HCAP Weekly December 5, 2016

In this week’s issue:

Leeward Kupuna Enjoy Annual Kupuna Prom
HCAP Client Makes Great Strides
SCSEP Participant Gains Valuable Experience and Secures Employment
Kupuna Make Cards for Veterans
Pauoa Head Start Children and Families Enjoy Family Engagement Activities
How to Save Energy (and Money!) During the Holidays

Leeward Kupuna Enjoy Annual Kupuna Prom

HCAP Leeward’s Kupuna Independent Life Series celebrated their 4th annual Kupuna Prom on December 1, 2016. Kupuna enjoyed the ‘Oldies but Goodies’ theme, and even dressed up in 50’s and 60’s attire. Kupuna, HPU nursing students, and HCAP staff celebrated the program’s successful efforts to provide kupuna with health education, lifestyle wellness, and fun! The day started with a penny sale, where kupuna could buy household items, shoes, clothing, movies, and gifts for their loved ones. The highlights of the day were the warm good-byes to HPU Professor Johnson who has taken a new position at HPU, the heart-felt thank you from kupuna, and an old fashioned game of Hot Potato! It was a perfect ending to the 2016 Kupuna Independent Life Series.

HCAP Client Makes Great Strides

Sharline is 32 years old, a cancer survivor, and a woman with a great story. Sharline was unable to work until she fully recuperated. This past spring, she and her family came to HCAP to receive Income Tax preparation services and walked out having learned of the many HCAP programs and services available to her.

As months passed, and Sharline recovered, she realized that if she wanted to achieve financial stability and reclaim a sense of independence she needed to find stable employment. After enrolling in the Na Lima Hana Employment Core Services program, submitting many applications and experiencing a few bumps in the road during interviews, Sharline obtained employment with the Kirby Manufacturing Company as an entry-level canvas employee. Although she does not deem it glamorous, Sharline is proud to say that she enjoys her new employment. Sharline has done so well that her employer sent her to Maui to be part of the Success Team to help at the Maui headquarters

SCSEP Participant Gains Valuable Experience and Secures Employment

Gerada initially came into the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) in November 2012. At first, she wanted to pursue employment as an office worker and was placed at HCAP’s Hā Initiative: Creative STEM After-School Program as an office worker. She later was transferred to the STEM classroom to help with the STEM students and really enjoyed working there.

Keeping in mind that she originally wanted clerical work, her employment counselor placed Gerada at the State of Hawaii Department of Land & Natural Resources as a SCSEP clerical trainee. After a month and a half went by, it was discovered that the clerical position was not suited for her and she was transferred back to the STEM program to work with the kids.

Being near the end of her SCSEP venture, her employment counselor provided her with a list of classrooms that were under the Kamaaina Kids and the Department of Education that might have potential job openings. Gerada submitted her application with the A+ program at Kaiulani Elementary School and said that it looked promising. SCSEP had provided Gerada “hands on” experience with both office clerical and after school care for the kids.

Just recently, Gerada informed her counselor that she was hired by Kamaaina Kids as a part-time group leader working 18 hours a week. She will be working at Kaiulani Elementary School in the A+ Program. Congratulations Gerada!

Kupuna Make Cards for Veterans

On December 6, the kupuna at Wisteria Vista spent the craft portion of the Kupuna Independent Life Series making cards for our Veterans in honor of the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

One of the kupuna, Rose, described the day as any other normal day. “I was five years old at the time. My brothers and I were playing outside. We were living in Kalihi at the time. All of a sudden we heard a loud ‘boom!’ We looked and there were just black clouds in the sky. I was very young at the time and didn’t understand what was going on. Little did my brothers and I know that after that day, we would go to war.”

Another kupuna, Molly, shared that her late husband was a veteran. “My husband was in the Navy. He served in the Vietnam War. I enjoy doing these kinds of activities because I know what it’s like for Veterans.”

Pauoa Head Start Children and Families Enjoy Family Engagement Activities

The children and families of Pauoa Head Start enjoyed time together and bonded during their ‘Eat Lunch with your Child’ event. The cafeteria staff were happy to prepare a lunch that was fit for kings and queens. The children were excited and full of smiles and laughter. After lunch, they children and their families returned to their classroom to do some activities. One of the activities was a board game titled ‘Rethinking Your Drink.’ It showed how much sugar is in common drinks. The game also showed how to keep teeth healthy and why we should drink more water. Everyone also did some arts and crafts activities. It was an amazing event!

How to Save Energy (and Money!) During the Holidays

With holidays upon us and home decorating to do, costs and energy savings should be on the brain. So as you put the finishing touches on that giant lighting display, be sure to read these energy-efficient holiday tips from the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP).

Buy LED Lights
Those old incandescent holiday lights you have been putting up forever are terribly inefficient, and despite careful storage, often emerge only halfway lit with many being tossed in landfills. Instead, save a bundle by replacing them with ENERGY STAR® qualified LED light strands. In addition to using 70% less energy than traditional bulbs, they’re brighter, eco-friendly, and are safer, as they are much cooler than incandescent lights. In addition, they are easier to install—up to 24 strings of LEDs can be connected end-to-end without overloading a wall socket. They last ten times longer, have no filaments or glass to break, and costs are similar to the age-old standard. If you prefer white lights with the look of incandescent lights, look for “warm” white on the label. Or you can skip the Christmas lights altogether. Instead of using Christmas lights, why not use decorations that don’t need to be plugged in, like garland and ornaments?

Limit Hourly Usage of Christmas Lighting
Set timers for lights to automatically turn on when it gets dark and off in the middle of the night, depending on your preferences. You can save a bundle keeping light displays on only 8 hours of the evening (when you can see them). If you are still using traditional incandescent bulbs, this tip is even more important to cut down on energy costs.

Creative and Reflective Decorating
Not everything is about strands of lights. Reflective ornaments and tinsel are just as bright at night, so getting creative with your lighting display can multiply your resources for shine. You could even mirror your next door neighbors’ frighteningly costly display with a string of silver bells on your railing. Don’t forget the ribbons, wreaths, garland, and reflective menorahs, for electricity- free age-old traditions still bring holiday cheer.

Turn Off Your Lights
With people typically on vacation during the holidays and friends and family visiting, lights tend to get turned on more. However, you do not need to eat in the dark to save energy – just walk around periodically to make sure that the lights are not on in empty rooms. Also remember to unplug items that drain energy even when they are off, like computers, televisions, and cell-phone chargers (when you are not using them, of course!).

Don’t Drive More Than You Need
Instead of visiting the mall multiple times, try to buy all of your gifts in one trip. Draining your gas tank shopping can be avoided if you buy on-line, but sometimes the shipping fees are more than what you would have spent on gas driving to the mall. If you need to travel a long distance for a celebration, consider carpooling. You may not want to spend an extra 45 minutes with Aunt Marie, but you can ask her to pay for half of the gas.

Avoid Excessive Appliance Use When Cooking and Cleaning
You can use the oven more efficiently by cooking multiple dishes at the same time. Wait, but what if you have a pie that bakes at 400° and bread that bakes at 350°? You may be able to get away with baking them both at 375°. Or, if you only have a small amount to cook, use a more energy-efficient toaster oven or microwave instead.

By being conscious of and reducing your energy consumption, you can enjoy the holidays without breaking out in a sweat when January’s energy bill comes.