Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 27, Number 5, 1 May 2010 — Aloha, Aulani [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Aloha, Aulani

After 16 years of devoted service with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Aulani Apoliona has decided to retire. "Arriving at this decision has been a long and painful process for me because I have loved every moment, every 'aha kūkā, every hālāwai meeting, every ho'olaule'a and festival that gave me the ehanee to meet and support our Hawaiians - our 'ohana - who now live across the Continent," she said, announcing her May 1 retirement. Beneficiaries responded with an outpouring of support and gratitude for her service from cities as far afield as Alexandria, Virginia, to Chicago, Illinois, and closer to home, Seattle, Washington. In her role as OHA's Community Advocate for the Continent, Apoliona dedicated herself to linking Hawaiians living in the continental U.S. with eaeh other, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and Hawai'i. "For me, it's really about connecting Hawaiians," said Aulani, who will continue on at OHA as a volunteer. "My dream is for Hawaiians - wherever they live across the nation - will think of them as Hawaiians first." Here, we share with you just some of the notes of gratitude.