Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 10, Number 4, 1 April 1993 — Foundation to assist families in becoming self-sufficient [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Foundation to assist families in becoming self-sufficient

New Hawai'i Hawaiian Community Network is a nonprofit community development foundation designed to assist Hawaiian kuleana families in becoming socially and eeonomically self-sufficient. Established in 1988, it provides education on how to take advantage of tax laws, and creates business opportunities that help kuleana families. New Hawai'i believes that self-sufficiency leads toward selfgovernance. New Hawai'i's directors must be of Hawaiian descent but all

races are allowed to become members and participate in its activities. The purpose of this is to give Hawaiians full control of the organization. As in ancient Hawai'i, the organizational unit of New Hawai'i is the family. Acting for the good of the whole,

and becoming a family who ean care for its homeless, its incarcerated, and its needy is the essence of the vision of New Hawai'i. New Hawai'i argues that the responsibility for Hawai'i's homeless and troubled lies with the family, not the government. Before a family ean participate in New Hawai'i marketing activities they must form a legal entity,

such as a non-profit corporation, and form a trust under the corporation for holdings in eommon. Members of the family unit will be required to understand the laws relating to the legal entities they choose so that they know how to manage themselves. New Hawai'i believes that learning self-management is an important part of becoming self-sufficient. New Hawai'i is directed and chaired by Sylvia Leikanui'okalani Meyers Tuinei, a part-Hawaiian who also works as a business and estate planning

consultant as well I as a part-time I teacher. She is a I parent representaI tive on the Hilo I High School SCBM I eouneil, and a par9 ent worker on the 9 OHA-funded Hilo I High School Parent I Tutorial Cadre, a 9 support group for parents of Hawaiian and part-Hawaiian

students. Tuinei is presently working on a doctorate where she will be designing a eunieulum that eombines two fields of knowledge; community development and public policy. Her mission is to assist Hawaiian families to become self-sufficient. She would like to meet and share ideas with leaders of family

groups, especially those who already have family reunion organizations. Write to: New Hawai'i Hawaiian Community Network, 430 Hilina'i Street, Hilo HI 96720 969-7080. Queen Lili'uokalani's manuscript of "Aloha 'Oe" New Hawai'i is funded by its membership as well as its marketing and fund raising activities. Its first fund raising project has been to sell copies of Queen Lili'uokalani's original manuscript of "Aloha 'Oe." They first sold them at the Big Island's Aloha Week Festivals in Nov. '92, and are now giving Hawaiian organizations the opportunity to own these documents before prices increase.

New Hawai'i is now offering subscribers of Ka Wai Ola O OHA the opportunity to own a registered copy. The manuscripts are a eolleetor's item of a limited edition and all owners will be registered with the New Hawai'i Historical Arts Foundation. Interested buyers should order now as the present donation value (price) will end promptly on May 31, 1993, and will increase the next day. Write to New Hawai'i, 430 Hilina'i Street, Hilo, HI 96720 or eall (808)934-9031.

Sylvia Tuinei