Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 33, Number 9, 1 September 2016 — Hoʻomana helps youth help themselves [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hoʻomana helps youth help themselves

ByTreenaShapiro Eaeh Thursday, Chad Aquino picks up his paycheck, deposits half in the bank, then buys that night's dinner for his family. The rest of his earnings are largely earmarked for GameStop, the 22-year-old told the OHA Board of Trustees at the community meeting last month on Kaua'i. Aquino, who was hired as a courtesy clerk at the Llhu'e Safeway in April, is one of the success stories coming out of Ho'omana, Ine., a

nonprofit that helps youth with speeial needs transition to adulthood through job training, a hnaneial literacy curriculum and additional support that allows clients to move fromHo'omana's thrift shop "training site" into real world jobs. Diagnosed with autism at an early age, Aquino got involved with Ho'omana while attending Kaua'i High School. "I started my sophomore or junior year and there we met our mentors Aunty Ro and Aunty Anela," he said, referring to Rowena Pangan and Anela Pa,

Ho'omana's founders, who were also at the meeting. Special needs students are eligible for job coaching through age 22, but Pa told trustees she was concerned about youth who age out of the system without adequate support. "The young adults are sitting at home, sitting at the mall not doing anything, some of them were regressing." Aquino, on the other hand, was learning to sweep, mop, dust and SEE HO'OMANA ON PAGE 13

Chad Okino shares with OHA Trustees how Ho'omana helped him secure a job at the Safeway on Kaua'i. Behind him are (L-R) Makani Kapua, Lesah Merrit of Safeway, and Rowena Pangan and Anela Pa of Ho'omana. - Photo:Alice Silbanuz

organize, and not only through Ho'omana. "I was able to continue these skills at home under the guidanee of my mom," he says. Turning those skills into paid work is empowering. "From the get-go they get a paycheck, they're not living off the system," points out Pangan. In fact, they're giving back on a weekly basis by putting dinner on the family table. They're also giving back to Ho'omana by shopping in the thrift store. "During the Christmas holiday, I bought gifts from Ho'omana. It was fun," Aquino recalls. To open opportunities for those readying to leave the program, Pangan does outreach with potential employers and coaches Ho'omana's clients on the job until they're ready to work independently. "She worked hard with me but most of all she believed I could do this job," Aquino describes. "In

April of this year, I was officially hired and given that courtesy clerk position." "These two gentleman are no longer being mentored by Rowena. They're so motivated and their morale is always positive and they

always enjoy coming to work," their supervisor Lesah Merritt told the trustees. "They work hard for me." For more information about Ho'omana, visit http://www. hoomanainc.org. ■

HO'OMANA Continued from page 10

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