Honoring the bright spots in our community.

Michelle Payne-Arakaki is a former public elementary school principal, now leading Pāhoa Reads for the Pāhoa Promise Partnership. Pāhoa Promise Partnership is a collective effort to …ensure all keiki in Pāhoa are healthy, safe, and thriving. 

We are always excited to volunteer with the West Hawai‘i Department of Education for their often innovative college, career, and training exploration events. This time, ClimbHI was the main partner, hosting a career fair focused on helping seniors (although juniors were also included, for a total of ~120 students from 6 high schools in North and West Hawai‘i) make connections to take their next steps for after graduation. 

Today we’re featuring one of our longtime Navigation Council members: Wally Lau. Wally joined us several years ago while working for the County, and remains involved in the community. One of the commitments closest to his heart is the Hawaiʻi Island Fentanyl Task Force (HIFTF), a group he helped to found in response to an alarming rise in overdose deaths. 

Wally believes that it is everyone’s kuleana, ‘opio to kupuna,  to take care of the community, give back, and save lives. Like all of our members, he values youth voice, leadership, and action, working with schools and young adults in HIFTF’s mission.

The West Hawaiʻi Science & Engineering Fair happened again! It was a wonderful, chilly day in Waimea, showcasing the work of over 140 young researchers and designers from North and West Hawaiʻi schools. The fair included students from elementary, middle, and high school, helping to foster interest and celebrate results at different levels.

Cup-of-Cheer has grown a lot over the past five years, but the mission is the same as when we started: uplift and promote positive connections on school campuses by showing appreciation for all school personnel…With 2025’s fall semester pau, we have visited 16 out of the 19 public schools in the Honokaʻa-Kealakehe-Kohala-Konawaena Complex Area, and we will visit our 17th in May. This is already another record-breaking year for participation, reaching over 1,000 school personnel!

It was the third annual Puakalehua Celebrate ʻOhana Festival last month! …As always, the event featured wonderful early learning providers and supporters. Twenty organizations volunteered to host tables with hands-on keiki activities and goodies, along with plenty of information.

The Footsteps to Transition Fair in Waimea served families and students with disabilities from North Hawaiʻi and Hamakua, with schools and organizations from across the islands. Dozens of community, government, education, and nonprofit partners ran tables offering attendees resources, information, connections, and fundraising goodies.

As Transformative Translations celebrates its 5th year, the program continues growing in its mission to uplift languages and empower their speakers. Since we last interviewed the director, the Transformative Translations team has added even more options for students…

“By giving students a chance to be in charge and contribute in a hands-on way, we supported their overall wellbeing, encouraged leadership, and helped them feel more connected — not only to each other, but to the school and community around them…This event made a real difference in how students saw themselves and each other.”

“Our School Based Health Centers (SBHCs) are a doctor’s office inside of your child’s school. The goal is to provide care that is in addition to the care received at their medical home/doctor’s office, not to replace that routine care.”

We had so much fun spending a Saturday at the Hawaiʻi Community College - Pālamanui campus amongst enthusiastic students, teachers, and volunteers for the 11th Annual West Hawaiʻi Science & Engineering Fair.

Almost every business leader was once a student, taking in experiences and knowledge to influence their future ideas. We like to support school and community efforts to connect students pursuing all types of passions, including those with entrepreneurial or corporate ambitions. This past January, we had a great time volunteering to help some of the island’s business-oriented high school students show off their pitching skills.

Early learning provides a strong foundation for children to be successful lifelong learners, and it can often be a lot of fun, too! It’s especially beneficial for the whole ‘ohana when everyone gets involved. Playing and enjoying positive time together is great for bonding and learning. So we’re so glad that the second annual Puakalehua Early Learning Consortium’s Celebrate Ohana Fest was able to welcome ~1,500 people!

It’s never too early or too late to explore career options! There are so many possibilities right here on Hawaii Island for kids to consider when they think about what their lives could be like after they finish school. 

Financial literacy is important, but can be daunting. Fortunately, there are plenty of resources. CU Hawai‘i does in-person and virtual financial literacy presentations for groups of all ages, and also pops up at events like community fairs, career fairs, and school family nights.

The careers of today and tomorrow ask for more and more skills and experience than before. The workers of tomorrow ask for the opportunities to pursue what is important to them. Finding the balance point is a challenge for everyone. By gaining knowledge and experience of their options and their preferences, our youth can approach this challenge with greater confidence and a higher chance for success.

Recognizing that young people from multilingual households are often underappreciated community assets, a West Hawaiʻi teacher gathered support to launch an innovative career pathway and community service project.

After a couple of years on hiatus, we are once again working with our original partners to bring back Cup-of-Cheer. The HIDOE complex area, Delta Kappa Gamma Rho Chapter, and Hōkūpaʻa are reunited with the intention to visit all 19 public schools in the Honokaʻa-Kealakehe-Kohala-Konawaena Complex Area. And we could use some help!

Amidst the busy summer bustle, dedicated students from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo’s Ka Pouhana Program spent six weeks leading a community project for Hilo families.

This spring, Holualoa Elementary School has been getting a powerful makeover. It’s all thanks to a collaboration between the school and its parent-teacher organization, the grassroots art nonprofit Lydia8, and the community-based organization Aloha MAP.