• Boys and Girls Club of Hawai‘i – $58,650 to improve the new Youth Education Town (YET) with support for certification in LEED (leadership in energy and environment design) and Native Hawaiian-focused stewardship projects for youth. (O‘ahu)
• Family Support Services of West Hawai‘i – $57,500 to support Nä Makuakäne Maika‘i O Hawai‘i, a program to increase parenting skills for fathers through culturally-based practices and program support. (Hawai‘i Island)
• God’s Country Waimänalo – $61,000 to support a hands-on learning program in cultural activities, including: ka ‘äina (growing potted gardens), ke kai (ocean skill building), and mea ha‘i‘ölelo (story-telling/communication). (O‘ahu)
• Hale ‘Öpio Kaua‘i – $45,350 for implementation of Ke Kahua O Ka Mälamalama, an afterschool program to engage students in Native Hawaiian cultural practices and values. (Kaua‘i)
• Hawai‘i Maoli on behalf of the Ko‘olaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club – $47,269 for a civic club multi-purpose cultural project and installation of ahupua‘a highway boundary markers. (O‘ahu)
• Ka ‘Aha Hui Na‘auao – $30,678 for Ka Papa ‘Oihana or Perpetuating traditional Hawaiian Knowledge, Cultural and Natural Resources, an instruction program in traditional hale construction and wood sculpture. (O‘ahu)
• Ka Hale Pömaika‘i – $100,000 for the expansion of substance abuse treatment and recovery services. (Moloka‘i)
• Ka Meheu ‘Ohu O Ka Honu on behalf of Ho‘omanao I Nä Wä I Huliau – $65,000 to support the traditions and culture of Native Hawaiians through the re-creation of visual images via photographs, written text, and storytelling. (All islands)
• Kaua‘i Economic Opportunity, Inc. – $58,745 to support the operation of the Mana‘olana emergency homeless shelter on Kaua‘i. (Kaua‘i)
• Kawaikini New Century Charter School – $55,250 to support curriculum development and a pilot project for 3rd and 4th graders. (Kaua‘i)
• Keömailani Hanapï Foundation – $91,500 for the Native Hawaiian art education project, HOEA, including operational support and the establishment of a community art space and storage facility. (Hawai‘i Island)
• Kïhei Youth Center – $48,000 to support the MERITS after-school homework assistance program at the Kïhei Youth Center. (Maui)
• Külia Nä Mamo – $50,000 to support equitable employment for the transgendered and homosexuals through employers on how to retain those employees. (O‘ahu)
• Leadership Kaua‘i – $25,000 for the annual Adult Leadership Program and Pi‘ina Hökü Youth Leadership Program. (Kaua‘i)
• Lunalilo Home – $100,000 to provide financial assistance to indigent Hawaiian küpuna not able to afford care at Lunalilo Home. (O‘ahu)
• Lyman Museum – $59,328 to support protection and restoration of Hawaiian cultural artifacts in the museum’s collections. (Hawai‘i Island)
• Nänäkuli Housing Corporation – $98,723 to assist Native Hawaiian families with home repair and/or replacement needs. (O‘ahu)
• Narconon Hawai‘i – $49,500 to support the outpatient drug rehabilitation program located in Kalaeloa. (O‘ahu)
• National Tropical Botanical Garden – $62,522 for the cultivation of native plants in Hä‘ena to be made available and used as resources by the Native Hawaiian community. (Kaua‘i)
• Neighborhood Place of Kona – $99,648 to support the prevention of child abuse and provide child abuse prevention information to rural areas. (Hawai‘i Island)
• Olowalu Cultural Reserve – $44,530 for reconstruction of the ahupua‘a at Lïhau, Olowalu, to perpetuate traditional and customary practices of Kanaka Maoli and protect natural resources. (Maui)
• Pacific American Foundation on behalf of Digitalmoku.net – $49,720 to establish an Internet site on the history of the Kohala district with online access to ethnographic interviews with cultural experts and community members. (Hawai‘I Island)
• Pacific Health Ministry – $38,241 to support mobile and free blood pressure screenings, health assessments, and health referrals for low-income, elderly and homeless populations living on beaches and in transitional housing. (O‘ahu)
• PA‘I Foundation – $49,600 to support MAMo 2010: a month-long celebration of Native Hawaiian arts and culture intended to highlight contemporary Native Hawaiian artists. (O‘ahu)
• Partners In Development Foundation – $99,984 for Kökua ‘Ohana, a program to increase the number of licensed Native Hawaiian families providing homes for Native Hawaiian foster children. (O‘ahu)
• Tri-Isle Resource Conservation and Development Council, Inc. on behalf of Lanaihale Forest & Watershed Project – $89,770 for the Läna‘ihale Forest and Watershed Project to protect the habitat of the endangered Hawaiian Petrel bird (‘ua‘u) and recharge the Läna‘ihale watershed by removing invasive species.
• Wai‘anae Coast Coalition on behalf of Wai‘anae Coast Family Center (Pa‘a Hala) – $100,000 to provide family conferencing and cultural classes and support the goal of establishing a Hawaiian cultural center for farming and monthly hö’ike. (O‘ahu)
• Waimänalo Health Center – $100,000 to support Kü I Ka Mana, a Native Hawaiian mentoring program for Waimänalo Middle School students to increase knowledge of healthy living and make positive lifestyle choices. (O‘ahu)
• Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) of Kaua‘i – $50,000 to support domestic violence intervention and sex offender treatment programs. (Kaua‘i)