Fall 2010 Newsletter of The Institute for Human Services www.IHShawaii.org Caring for our keiki An incredibly diverse group of families and individuals come through our doors at IHS. Young and old, locals and migrants from other states and countries, those who are ill and those who are healthy. But, some of the most touching faces that we see, are those of our keiki who temporarily call IHS home. Many of our children come from impoverished families, lacking the basic resources to develop into confident and competent students. Many lack fluency with English skills, and typically, they are struggling emotionally and academically in school. Our challenge is to create a stable living environment - safe, comfortable, conducive to learning, equipped with the necessary tools (like computers and school supplies) and surrounded by adults who have a deep love and commitment to children while holding them accountable and modeling appropriate social skills. Above: 24 IHS keiki played, learned, and IHS offers classes and growth experiences for shelter children ages 0-18. We are discovered this summer through the pilot IHS grateful for partnerships with Good Beginnings Alliance, who offers classes Summer Fun Program. for infant - preschool aged children along with their parents, as well as HCAP HeadStart, who focuses on the preschool aged keiki and nurtures their early learning. We offer a Homework Club five days a week enriched by our dedicated volunteers, and even a Teen Club for middle and high school students. This past June, IHS piloted a Summer Fun program that brought school age children together in a multifaceted experience. 24 of our keiki (including nine junior leaders) focused on environmental awareness and enjoyed gardening, paper making, trips to botanical gardens and tide pools, and even scouted for plant life on hikes to waterfalls. A smashing success, Summer Fun helped the children grow in leadership and cooperation with each other. The children shared detailed reports with their parents at the end of each day and one grateful mom commented through tears, “My daughter doesn’t even realize she’s homeless, thanks to IHS and the wonderful programs you’ve created. Thank you.” Our Summer Fun program ended after the two weeks, but the fun didn’t stop for our keiki. Generous and talented volunteers continued to structure learning experiences of all kinds. Along with reading and math, the kids took part in ongoing activites focused on environmental sustainability, navigated educational websites such as freerice.com, created group collages and learned to knit. Twice a week, the children at IHS scout around outside with volunteer leaders in a contest to see who can pick up the most pieces of trash as part of the Litter Detective Program. The family room is home to a growing library, where the children can choose a book to borrow and check it out to read during the times when the family room is closed. A non-profit organization called Common Grace also began a ministry at IHS this summer. They are comprised of individuals from various churches who come together once a week to mentor the children through supervised one-on-one time. The children are reaping the benefits of the positive attention, and the volunteers are enjoying nurturing a relationship with a child in need. Very soon, we will also be blessed with another partnership, this one with Pacific Music Foundation, as they have volunteered to teach some of our children how to play the ukulele once a week here at the shelter. If you have a special skill to share or a little extra time to give, please consider volunteering with our children’s programs! Visit www.ihshawaii.org or call 808-447-2842 for more details. Importance of Home by connie mitchell, executive director Hot summer days have been quite eventful and intense at IHS this year. They included a first-ever Summer Fun program for the children at the shelter, a Volunteer Recognition Picnic at Ala Moana Beach Park, my attending the National Conference on Ending Homelessness in Washington, D.C., mourning the untimely loss of our Clinical Director John Sousa and celebrating an incredible Founder’s Day volunteer event at both of our shelters. These events, and many more, have been physically exhausting. But, they have also inspired my passion further for IHS’s mission of ending homelessness as they repeatedly remind me of the importance of a home. Summer Fun offered an opportunity for me to work directly with the children as we gathered each morning to sing and learn how to better care for our aina together. Seeing their faces daily for two weeks underscored for me the urgent need to find new homes to provide a sense of stability in their lives. But, so often, there is no home for some of their families to be placed very quickly because Honolulu lacks affordable rentals, largely due to shrinking affordable housing resources tied to neglected housing policy that did not plan for replacing or maintaining what little inventory of low-income housing we have left here in Hawaii. The Homeless Conference was a great learning experience and also reminded me, session after session, how all effective strategies to end homelessness seemed to