Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 9, Number 6, 1 June 1992 — OHA volunteers are recognized [ARTICLE]

OHA volunteers are recognized

Volunteers contributed over 10,000 hours of kokua to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs last year, in service to the Hawaiian people. "Kokua" means hard work, OHA administrator Richard Paglinawan told the volunteers at a recognition and mahalo ceremony last month. "Ko" means "to pull" and "kua" means "back," he said. "This exemplifies the hard work of our volunteers for our people." Volunteers assist OHA in many capacities. Some serve as advisory members of the Native Hawaiian Historic Preservation Council, on the Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund board, and for the OHA Education Division 'Aha 'Opio O OHA youth legislature and 'Aha Kupuna annual conference of Hawaiian elders. Others have worked on other OHA projects, as deputy voter registrars, Hawaiian enrollment registrars with OHA's Operation 'Ohana, and in many other ways. Elaine Tamashiro, OHA volunteer director for three years, recognized two volunteers for outstanding service. Ann Heffner contributed over 1000 hours of work in the OHA land and natural resources division. Pat Warren, a Kawaiaha'o Church deaconess, signed up 179 Native Hawaiians as an Operation 'Ohana — deputy voter registrar since October 1989. Trustee Moses Keale told the volunteers, "You are the heart and soul of the office ... you make it happen." OHA board chairman Clayton Hee also thanked the volunteers, past and present, noting that the volunteer program was begun by — Trustee Moses Keale.