HCAP WEEKLY December 27, 2021

Straub Lung Center Adopts HCAP Head Start Family for the Holidays

This holiday season, staff from Hawaiʻi Pacific Health’s Straub Lung Center adopted an HCAP Head Start family. The Coleman-Bohol family visited the center last week to meet the team who adopted them and to thank the healthcare professionals for their generosity. The keiki also brought along small gifts they made for the Straub staff. 

“We would like to say thank you to the Honolulu Community Action Program, Head Start, and Early Head Start for being more than a preschool program. Your love and dedication for our children has made us ʻohana,” the Coleman-Bohols shared with their Head Start Family Advocate. 

Click Here to learn more about HCAP Head Start & Early Head Start.

Hospitality Industry Layoffs Lead Young Mother Back to School

In July 2020, Mele lost her job. She had hoped to return to hospitality eventually, but almost a year into the pandemic the industry remained too unstable for the mother of three. She began searching for new opportunities and decided the medical field would give her family the stability they needed. 

Mele applied for the Medical Assisting program at the University of Hawaiʻi Leeward Community College (LCC) and was accepted for the following semester. However, before Mele could start attending classes she would have to deal with one more obstacle: the high cost of tuition. LCC’s Office of Continuing Education and Workforce Development, an HCAP partner, connected Mele with the Nā Lima Hana Employment Core Services Program for assistance. 

With vocational training tuition assistance from Nā Lima Hana and additional support from the American Job Center, Mele was finally able to take the first steps toward her new career. She immediately started taking classes at LCC and logging clinical hours at Waiʻanae Coast Comprehensive Health Center. By September 2021, Mele had satisfied all of the requirements to complete the Medical Assisting program. 

Mele is now working full-time as a Medical Assistant at Pali Momi Women’s Center.

Click Here for more information about Nā Lima Hana Employment Core Services.

Windward District Service Center Distributes Holiday Gifts and Hygiene Kits from Waimānalo to Kahuku

HCAP’s Windward District Service Center partnered with the annual Toys for Tots drive this year to distribute holiday gifts to children in need. The United States Marine Corps Reserve has been sponsoring the Toys for Tots program to collect and distribute toys nationwide since 1947. This holiday season, HCAP staff were able to deliver gifts to over 100 children on Oʻahu’s windward side. 

In addition to the Toys for Tots drive, Windward District Service Center coordinated a hygiene kit distribution effort for homeless adults. The kits included soaps and other personal hygiene essentials for members of the local community who are struggling with access to basic necessities during this time of year.