begin with “housing first.” A safe harbor, which most of us call home, offers the person or family that is homeless a home base from which to receive and accept treatment and services. Just before I left for the conference, I had outreached a homeless gentleman in a park in Honolulu after work one day, in an effort to ensure a meeting with our housing specialist. He had been homeless for nearly five years after being evicted from senior housing. He had accumulated a few shopping carts full of his treasured belongings which he had spent most of his time guarding. He now lives in an apartment as a result of our Shelter Plus Care program with no more need for shopping carts. When I returned from my trip and learned of Clinical Director John Sousa’s death, I was devastated. But out of our grief and loss came some bright rays of grace. IHS staff met his son, daughter and sister for the first time when they came from the Mainland to take John back to California to be buried alongside his parents. We gathered for an informal time of remembrance and shared how deeply John had touched our lives. John was a man of great character and he often reminded all of us that our work with those who were homeless was a justice issue that required our advocacy while also setting high expectations for those we serve to empower themselves. We were blessed that John was a part of our ohana. John’s family expressed appreciation knowing that John had been supported and cared for by the IHS family as he had struggled with failing health. Despite their urging him to return to California, he had felt “at home” among us here in Hawaii. Finally, as I reflect on this year’s Founder’s Day celebration, I am deeply grateful for the ways that so many groups and individuals came together to generously and creatively continue Father Claude Du Teil’s legacy of serving those without homes by donating time, talent and resources to the many projects we completed on that day. The volunteers that participated helped make IHS a more welcoming temporary home (landscaping both shelters), improved the shelter experience (freshening walls with new paint and constructing partitions for the family dorm), expanded our efforts toward improved nutrition for guests (urban farming including planting new fruits and vegetables in the garden and replacing our neighbor’s landscaping with more edibles for a fresher corridor into the Kaaahi neighborhood). All efforts to create a more comfortable and livable home for a little while. Safe and stable homes are essential for a healthy Honolulu community. Can we muster enough political will among all of us in this community to ensure that decent housing is made possible, affordable and a reality for every contributing member of our island community? Join us on our website, www.ihshawaii.org, to learn more about sustainable housing in Hawaii. It is the one thing that Hawaii must take action on NOW to ensure a brighter future for our keiki. Board of Directors K. James Steiner, Jr., Esq., President M.E. Reich, Vice President Aileen Utterdyke, Treasurer Kelli Abe Trifonovitch, Secretary Edmund Aczon Christopher Benjamin Ann R. Botticelli William G. Chung Sharon Crofts Dick Dubanoski Ian Fitz-Patrick Stacey C.G. Hee, Esq. Audrey Hidano Michael T. Jones Violet Loo Curt Nakamura Bruce Nakaoka Patsy Saiki, Esq. Alvin Sakamoto Frank B. Smith Sean Tadaki Lynne T Unemori Scott Williams Sylvia Yuen The Rev. Msgr. Terrence Watanabe Member Emeritus Agency Directors Executive Director, Connie Mitchell Facilities, Gordon Ortiz Finance, Gaylen Shintaku Housing and Employment Program, Minda Golez Human Resources, Ruth Weerapan Performance Mgmt., Sherry Chong Ke Ala Kupono is published by IHS quarterly for friends, supporters, guests & employees of IHS. It is made possible through donations. Please send comments & changes of address to: IHS Development Office 546 Kaaahi St., Honolulu, HI 98617 Tel: 447-2810 Fax: 845-7190 IHS strives to be ADA compliant and will make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities. Contributions to IHS are tax-deductible. Generous hearts Ignite transformation Above: Mei Lieu (center right) of CreaClip and three of her fellow hairstylists generously donated their time to give free haircuts and hair cutting accessories to the guests at IHS! Giving a man, woman, or child a free haircut is a great way to serve our comunity and can make a huge difference in morale! Left and right: IHS celebrated 32 years and counting this past August through a day of service in memory of our Founder, Fr. Claude Du Teil. Over 100 staff members, guests, volunteers, and board members joined together in transforming both shelters into a lush, green urban farm accented with native landscaping and edible plants. Left: IHS Director Chris Benjamin volunteered to help transform a garden bed with his daughter, Natalie, on Founder’s Day while Autumn Ingalls (right) plants carrots and beets in the IHS garden. Below: Brittney Mendoza, a recent graduate of Pearl City High School, teamed up with her classmates and decided to put on a successful youth-run benefit concert for IHS this past summer. Below right: The House-It Concert not only showcased talented