Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 31, Number 1, 1 January 2014 — 'What comes of this moment is up to us' [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

'What comes of this moment is up to us'

Here is the prepared text of the speech given by Ka Pouhana, CEO Kamana'opono Crabbe at the 2013 State of OHA. Greetings and weleome to you all. We are honored by your presenee with us today. Mahalo for taking time out of your busy schedules to join us for this special occasion. It is also my pleasure to extend a sincere mahalo to the hardworking employees at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs for their contribution to bringing us together today for the 2013 State of OHA ceremony. Our values of laulima and your ability to work together to make this important event possible is humbly appreciated. You have my sincerest mahalo for your ongoing dedication and commitment to our efforts to improve the quality of life in our Hawaiian community. At the start of my tenure as Ka Pouhana, Chief Executive Officer, in March 2012, 1 set three fundamental goals: • The first was to create a workplace at OHA that encourages eollahoration and sizzles with employees who inspire support and confidence through their thoughts and actions. • The second was to cultivate relationships with community partners that could help our efforts to improve conditions for Hawaiians. • The third was to create a strategic allianee with the organizations that make up the Ali'i Trusts, as part of a broader effort to help fulfill a shared goal of helping even more Hawaiians look toward a brighter future. So, I thought it would be worthwhile to tell you where we are; but most importantly, that our staff is getting the job done. First goal After more than 20 years of leasing space in the Pacific Park Plaza in Kaka'ako, we are moving our headquarters on Dec. 16 to the building we now own in Iwilei and is formerly known as Gentry Pacific Design Center. We have named the center - Nā Lama Kukui, whose meaning is symholie of a goal or objective desired. We look forward to serving the Native Hawaiian community with new energy and SEE CRABBE ON PAGE 23

OHA Ka Pouhana Kamana'opono Crabbe outlines his three fundamental goals for the office, among them that OHA will forge a strong allianee with the other Ali'i Trusts for the betterment of the lives of Native Hawaiians. - Photo: John Matsuzaki

CRABBE Continued from page 19 enthusiasm from our new home at Nā Lama Kukui We are also excited about this opportunity to create a new workplaee at Nā Lama Kukui that encourages even better collaboration among employees, who are enthusiastic about the organization's mission

and demonstrate their excitement by delivering their best effort - day in and day out. Together, our employees have produced a year of excellent examples of working with eaeh other to

deliver highly desirable results. For example, I was extremely pleased with how our team in April launched Kamakako'i, a website designed to bring new attention and a strong voice to such critically important issues as the fight over water rights in Hawai'i. I was equally proud of the eollaboration that went into creating OHA's new Klpuka Database, a searchable online geographic information system, whieh makes data that onee would have taken hours - if not days - to eompile now available within seconds. Just as significant was the eollaboration that made it possible within the past year for 771 Native Hawaiian consumers across the state to borrow $14.7 million from an OHA loan program that allowed themto expand businesses, improve homes, consolidate debt and eontinue their education. At Nā Lama Kukui, we will eontinue to encourage collaboration among employees, who are focused on consistently bringing what he or she ean to support the good work being performed and finding meaning in coming to work every day. This will remain a necessary element in the workplace at OHA as we

usher in at Nā Lama Kukui a new era of collaboration on Dec. 16, whieh brings me to the second goal. Second goal This year, we saw a strong demand for such OHA resources as grants and college scholarships. For example, we received 148 proposals from nonprofits that requested a combined total of $36 million in grant money for missions they tied to helping improve conditions for Native Hawaiians. By comparison, last year we received 72 proposals from nonprofits that requested a combined total of $8.8 million in grant money. In addition, the total number of applications we received this past college scholarship season hit 1,520, whieh is a dramatic increase from the 536 applications we received last year. But the growing demand did not discourage us. Instead, it ehallenged us. It challenged us to take a thoughtful and strategic approach to the relationships we established with community partners. For our grants program, that meant leveraging our strengths with the proposals that could best create for us the most significant value over the next two years. So, we ended up awarding $8 million to 32 community-based organizations that we have challenged to bring a laser-like focus to helping execute our organization's strategic priorities over the next two years. More than 6,200 Native Hawaiians are expected to directly benefit from the grant money we awarded this year to address such priorities as combating obesity; improving middle- as well as high-school test scores; increasing a sense of eeonomie well-being; and preserving, perpetuating as well as protecting Hawaiian culture. OHA is also taking urgent steps to address its growing role in helping pay college bills. Within the past year, the number of Native Hawaiian students applying for college scholarships from OHA nearly tripled as families looked to lessen the hnaneial burden on their households. Despite this growing demand on

us, only about 320 Native Hawaiian students this year won OHA scholarships, ranging from $500 to $5,000 to help cover expenses at various colleges, including such top universities as Stanford and Harvard. To help meet the demand, we have been working closely with several organizations to raise awareness through a series of statewide scholarship fairs about the various hnaneial aid programs that are available to Native Hawaiians. Known as the Native Hawaiian Scholarship 'Aha, our partners in the effort are: The University of Hawai'i, GEAR UP Hawai'i, Native Hawaiian Education Association, Kamehameha Schools and Paeihe Financial Aid Association. And we will have more opportunities to leverage resources around shared goals in the future, whieh leads me to the hnal goal. Final goal While OHA' s progress in improving conditions for Native Hawaiians is significant, it also remains ineomplete. That is why a stronger and more eapahle allianee with the organizations that make up the Ali'i Trusts is in all our interests. This conviction is driving OHA to redouble efforts to try to work together in a coordinated way with the other Ali'i Trusts to create an environment where all Native Hawaiians have an opportunity to thrive. Our most recent meeting has put us on solid ground. I believe that we are poised for progress. We share eommon hopes and dreams that all deserve a ehanee to be fulfilled. What comes of this moment is up to us. What comes of the moment will be determined by our commitment to identifying opportunities for the kind of positive changes in the Hawaiian community that will eonhnue to benefit future generations. With Hawaiian-focused organizations working together, the kānaka, Native Hawaiian people, will remain hopeful, our journey will continue forward and the State of OHA will remain strong. Mahalo nui! ■