When COVID forced our communities to a sudden stop — and people worried about their health, their jobs, and their ability to care for their families — every nonprofit in the state gathered (often on Zoom screens) to figure out where they were most needed. And they went to work. What wasn’t immediately recognized was […]
Living sustainably—responsibly stewarding local resources so a community thrives over the long term—was once part of every successful Island community. Water, both fresh and salt, is at the heart of a sustainable Hawai‘i. These two new water-focused initiatives aim to create a resource use system that is both abundant and wise. Kai: Marine 30×30 For
Until earlier this year, Honolulu’s Aloha Stadium and its parking lot hosted joyful big events: football games, concerts, the swap meet, high school graduations. None of those were possible at press time, but the stadium has still been needed. It’s one of the only venues large enough for the mass distributions of food to the
This year, we turned to the GIFT Foundation, to feature a few of its favorite Hawai‘i nonprofits doing unique and inspirational work throughout our communities. “What’s cool for us is that many of these organizations are not well known when they come to us for funding, and then a few years later we see them
Anna Rice Cooke was quite progressive in her day. She was the first woman in Hawaii to have a driver’s license. She wanted to bring art of the world to local children—knowing most wouldn’t be able to travel to Europe to see it themselves—so she founded the Honolulu Museum of Art and donated works from
When Vance Roley left the University of Washington to assume the dean’s chair at the UH business school in 2005, he knew a couple of things: the buildings were quite possibly the ugliest on campus and the school’s potential was endless, particularly given its location against a global economy looking right at Asia. What he
Minda Golez knew in early March. As the Institute for Human Services director of housing and employment, she’d seen these warning signs before, when Aloha Airlines ceased operations and the economy collapsed in 2008. “Back then, the calls started flooding in, people suddenly out of work and no idea what to do next,” she says. “People had
Most veterans serve their country honorably and then return home, as Rick did, to rebuild a life in the community. He’d served in Vietnam and then settled in Hawaiʻi with his wife. Their marriage crumbled under the weight of unhealed wounds, memories of war and depression, leaving Rick alone and living paycheck to paycheck. When
Vaughn was in his senior year at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa—a straight-A dean’s list student on his way to a degree in social work—when a car accident left him with a badly broken jaw and opioid prescriptions for the pain. What was supposed to help him heal became an addiction. “I walked away
If you’re reading this, you care about making a difference and doing what you can to leave Hawai‘i better for future generations. But did you know you can get active, stay fit, exercise and do some good all at the same time? Check out this year’s A to Z, where your money and sweat equity
Families with children make up the largest segment of Hawaii’s homeless population as they typically do across the nation. And half of those children are under the age of 5. These families struggle to find their way in our communities and are often not as visible as the people we see on the streets; But they’re
Hot meals sustain us—whether it’s soup when we’re sick or dinner around the family table or a meal shared with friends. It’s more than good food. It’s nourishment for the soul, the time for most of us to connect, reflect or make plans for what’s next. Romeo, Maximus and Xicor at one of the shelters
