“In many ways, Goodwill has changed my life,” says Stefani Bindes, 42, a convicted former drug addict. “They knew my background – all the struggles and challenges I’ve gone through – and they were willing to take a chance on…
Kalamaikamala Elouise Margaret Sylvester, 26, moved from American Samoa to Oahu when she was a young child for corrective leg surgery. She lived with her biological aunt and her aunt’s husband. “I was sexually abused by my aunt’s husband at…
The organization serves thousands of Native Hawaiians each year, but its scandals, infighting and negative image often overshadow its good work. Here’s a look inside OHA and how its problems are being addressed. For 16 years the staff of nonprofit…
All four of Stacy Sur’s daughter’s have attended The Early School. “They absolutely love it. The school focuses on building socialization skills, the ability to explore and think, and it lets the kids be kids,” says the Waialae-Kahala resident. Sur…
When Zac Hosler needed funding in 2014 to build out his aquaponics business in South Kona, he believed he would be rejected by a bank. “Financing for farmers is hard to come by,” says the majority owner of Ha Farms…
Nā Kama Kai's mission is to connect keiki with the kai and nurture a deep sense of aloha and kuleana for the environment and themselves. In celebration of our 10th anniversary, we have serviced over 24,000 keiki through our programs.…
Members of the 2018 cohort of 20 for the Next 20 volunteered to prepare a Hanalei farm for new kalo seedlings Lyndsey Haraguchi-Nakayama knows floods. When she was 17, a wave of brown floodwater swept her away as she tried to…
Fund-rasier for the UH Shidler College of Business Alumni Association More than 100 wines are yours for the tasting at the 19th Annual Executive Vineyards event, a fund-raiser for the non-profit UH Shidler College of Business Alumni Association. The annual…
When Krista Harper’s first son, Hudson, was born in 2016, she was a military wife with few close friends and relatives in Hawaii. “I was really alone when I became a new mom,” says the 31-year-old marriage and family therapist…
The opportunities for tourists to volunteer are growing along with the demand for those opportunities. From beach cleanups to cultural exchanges, forest conservation to farm stays, visitors are looking for experiences that are authentic, intimate and altruistic.
Greg Ventayen, 50, has renal failure and congestive heart failure, is blind in his right eye and visually impaired in his left. About two years ago, the former industrial salesman was referred to the nonprofit Assistive Technology Resource Centers of…
Sherrie Coronas says life was unbearable after the death of her 23-year-old son, Ian, from a rare cancer in 2016. “I didn’t think I could go on. It seemed impossible that there could be a future without him,” says Coronas,…
There’s truth in the old saying, “It takes a village to raise a family.” Parents And Children Together aims to be that village, offering a strong foundation from which children and their families can create their own positive opportunities in…
Everyone in this nonprofit has dealt with mental illness “Bud Bowles saved my life. He came to my aid when I was floundering and gave me a kit of tools so I could deal with my mental illness,” says Mark…
Paper timesheets, manual payroll calculations, reports compiled by hand—some nonprofits in Hawaii still do things the old fashioned way. Others have hired mainland payroll service providers with mainland customer support hours and a lack of familiarity with Hawaii law. Either…
Rumi Robertson helps others heal from domestic violence while working on her latest fashion collection Fashion designer Rumi Murakami Robertson says she is working on her latest collection: a return to her roots of business wear for women in a…
“Reading books is great,” says new mother Kayleigh Idemoto, “but being able to talk with an experienced mom who was the group leader, and also having that community of other new moms giving me support and telling me I wasn’t…
Sharecare, HMSA and Blue Zones Project want you to FEEL GOOD while DOING GOOD. They are donating up to five hundred thousand dollars to five Hawaii non-profits and YOU can help! Here’s how: Step 1: Click here to download the…
InPeace was founded in 1994, long enough ago to have seen lasting results from its early childhood program. “Our Keiki Steps preschool will be in operation for 20 years next year,” says Maile Keliipio-Acoba, CEO of the nonprofit that started…
When Jessica Munoz took a job as a pediatric crisis and trauma nurse at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children in 2006, she noticed patients who were victims of sex trafficking. “I started seeing kids and young women coming…
One day, Aaron Kamau and his wife, Michele, were sitting in their living room discussing how they could help at-risk youth in their community. “I had been a Boy Scouts counselor for 18 years, working with kids in the classroom using…
“When I came to Housing Solutions Inc. 26 years ago, my background was totally from business, so I changed the company to operate more like a private enterprise rather than a nonprofit,” explains president and principal broker Terry Brooks. “I…
“When Henry Opukahaia, a Native Hawaiian, was traveling in New England in the 1800s, he was instrumental in inspiring the creation of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions of the United Church of Christ. It was this board…
“I always strongly believed in working with young children,” Chuck Larson says. “But when I was getting my bachelor’s degree I was assigned to work in a kindergarten classroom. They never had a man there before at that grade level,…