REPORT TO MEMBERS 2018 Giving back to the community we share by increasing the success of local youth and our Kūki‘o ‘ohana.
D EAR KŪ KI ‘O COMMU NI T Y FRI EN DS AND PART NERS
Dear Kūki‘o Community Friends and Partners
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Hawai‘i Island is an incredible place and we are so grateful to be a part of this community. Our memories continue to fill with the blessings this island bestows on our families and friends, motivating us to support its vibrancy and wellbeing. The Kūki‘o Community Fund is a way for us to be a vital part of many local philanthropic opportunities and successes. By contributing to the fund, we give a piece of ourselves back to this place that has given us so much. In turn, the island’s young people have access to great programs that prepare them to make sound decisions. Ultimately those decisions impact their families and ours in countless positive ways.
As you will see in the following pages, every year we are growing and deepening the reach of our grants and scholarships. The youth of Hawai‘i Island and our Kūki‘o employees are benefiting directly from the innovative youth programs and educational opportunities we fund with your help. We are deeply grateful that so many of our members participate each year in caring for this place and investing in the people of Hawai‘i Island. With aloha, David, Caroline, Gib, Leann, Hannah, Danielle, Ross, and Dawn Kūki‘o Community Fund Advisory Committee
2018 Kūki‘o Community Fund Advisory Committee
DAVID JOHNSTON
CAROLINE LANDRY
GIB MYERS
LEANN SANDER
HANNAH SPRINGER
DANIELLE WHITE
ROSS WILSON JR.
DAWN ZIERK (CHAIR)
Past Members Samuel Ainslie
Benjy Garfinkle
Grant Heidrich
Jim Lally
Robert Punihaole (deceased)
Carl Carlson
Sally Hartman
BJ Kobayashi
Andrea McTamaney
Elle Stephens
Staff The Hawai‘i Community Foundation (HCF) brings over 100 years of philanthropy work in Hawai‘i, building partnerships, crafting change, sharing knowledge, and enhancing lives. By partnering with HCF, the Kūki‘o Community Fund benefits from their professional staff, local knowledge, and cost-effective infrastructure for grantmaking and operations.
Lydia Clements
Waimea Office
Vice President of Foundation & Corporate Partnerships
65-1279 Kawaihae Rd, Parker Square #203 Kamuela, Hawai‘i 96743
Diane Chadwick Director of Community Philanthropy
Chelsey Chow Philanthropy Officer Malu Debus Philanthropy Officer
(808) 885-2174
2018 KŪK I‘O COMMUN IT Y FU ND ADV ISORY COMMIT T EE
In partnership with local island leaders, Kūki‘o residents give their time, wisdom, and resources to raise the funds needed to make grants and community investments possible — giving back to the island that gives all of us so much.
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Ēlama:
Ēlama students are approximately 14%
ENLIGHTENING THE FUTURE
of Pālamanui’s total campus enrollment.
Four years ago, the Kūki‘o Community Fund partnered with Hawai‘i Community College to launch the Ēlama project at the Pālamanui campus to foster non-college bound students to successfully complete work-ready certificates and associates degrees. This pilot investment in 13th year higher education opportunities for West Hawai‘i youth has encouraged many others to support youth in need. In addition to attracting a cornerstone funder for the program to expand to East Hawai‘i, Kūki‘o
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Number of Students in Cohort Percent Completion 87.0
80 73.3
83.0 66
60 55.8 46
40 30 20 17 0 2015
2016
2017
2018
Community Fund grants have helped leverage a statewide commitment by the University of Hawai‘i System to institutionalize similar programs!
Ēlama Project — Celebrating Success The 2018 Pālamanui spring commencement ceremony witnessed the first Ēlama scholars
ĒL AMA: EN LI GHT ENI NG THE FUTU R E
earning associate degrees.
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“The 13th year Program model was an instrumental catalyst used by the University of Hawai‘i to create the Hawai‘i Promise Scholarship, which is a need-based award intended to be applied toward the unmet need of qualified students enrolled at any community college campus of the University of Hawai‘i.” — Dana Pumehana Aina, Program Coordinator, Ēlama Project & Hilo One
Kūki‘o Community Fund has awarded
$393,807 in support of the Ēlama Project since it began in 2015.
