Faces of
Philanthropy Winter 2011
Quarterly News from the Hawai‘i Community Foundation
Supporting Education for Ni‘ihau’s ‘Ohana
OUR MISSION We help people make a difference by inspiring the spirit of giving and by investing in people and solutions to benefit every island community.
Anyone familiar with Ni‘ihau and its culture knows that it is unique. Words like “family” and “old Hawai‘i” come to mind when thinking about this small island in the Hawaiian chain with only 170 residents. “We’re all one family,” Ileialoha Beniamina once said in a Star-Bulletin interview about Niihauans. Now, that family honors Beniamina and provides for other fellow Ni‘ihau residents through the Jean Ileialoha Beniamina Ni‘ihau Scholarship Fund.
The Fund Established by Wayne James Rapozo and the Rapozo family with the support of the Beniamina family to honor Ilei Beniamina, the fund is among the few of its kind to provide post-secondary scholarship support specifically for Ni‘ihau students interested in pursing higher education. Rapozo said the scholarship fund was created to recognize and support the work and dedication of the Ni‘ihau community in Wayne James Rapozo emphasizing education for its youth, and Ilei Beniamina was a very important part of Ni‘ihau education. “Aunty Ilei and the Ni‘ihau students she worked so hard for are proof that all of us can successfully straddle two worlds, the traditional one and the modern one that we all face today,” said Rapozo. A Ni‘ihau native and educator, Beniamina was a respected and active community leader on Ni‘ihau and Kaua‘i who worked as an outreach counselor and assistant professor at Kaua‘i Community College. She devoted her life to Hawaiian education and culture until her passing last July.
First Scholarship Awarded This year, the first Beniamina scholarship was awarded to Jasmine Kali, a 2011 graduate of Island School. She is the great-granddaughter of Sarah Mamali‘ili‘i Loa of Ni‘ihau with rich native roots in Hula and Recipient Jasmine Kali pa‘aki (hawaiian salt) cultivation. She will be an incoming freshman at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo seeking a degree in Hawaiian Studies and Language. She aspires to become an educator of young children, teaching them her beloved culture, values and language.
How to Contribute Donating to an existing scholarship fund or starting one of your own is simple. Each year the Hawai‘i Community Foundation awards nearly $5 million through its more than 160 scholarship funds. Each fund has its own criteria, which is decided upon by the donor. For example, eligibility requirements for the Beniamina fund include being a resident of Kaua‘i or Ni‘ihau and an essay describing family descent from and connection to Ni‘ihau. Scholarship funds are a great way to focus your giving to our community’s youth and champion education to others, like Kali. To contribute to the Jean Ileialoha Beniamina Scholarship for Ni‘ihau Students Fund or receive more information, contact our client services group at clientservices@hcf-hawaii.org or (808) 566-5560.
Introducing New Online Application!
The Hawai‘i Community Foundation is proud to announce our new, all online scholarship application process. This useful tool will allow students to submit all documentation online and will provide further efficiency to our internal processing systems. Visit www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/scholarships after December 1, 2011 to view the application.
For more information on connecting with a cause that you care about, please contact the Philanthropic Services Department at (808) 566-5560 (toll-free at 1-888-731-3863) or e-mail clientservices@hcf-hawaii.org
www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org