grace

This month Hawaiʻi has experienced devastating rainfall and flooding from severe weather systems, with stormwater runoff carrying sediment, mud, and other debris from land into coastal waters. These conditions can lead to murky, turbid waters and elevated bacterial indicators that pose health risks to people and ecosystems.

Hawaii Baptist Academy 8th graders Lydia Miyshiro, Kaila Brownfield, Lauren Quan, and Brandi Shinagawa dedicated their yearlong capstone project to Pacific American Foundation. Their school invited them to use their interests and passion to create a meaningful project that has measurable impact beyond the classroom. The girls decided to make handcrafted pikake jewelry and sold each piece as a fundraiser, donating all proceeds to The Pacific American Foundation in support of Waikalua Loko Iʻa. They presented the check to Uncle Herb at our most recent Lā ʻOhana workday.

Waylin Kaneakua found her way to the PAF ʻOhana through her children, and serendipity. She was dropping off her daughter for a day in the NALU studies summer program in July 2020, when she saw Derek drop his papers. She bent down to help, and he assumed she was a new hire. He asked her to help welcome and check the temperatures of incoming students, and she did. Then, she saw some girls goofing off and took it upon herself to scold em. The PAF ʻOhana knew that Waylin was exactly what we needed.