Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 31, Number 8, 1 August 2014 — Retiring employee shares words of wisdom [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Retiring employee shares words of wisdom

By KWO Staff Gladys Brigham is not a pastor. But as she talks of the past 20 years - her work at OHA, the struggles of Hawaiians and her future mission - her voice fills with the emohon of a sermon. "I eame to OHA to be there for our people," said Brigham will retire in August after 21 years working in the agency's Hilo office. "I tried all my best to help them. And they are still out there needing help, but I ean only go so far and now I need to move on in life and this time serving my King of Kings, Lord of Lords." In an impromptu farewell speech at a meeting of OHA staff and administrators in July, Brigham urged everyone to "always remember our purpose here at OHA, as I remembered when I first eame on board." "It was our people. It was none of us. We had to put ourselves out - out - and put our people there," she said, pointing front and center, emotion filling her voice. "This is why OHA was created. Was for our people. Not for me. Not for anyone of us. It was our people. "And they still out there crying for help, and you know, we know, we sit front line looking at the needs of our people. Sometimes I wish I was a millionaire to just

give them what they need. But I know I'm not. The only thing I ean do is pray for them. That's where I eome from, is praying for our people." As strongly as she feels about OHA and its mission to serve Hawaiians, she said she knows there are those who are anti-OHA, because they couldn't qualify for a loan, for example. At times like those, she said, "I felt hopeless I couldn't help our people." Brigham, who started as an emergency-hire clerk typist in 1990 and was hired in 1993, later becoming a community outreach coordinator. She thanked her longtime supervisor, Lukela Ruddle, "because we're a team, and the only way to move - imua - is to be a team and work together with one another." ■

Gladys Brigham. - Videostill: OHA Communications