Community

The Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i will honor five individuals and one organization at its annual “Sharing the Spirit of Aloha” gala on Saturday, June 22, at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, Coral Ballroom. Being honored this year are Coach Gerald Oda and the 2018 Honolulu Little League World Series Team; Lenn Sakata, the first player....

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Kanoelani Elementary School principal Stacie Kunihisa was named the 2019 Hawai‘i National Distinguished Principal by the Hawai‘i Elementary School and Middle School Administrators Association at the Hale Koa Hotel on April 28. She will join the National Association of Elementary School Principals and awardees from the other 49 states in Washington, D.C., in October. Just....

Gov. Ige Signs Important Bills Supporting Küpuna Programs Kevin Kawamoto Special to The Hawai’i Herald By the time the Hawai‘i state Legislature adjourned last month, several important bills that benefit kūpuna — or older adults in Hawai‘i — were passed and sent to Gov. David Ige for his signature. These bills, along with others that....

It is the wedding gift that keeps on giving. To commemorate the marriage of Crown Prince Akihito and Michiko Shoda, the future crown princess, a group of business and community leaders in Hawai‘i formed a scholarship foundation in 1959 to promote educational exchanges between graduate students from Hawai‘i and Japan. A sizeable amount of money....

Jodie Chiemi Ching In celebration of their centennial anniversaries, Aloha United Way and Servco Pacific Inc. are teaming up to honor their legacies of service to the community with a collaborative initiative aimed at addressing the root causes of Hawai‘i’s systemic and persistent social welfare issues. The initiative is titled the Hawaii Social Impact Project.....

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Hawaii Foodbank President Ron Mizutani Comes Full Circle Jodie Chiemi Ching This past April’s devastating floods forced residents of Kaua‘i’s North Shore to once again muster their inner strength and power through the crisis. It was almost a repeat of September 1992, when Hurricane ‘Iniki, a category 4 storm, came ashore on the Garden Island,....

An Immigrant’s Dream is Realized Frances Kakugawa and Karleen Chinen Editor’s note: As most of you know, Frances Kakugawa, The Hawai‘i Herald’s “Dear Frances” columnist, was born in Kapoho on Hawai‘i Island, where she spent her early childhood. The eruption of Kïlauea Volcano in 1955 forced her family to relocate to nearby Pähoa, where they....

Urasenke grand tea master Dr. Genshitsu Sen honored the memory and contributions of the Gannenmono by performing a special kenchashiki tea ceremony at the Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin on July 19. The hour-long ceremony opened with sutra chanting by Bishop Eric Matsumoto of the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii and the Rev. Toyokazu Hagio, rimban....