HCAP WEEKLY June 20, 2022

Hā Initiative Partners with McKinney-Vento Liaisons Summer YES Program

This summer, the Hā Initiative: Creative STEM After-School Program is partnering with the McKinney-Vento Liaisons Summer YES Program to provide learning activities in windward Oʻahu. Under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, educational establishments are required to assign liaisons to work specifically with children and families experiencing homelessness. These liaisons work with the families to provide services and ensure that children are enrolled and thriving in school.

When the school year ends, the liaisons work with the Summer YES Program to partner with local organizations delivering youth programs and services. These youth program partners are then invited to host summer activities at local shelters for the students residing there. This week, Hā Initiative staff visited The Shelter in Kahaluʻu and the Waimānalo Emergency Shelter for a fun STEM lesson on how to make a homemade stress ball with a balloon.

To create the stress ball, the students first learned how to prepare the material that would go inside their balloons. Students were able to choose between water beads and “oobleck” to fill the ball. They learned that oobleck is a non-newtonian substance made of cornstarch and water and has properties of both a liquid and solid. The other option, water beads, are small polymer balls containing water molecules that can expand over 100 times their original size when placed in water. 

Once the water beads and Oobleck were prepared, students used a funnel to pour their substance of choice into an empty water bottle and then into a balloon. After tying off the end, their homemade balloon stress balls were ready for use.

Click Here for more information about the Hā Initiative.

HCAP Welcomes New Director of Finance

Honolulu Community Action Program, Inc. (HCAP) is pleased to announce that Lynnelle Hasegawa has been named Director of Finance. The Director of Finance oversees all aspects of HCAP’s fiscal operations, providing leadership in financial administration, business planning, budgeting, and reporting. As a member of HCAP’s Executive Management Team, the Director of Finance works closely with the Board of Directors and serves as the staff liaison of the Finance Committee.

Lynnelle has over 30 years of financial management experience, most recently as the Assistant Vice President Controller for Pacific Guardian Life Insurance Company. She also previously served as Controller for the YMCA of Honolulu, as well as Controller for the Hawaiʻi State Teacher’s Association. Lynnelle holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with Accounting Concentration from the University of Washington and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Hawaiʻi and Japan-America Institute of Management Science.

Robert N.E. Piper, HCAP Executive Director, states, “I am very pleased to have Lynnelle aboard as HCAP’s Director of Finance. With decades of experience in business administration and accounting, in both the for profit and nonprofit sectors, she is a major asset to this agency. We are fortunate to have her leadership and expertise, and I look forward to working with her as part of HCAP’s Executive Management Team.”

Summertime Fun at Waiau Pre-Plus

This week, the keiki at HCAP Head Start Waiau Pre-Plus enjoyed a beautiful sunny day outdoors. The students developed their fine motor skills while exploring with sidewalk chalk, creating colorful self-portraits and images of their friends. They also employed their gross motor and color recognition skills while lifting a parachute up and down and identifying its colors. The class truly had fun in the sun!

HCAP Head Start & Early Head Start applications for the 2022-2023 school year are open now! Click Here for more information and how to apply.