JULY 29, 2015 - VOLUME 30, ISSUE 30
The
Molokai Dispatch
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MEO:50 Years
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of ‘Helping People, Changing Lives’ Photos by Colleen Uechi
By Colleen Uechi | Staff Writer
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cross Molokai, the reach of Maui Economic Opportunity (MEO) is visible in many forms. There’s the rumbling pink and white bus that transports passengers from town to town. There are the storefronts whose owners have learned to be business savvy through MEO. There are pre-kindergarten keiki who have toddled through MEO’s Head Start program. “This is probably the most diverse organization you’ve got,” said State Representative Lynn DeCoite. “… I feel this community, if anything, without MEO would be drastically hurt.” Last Wednesday, the Molokai community celebrated 50 years of MEO’s service within Maui County. Residents came together to enjoy lunch, hula and musical performances, and a look back at MEO’s community programs. MEO was started as a Community Action Agency on Maui on March 22,
THIS WEEK’S
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1965. The private nonprofit’s website states that it is dedicated to “eliminate poverty by providing opportunities in education, employment and training, transportation and other areas to help people, help themselves.” Molokai Branch Director Yolanda Reyes said MEO’s most-utilized service on the island is transportation, as the organization provides the only public bus system on Molokai. She estimated they transport about 100 people a week, from patients attending doctors’ appointments to students returning home from after athletic practices. “[Parents] have to be so many places at once and I think it takes a lot off of their plate just to make sure their children get home safely,” said Reyes. Reyes said the organization’s food distribution service also has a widereaching impact, as they distribute canned and nonperishable items nearly every day. MEO’s community projects help lower-income families with fees
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Island Foundation Logo Winner
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NFL to Honor Molokai, von Oelhoffen By Colleen Uechi | Staff Writer
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such as security deposits and a first month’s rent. Its nutrition program brings kupuna together regularly for good meals and good company. “Almost everyone on Molokai has benefitted from MEO activities,” said volunteer and program participant Gladys Brown, who Reyes added “has been with us from day one.” For many families, MEO has been a part of multiple generations. DeCoite said her grandmother Becky Mokuau went on many kupuna outings with MEO’s bus service, and DeCoite has taken Core Four business courses with the organization. “They’ve had many people from this island go through there,” said DeCoite. “They bring to you not just law, but they bring to you resources on where to go, and business plans, startup, finances.” Halawa tour guide Sean-Alan Kamai, who attended the celebration,
etween 1961 and 2010, Molokai High School didn’t have a football team. That didn’t stop 1989 graduate Kimo von Oelhoffen from becoming a pro lineman and winning a Super Bowl. Thanks to von Oelhoffen, who started at defensive end in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2006 Super Bowl XL victory, Molokai is among 11 Hawaii high schools set to receive special recognition from the National Football League (NFL). In preparation for its 50th Super Bowl, the league plans to present golden footballs to the high schools of all coaches and players who have appeared in the NFL’s premier title game. “When you look at the list, you have perennial state powerhouse football programs like St. Louis and Punahou … and then you just have little old Molokai right there,” said MHS head football coach Mike Kahale with a grin.
The commemorative golden leather footballs will be inscribed with the school and name of the player or coach. Aside from Molokai, the other 10 schools are all located on Oahu. Punahou and Kahuku top the list, each receiving three footballs. While it’s an honor for the school and the island, coaches and friends said it’s also a tribute to the defensive lineman’s tireless efforts to get to the professional level. “It’s just a feel good, inspirational story,” said Kahale. “You have a kid from Molokai that was athletic, had no opportunity to play football, for some reason had a passion for it. After high school [he] pursued it, and look. Super Bowl champion.” Although the Molokai-born von Oelhoffen competed in basketball and track at MHS. “He wanted to do well in whatever it was he was doing,” remembered classmate and teammate Matt Helm,
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Free Meals for Schools By Colleen Uechi | Staff Writer
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s part of a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program, free breakfasts and lunches will be available to students at all Molokai public schools starting this year. Those schools are among seven statewide that were selected by the Hawaii Department of Education (DOE) to pilot the program this year. While many Molokai students already qualified for free or reduced price meals, educators say the new program will be a relief for many families who didn’t previously qualify and will streamline the dining process. The federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program, which debuted in Illinois, Michigan and Kentucky in 2011, gives free meals to schools in which at least 40 percent of students qualify for free or reduced lunches. The seven schools chosen for the program in Hawaii are Kaunakakai Elementary, Kilohana Elementary, Maunaloa Elementary, Maunaloa Elementary, Molokai Middle and High Schools, Linapuni Elementary on Oahu and Mountain View Elementary on Hawaii Island. Office of School Facilities and Support Services Assistant Superintendent Dann Carlson said Molokai was selected because it offers all levels of schooling in one island community. “We can get a true vertical look at elementary, middle and high school,” he said. “[Molokai is] small enough and contained enough that, again, we have the opportunity to run the numbers and see if it’s feasible.” According to the DOE, the department was previously reimbursed $2.90 per lunch through student fees and federal funds. With CEP, the DOE will now receive a $3.67 reimbursement from the USDA. However, Carlson said that the state won’t be profiting from the program. To qualify, parents or guardians must fill out a survey reporting the number of students enrolled from their families and the household income level. Carlson said it’s vital to turn in the surveys because the data helps the DOE and schools qualify for other benefits. In addition, free bus service to and from school will also be provided for students who meet certain distance requirements. “The objective is to see what the impact is when those hurdles are taken away from a student,” said MHS principal Stan Hao. “Because nutrition is one and the other one is the ability to get to school. If those things are free what is the extent to which students and families will take advantage of that?” Kualapu`u School began the free meal program last year, and principal Lydia Trinidad said that aside from creating less paperwork for both the school and parents, it was welcome break for many families who were paying full price. “There’s no distinction between free and paid kids,” she said. “You still had middle class families still struggling to make ends meet, and it’s just a chance … [to] save some money.” Read more about this program in next week’s issue of the Dispatch.
Why I fly with Makani Kai Jackie, who runs Jackie’s Yard Service, has flown with us quite a bit. When asked why he chooses Makani Kai Air over Mokulele or Ohana, he doesn’t mince words and he’s direct, “It’s fast and it’s quick. No headache, no pain, no problem.” It’s a pity that all air travel can’t be that way, the way it used be. Thanks, Jackie, for being a regular with us. From topside Molokai to Honolulu or return
$50 online fare, every seat, every flight, every day. MakaniKaiAir.com | (808) 834-1111
The
Molokai Dispatch
P.O. Box 482219 Kaunakakai, HI 96748
Jackie Kalilikane, Sr. Molokai Born & Raised