“I have become a confident student with a 3.8 grade point average, attained a position in the Student Services Office with Hā‘awi Kōkua Program, and started a study group. It is with your support that I have been able to achieve so much in four short semesters.” Stephany Hayes, a second year Ēlama student at Hawai‘i Community College, began her college career at forty-three years old. Stephany dreamed that college could be an option for her, and after a family tragedy she was inspired to help children to achieve their dreams. She is on the pathway to success and is full of gratitude. “Thanks to the Ēlama Scholarship, I am working on my Liberal Arts degree. I will be pursuing a bachelor's degree at UH Mānoa, and eventually my master's in education. The Ēlama Scholarship has allowed me to pursue my education full-time. Every day I wake up and I am excited about my future.”
E ‘Imi Na‘auao:
IN PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE The Kūki‘o Community Fund provides Kūki‘o employees and dependents the opportunity for continued education at any accredited two- or four-year higher education institution. Students can attend either part-time or full-time. These scholarships are renewable and flexible to are juggling family, job, and school commitments. Supporting the diverse educational aspirations of Kūki‘o employees and their children in also making a long-term investment in the local community.
Since 2017, eight students have received Kūki‘o Community Fund Scholarships to pursue college degrees and training.
“Being awarded the scholarship gave me and my parents the ability to not worry so much about how I was going to pay for my classes this year. After I complete my liberal arts degree, I will stay in Hawai‘i and either go to UH Mānoa or UH Hilo and focus on Hawaiian Studies. My ‘ohana and I are very grateful for the scholarship from the Kūki‘o Community Fund.” — Heiari‘i Weza, son of Keola Weza
Kā Kākou Keiki: OUR CHILDREN
In 2018, Kūki‘o Community Fund expanded partnerships with four Hawai‘i Island independent schools to offer financial aid to Kūki‘o employee families with children in kindergarten through high school. To date, fourteen families have received support “We are honored to be one of the recipients of the Kūki‘o Community Fund Employee Scholarship. This gift has enriched our lives greatly because it has allowed me, as a single mother, to focus on working at Kūki‘o. My 13th work anniversary is coming up in May and I’m so grateful to be a part of the Kūki‘o family.” — Angela Mowinski
and we have established a strong working relationship with the four schools that administer the funding.
Kūki‘o Community Fund has awarded $89,000 in scholarships.
E ‘I MI N A‘AUAO: I N PU RS UI T OF K N OWL ED G E • KĀ KĀKO U KEIKI: O U R CH IL DREN
encourage completion while Kūki‘o employees
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Kāpili Mai:
BUILDING TOGETHER The Kūki‘o Community Fund, in partnership with thirteen other major funders of the Career Connected Learning Program, continues to invest so that Hawai‘i Island students pursue education in growing industries in Hawai‘i and gain employment that allows them to work, live and thrive in the islands. STEAM-related occupations offer higher-than-average pay and career advancement opportunities, improving the chances for families to afford Hawai‘i’s
Parker School has expanded technology opportunities
high cost of living. Grants help increase career
for its students by increasing cross-curricular work
awareness for K–12 students and expand
in their design lab and deepening collaborative
applied learning for 10 graders to early
problem-solving that exposes students to the amazing
careers through work-based experiences with
diversity of STEM pathways. The school’s new Technology
local employers. Career Connected Learning
Education Plan enhances the faculty’s application of
funds are reaching over 14,000 high-need
technology in STEM classrooms, promoting design
local students, 900 educators, and schools
thinking across the curriculum and empowering
attended by our Kūki‘o employees’ children.
students and faculty to become innovative learners.
K ĀPI LI MA I: BU IL DI NG TOG ETHE R
th
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Parker School
Pathways to Success Mālama Kai Foundation Mālama Kai Foundation’s Ocean Warriors Program partnered with Kohala Middle School and several private and public partners to pair professional boat builders with teams of 7th and 8th grade students in North Kohala. The program included hands-on, timber-to-sailing and forest-to-ocean curriculum that applies sustainability, watershed protection, and engineering concepts to boat building projects. This gives students the opportunity to connect STEM learning to real-life local employment opportunities.
