Ke Ali‘I Pauahi Award

The Order of Ke Ali‘Pauahi Award i

Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop was a woman of intelligence, compassion, and a remarkable visionary. Reverend J. A. Cruzan once said, “Refusing the crown she lived that which she was; crowned.” Refusing to rule her people, she did what was better, she served them, and in no ways so grander as by her example. It was the princess’ belief that a vibrant future for her people was tied directly to the education and well being its children. Since 1956, The Order of Ke Ali‘i Pauahi has been awarded to those who best exemplify that vision.

The Pauahi Foundation and Kamehameha Schools recognized PIDF President and co-founderJan Edward Hanohano Dill as the 2016 Order of Ke Ali‘i Pauahi Award recipient at a gala held at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel on October 12, 2016. Jan was selected for his years of dedicated service to helping communities locally, as well as abroad. Pauahi Foundation generously donated $35,000 each to PIDF and three other nonprofits supporting Hawaiian children and families in our communities.

“To describe Jan in terms of the mission of Kamehameha Schools. I can think of words like good and industrious. I can think of words like servant leader. I can think of words like character and competancy. These are our descripters that really, kind of, define what we try to instill in our Haumana.” -Dr. Michael Chun, former President of Kamehameha Schools

“It’s really only in the last 20 to 30 years I’ve started to really appreciate the awesome power of the legacy of Bernice Pauahi Bishop as I came to faith in Guatamala, when I was a Fulbright Fellow working with the Indians and seeing this grinding poverty. You know the princess really had something here because we share the same faith. And so we understand our call to care for the least of these.” -Jan Dill, President of PIDF

“Even though we have 30 preschools and a tremendous amount of other investments in early education, it still isn’t enough to reach all native Hawaiian kids. Partnership we know is critically important to our strategic plan. It sounds simple but it’s actually incredibily hard and what’s particularly unique about PIDF as a partner to us is really their leader and their staff that have the right values, aligned vision, and a very, very deep care for our keiki. That kind of relationship is extemely difficult to find but once you find it it can be quite magical and you want to do everything you can to keep it alive and to continue on forever.” -Lauren Nahme, Kamehameha Schools VP of Strategy and Innovation