singers and youth bands, but also included a pre-show featuring Hawaiian hula and Tahitian dancing. Above: IHS’s LEAP program conducted a Malama Aina Teen Fair at Kuhio Park Terrace this summer, where children and teens spent a day learning about sustainability and created recycled art using old crayons and egg cartons! Over 50 youth from KPT attended the event and walked away with shave ice stained smiles and goodies to keep the sustainability practices going! Pictured above, keiki from KPT are amazed at the homemade ‘solar oven’ project used to melt old crayons! Halloween Jam Please join us on Saturday, October 30, 2010 at 7:30pm for a free live concert by Momi Sui Lan Ho Mahon and pianist Arlene Chin Sullivan at Christ Church Uniting Disciples and Presbyterians located at 1300 Kailua Road. Momi will be offering her rendition of songs from Rodger and Hammerstein’s “The King and I,” as well as some jazz, Hawaiian, and classical numbers. The very talented Kumu Hula Ardis Gomes will dance and you will also be delighted by a few other special guests! The free concert will include an opportunity for guests to make a donation. Towels and toiletries for the guests at IHS will also be accepted, and refreshments will be served after the concert. Pictured above: Momi Sui Lan Ho Mahon golf with Beta Beta Gamma Are you a golfer? Beta Beta Gamma Foundation has named IHS as one of the recipients of proceeds from their 12th annual Charity Golf Tournament! The tournament will take place on October 7, 2010 with registration and refreshments starting at 10:30am and a shotgun start at noon. Don’t miss this fun event at the Kapolei Golf Course! The cost is $150, $80 of which is tax-deductible. For more information and details on how to register, please visit www.ihshawaii.org. See you on the greens! Above: Don’t miss a great opportunity to refine your golf swing AND help charities such as IHS! The race is on to end homelessness! Above: Over 300 runners and walkers alike rounded the last corner to victory last year in the first annual Homeward Bound race. Grab your running or walking shoes and sign up to support IHS through the SECOND annual Homeward Bound 5K Fun Run/Walk, on December 19, 2010! Tama Fukuyama and Maya Grossmann, juniors at Punahou High School, have once again decided to put their heads and hearts together to organize this 5K event for IHS. Last year over 300 individuals signed up to run in Manoa - can you help us double that number this year? Bring along your family - kids under the age of 5 are free, and children ages 6-12 are only $10! Check out www.ihshawaii.org for more details and information on how to sign up. They’re also looking for corporate/local sponsors for the event, so if you’re interested, give us a call at 447-2811. All donations are 100% tax-deductible. IHS Inspires creative giVing from volunteer “Duet” Left: Scott Nishimoto began volunteering at IHS two years ago, and what he experienced while working with the kids here really struck a chord in his heart. Wanting to do something more to help those in need, he and David Aquino teamed up to start Duet Clothing, a line of t-shirts aimed at encouraging a lifestyle promoting social good and taking positive action. Scott and David committed to donating $5 from each t-shirt sold to IHS to combat homelessness, and here, they present us with their first check of $300! Mahalo, David and Scott, for your example of creative philanthropy and generous hearts. For information about where to purchase Duet Clothing shirts and how they support IHS, visit them on the web at www.duetclothing.wordpress.com. Grants Keep Us Moving Forward Jean & William K. H. Mau Foundation awarded $15,000 for our Family Program Pearl Harbor Submarine Officer’s Wives’ Club awarded $475 for our Family Program Kosasa Foundation awarded $5,000 for General Operations Bretzlaff Foundation awarded $10,000 for General Operations Paul C. T. & Violet Shaw Loo Fund awarded $8,000 for General Operations Friends of Hawaii Charities awarded $15,000 for our Family Program Sophie Russell Testamentary Trust awarded $30,000 for our Family Program Aloha United Way awarded $11,241 for Social Services Aloha United Way awarded $1,858 for Emergency and Crisis Services Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund awarded $5,000 for General Operations Mahalo for your support! How You Can Help Today We always need these items: Toothbrushes Toothpaste Shampoo Soap Disposable razors Shaving cream Washcloths Diapers, Baby wipes Baby shampoo Anti bacterial hand sanitizer Paper products Towels (used and new) Rice and pasta Canned meats Fresh produce Canned fruits and veggies Our wishlist: 5-gallon buckets Potting soil Composter Gardening tools Pruning shears Employment opportunities Haircuts Glasses Dental Services Please ensure that your donations are in good, usable condition. Donations may be dropped off at 546 Kaaahi St between the hours of 8am and 4pm Monday-Friday. 447-2810 Pl e a s e consider I H S W h e n Pl a n n i n g Y o u r E stat e Address Service Requested 546 Kaaahi Street Honolulu, Hawaii 96817 Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Honolulu, HI Permit No. 1192 The Institute for Human Services, Inc.