Kahua Pa‘a Mua
Hōlualoa Elementary School
Kāhua Pa‘a Mua, in partnership with successful
Students of Hōlualoa Elementary School participated
agricultural employers in Kohala, held six one-day
in the Hōlualoa C2C Food Sustainability Project that
Connected Learning workshops for STEM teachers
engaged students in high-tech garden projects (think
to share Korean Natural Farming techniques
drones and watering system coding meets traditional
and methodologies related to animal and crop
agriculture). The projects connected elementary
production. Each workshop introduced teachers
through high school students and teachers with fully
to career pathways and post-secondary education
developed programs at nearby farms and with the
opportunities in STEM careers available to their
Hawai‘i Community College Pālamanui campus. A
students. These experiences help teachers counsel
community lū‘au was the capstone, where students
their students on the array of career pathways.
presented what they learned about growing and
PAT HWAYS TO S UCC E SS
sourcing the food on their plates.
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Papakū Pono: A STRONG FOUNDATION
FLEX Program The Kuki'o Community Fund reaches more local youth in need by partnering with like-minded Hawai‘i donors through Hawai‘i Community Foundation’s FLEX program. Unrestricted FLEX funding ensures that high-performing nonprofit organizations continue to thrive and serve local youth as they lead the way in: • PROVIDING rich educational opportunities, • SCALING programs on Hawai‘i Island with proven track records in the community, and • RESPONDING quickly to the unique needs of our youth and families.
Ensuring the best opportunities and environments for our local youth to succeed
PAPAKŪ P ON O: A STRONG FOUN DAT ION
The Kūki‘o Community Fund’s investment in FLEX grants fuel strong nonprofits serving the Kūki‘o ‘ohana and the children of this community, inspiring youth and creating opportunity that will last a lifetime.
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• Aloha Performing Arts Company is on a mission to enrich the lives of Hawai‘i residents and visitors by presenting quality theatre and providing theatre education. The Company exposes youth to the joy of creativity. APAC produces more than 65 performances annually and serves as a artistic outlet for budding young actors from all areas of West Hawai‘i. • Center for Tomorrow’s Leaders provides programs to at-risk youth that develop their leadership skills and prepare them to become community builders and future role models, able to compete in a global economy.
• North Kohala Community Resource Center, located on the rural Northern tip of Hawai‘i Island, stimulates volunteers and serves as a conduit for the success of a multitude of community projects for youth. • Friends of The Children of West Hawai‘i, Inc. is dedicated to providing youth with the resources necessary to enjoy the experience of childhood through enrichment programs that reduce at-risk behaviors and provide a healthy dose of fun. In addition to their activities, Friends also organizes an annual school supply drive and Keiki Christmas Project.
Kūki‘o Community Fund has been a catalyst for change in the community for 18 years, creating career paths and inspiring the future of our Kūki‘o ‘ohana and beyond.
“The value of giving goes so much farther in Hawai‘i and the impact is especially felt here on Hawai‘i Island.” — Dawn Zierk, Chair, Kuki‘o Community Fund
“This generous gift has changed my life in so many ways; I am more confident, I have found a way to achieve my dreams, and I am able to focus my full attention to my studies. Ēlama is a huge part of my feeling of gratitude.” — Stephany Hayes, Ēlama Student
$2.8 Million dollars raised and distributed in the last FIVE years scholarships that benefit our Kuki‘o family and beyond::
$760,631 in 2018
$600,300 in 2017
“The best part that I found of the STEM program this year was the robotics...I learned how to fabricate parts. I learned how to 3-D print and I learned how to program... A really big thank you to everyone who has made this possible.” — Alex Bell, Career Connected Learning Participant
$582,500 in 2016
$460,999 in 2015
$400,750 in 2014
KŪK I‘ O COMMUN IT Y FU ND : RE PORT TO MEMBERS 2 01 8
to community programs and
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2018 Kūki‘o Community Fund Grantee List Schools
Nonprofits
Hawai‘i Academy of Arts & Science Public Charter School — STEAM Learning
After-School All-Stars Hawaii Akaka Foundation for Tropical Forests — Teaching Change: Increasing Youth Participation in Conservation
Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy — Scholarships for Dependents of Kūki‘o Employees & HPA’s Career-Connected STEM
Aloha Performing Arts Company
Hōlualoa Elementary School — Hōlualoa C2C Food Sustainability Project
Big Island Mediation, Inc.
