A Vanity Affair

The ballots have been cast and all the votes tallied. The GIFT Foundation of Hawaii is pleased to present its 2009 beneficiaries, each of whom support Hawaii’s youths

Sarah Pacheco
Wednesday - October 21, 2009
By .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
E-mail this story | Print this page | Archive | RSS | Del.icio.us
They’re ready for their closeups. Meet the GIFT Foundation of Hawaii’s 2009 beneficiaries: Dawn Dunbar, Keith Amemiya and Kent Anderson

The stage is set for a big-time production reminiscent of the films of old, when audiences oohed and aahed over the real-life performances of the actors rather than the fabrications created by CGI and computer animation today.

Which is exactly what The GIFT (Giving Inspiration For Tomorrow) Foundation of Hawaii hopes to bring back into the spotlight at its annual benefit gala next Friday night, Oct. 30 - the actions of people.

This year’s beneficiaries are a trio of do-gooders whose nonprofit organizations in one way or another support Hawaii’s youths and their families.

“The topics and issues these three address are just important elements that fill a really dire need right now in our community,” says board member Nate Smith, “and they’re headed up by executive directors who are really phenomenal and would ensure the success of the organizations through funding from the The GIFT Foundation.”

And now, the envelope please ... * Family Promise of Hawaii is a program created in 2006 to help families escape homelessness. Its mission is to mobilize existing community resources to help families transition from homelessness to sustainable independence.

“You know that there’s a big problem with homelessness here in Hawaii; what you might not have known is 25 percent of all homeless individuals are children, most of those under the age of 6,” says executive director Kent Anderson. “Our real goal is to help homeless families with children move out of homelessness and into a home of their own as quickly as possible so that their keiki can have the same opportunities the rest of us have.”

Anderson came to the Islands in 2002 after serving as business adviser for the Tonga Development Bank as part of a tour with the Peace Corps. After successfully helping businesses both big and small in the Pacific nation, he was asked by the Kingdom of Tonga to “fix” its taro farm on the North Shore that had lost millions of dollars.


“I cleaned some things up, improved operations and paid off all debts,“Anderson recalls. “After completing my contract, I discovered Family Promise of Hawaii. I was a total believer in the philosophy that serving with the community is the best way to help homeless families with children. I liked the idea of using volunteer labor and preexisting facilities to do more with less.”

According to the Florida native, this model allows the organization to operate at one-third the cost of traditional shelters because all meals and most of the labor are provided completely by community volunteers from a network of churches.

“We partner with 65 interfaith congregations to shelter, feed and support homeless families with children,” he explains. “Our volunteers do one of four things: They cook, they eat, they talk story or they sleep, yet by doing that and by being willing to share their time, most of our families move out of homelessness and into housing.”

Since opening its Windward shelter in 2006 and Honolulu shelter in 2007, more than 80 percent of Family Promise of Hawaii’s “guests” have secured housing, usually within three to four months. In 2008, the nonprofit was recognized by the White House Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives and the City and County of Honolulu. The recognitions continued this year, as the group was named a finalist for the Cades Foundation Nonprofit Leadership Award and earned the much-sought-after distinction of being a GIFT Foundation beneficiary.

“My reaction to learning we were a beneficiary of The GIFT Foundation was, ‘Wow, this is awesome!’” Anderson says of this most-recent honor. “There’s just this real spirit of love and giving, and they’re fun too! I mean, it’s like, hey, let’s have fun and party with a purpose. I mean, who doesn’t like to have a good party, and with this, you can have a party for good.” * Another relatively newcomer on the nonprofit scene is After-School All-Stars Hawaii. Based on the national After-School All-Stars program, the local chapter began this year as a means of engaging middle school children in comprehensive, fun and safe activities after they leave the classroom.

On board from the start was Dawn Dunbar, who had the privilege of touring the Los Angeles chapters at a middle school in South Central LA.


“I witnessed the passion of the teachers who were there to motivate and engage the kids. I saw the kids completely engrossed in their classes. Best of all, when it was time to end classes, a lot of kids didn’t want to leave! To be a part of this launch in Hawaii, and the responsibility to get it off the ground, has been an amazing journey,” Dunbar says.

The mission of ASAS is to increase confidence and encourage success in all areas of life for sixth- to eighth-graders, a population Dunbar says is so often the most vulnerable to the dangers that wait after the final bell rings.

“According to a study by the University of Colorado’s Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, violent crime committed by juveniles triples when the school day ends,” she adds. “We hope that After-School All-Stars can provide another alternative for those kids who are home alone in the afternoons or out on the streets where they can be exposed to crime or engage in dangerous behaviors.

“We want to provide our kids life skills and present them opportunities to let them realize their potential through our academic support, enrichment opportunities and health/fitness activities while incorporating elements of service learning and career exploration.”

All programs are free for families and are offered on-site at the children’s schools. So far ASAS has launched at Kalakaua and Dole middle schools in Kalihi. Plans to open at King Intermediate in Kaneohe as well as Jarrett in Palolo and Washington in Honolulu are currently in the works.

“It’s a matter of simply exposing our children to various opportunities they may have never entertained,” says Dunbar, a mother herself (daughter Mie is 6, and son Charlie is 3). “As a mother of two - one in public elementary school - I understand the struggles of working parents and will work to best fill the void. It is a powerful reminder that after-school programs keep our children safe, inspire them to learn, promote self-esteem and relieve working parents of worries about how their children spend their afternoons.” * The same is often said about after-school sports. The Hawaii High School Athletic Association (HHSAA) has been teaming up with Hawaii’s 95 public and private high schools since 1956 to support and promote athletics as part of the high school education program. The association also implements programs such as drug-awareness workshops and leadership training seminars for coaches, officials and athletic directors.

Keith Amemiya stepped up to the plate as executive director of HHSAA in August 1998 after working as a business litigation attorney in Honolulu for seven years. His role involves governing all of the high school sporting events and teams in Hawaii.

“We annually oversee 42 state championships in 18 different sports, and because we have so many unique sports (judo and canoe paddling), we have the most state championships in the country,” says Amemiya, who ran cross country and track at Punahou School, where his son, Christopher, is currently a fourth-grader.

Earlier this month, HHSAA’s Save Our Sports (SOS) campaign surpassed

 

Page 1 of 2 pages for this story  1 2 >

E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS


Most Recent Comment(s):

Posting a comment on MidWeek.com requires a free registration.

Username

Password

Auto Login

Forgot Password

Sign Up for MidWeek newsletter Times Supermarket
Foodland

 

 



Hawaii Luxury
Magazine


Tiare Asia and Alex Bing
were spotted at the Sugar Ray's Bar Lounge