Honoka‘a Complex — Honoka‘a Complex STEM Partnership: STEM Career Connected Learning Program Ke Kula ‘o Nāwahīokalani‘ōpu‘u — Ko Kula Kai Kea‘au Elementary School — Keaau Robotics Inspire Kealakehe High School — Expanding Excellent STEM Access in West Hawai‘i Kealakehe High School Grad Keonepoko Elementary School — KeOBots Grant Proposal Kona Adventist School — Scholarships for Dependents of Kūki‘o Employees Kona Pacific Public Charter School Makua Lani Christian Academy — Scholarships for Dependents of Kūki‘o Employees Pāhoa High and Intermediate School — PHIS Robotics Club Parker School — Scholarships for Dependents of Kūki‘o Employees & Expansion of Parker School's Technology Education Plan Regents of the University of California, Santa Cruz City — Hawai‘i Island Akamai Internships St. Joseph School — Scholarships for Dependents of Kūki‘o Employees University of Hawai‘i – Hilo — Pushing Health Profession Students Past the Chemistry Barrier
Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawaii, Inc. Boys To Men Mentoring Network, Inc. Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Corporation — Maunakea Scholars Expansion with Manoa Academy Center for Tomorrow's Leaders Family Support Services of West Hawai‘i Friends of the Children of West Hawai‘i, Inc. Girl Scouts of Hawai‘i Hawai‘i Forest Institute Hawai‘i Institute of Pacific Agriculture — Farm Mentorship and Apprenticeship Hilo Medical Center Foundation — Pre-Health Career Corps Program Hōkūpa‘a — Hōkūpa‘a Purpose-Driven Career Pathways Ho‘ōla Nā Pua Kahilu Theatre Foundation Kahua Pa‘a Mua Inc. — KPM Ag STEM Connection Keaukaha One Youth Development — RISE 21st Century After School Program Māla‘ai – The Culinary Garden of Waimea Middle School — STEM Learning in the Garden Mālama Kai Foundation — STEM to Careers via Boatbuilding and Watershed Science in North Kohala
University of Hawai‘i – Hilo — Real-world Studies and Student Empowerment Can Improve Access to STEM Career Pathways
Marine Mammal Center — Nā Kokua o ke Kai: Advancing Middle School Marine Science and Ocean Conservation
University of Hawai‘i Foundation — FEST (Families Exploring Science Together)
Nalukai Foundation North Kohala Community Resource Center
University of Hawai‘i Foundation — KCI Professional Development and Training
Prince Dance Company — Rhythm of the Universe
University of Hawai‘i Foundation — Ēlama Project of Hawai‘i Community College at Pālamanui
The Kohala Center, Inc. — Ke Kumu ‘Āina: Watershed Field Investigations
Waimea Elementary School — Install Widescreen Smartboards in Classroom to Facilitate Schoolwide Exploration of Career Options
Zoological Society of San Diego — ‘Alalā Reintroduction Community Inquiry Program
Waimea Middle Public Conversion Charter School — #STEAMTeam
Success Factory — NexTech STEM Programs Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative — Future Foresters
20 18 KŪ KI ‘O COMMU NI TY FUN D G RA NT EE LI ST
Hawai‘i Pacific University — Citizen Science Program Using eDNA
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The Kūki‘o Community Fund was established in 2001 so that Kūki‘o members could: •
SUPPORT quality giving opportunities near Kūki‘o
•
LEARN more about local community needs and effective solutions
•
LEVERAGE their philanthropy in Hawai‘i with other like-minded investors
Together, we are making a difference. Mahalo for your commitment, your involvement, and your generosity!
We invite you to learn more about what we do and how we work. Please join us in making a difference on Hawai‘i Island! Contributions are tax-deductible and can be made online at HawaiiCommunityFoundation.org/KukioFund, be delivered to the concierge, or sent to: Kūki‘o Community Fund of the Hawai‘i Community Foundation 827 Fort Street Mall Honolulu, HI 96813 (EIN: 99-0261283)