HCAP Weekly October 2, 2017

In this week’s issue:

Kalihi-Palama District Service Center Kicks Off Fall Kupuna Series with New Location and Staff
C-Base Student Balances School with a Full-Time Job
Leeward District Service Center Client Receives Wraparound Services
Leeward STEM Students Build First Lego League Robotics Table
HCAP Staff Attend 24th Annual Hawaii Children & Youth Day Event
HCAP Early Head Start Accepting Applications

Kalihi-Palama District Service Center Kicks Off Fall Kupuna Series with New Location and Staff

The Kalihi-Palama District Service Center’s Kupuna Independent Life Series kicked off the fall session this week with a new location (Lanakila Multi-Purpose Senior Center) and new staff members (Community Workers Melani Matthews and Donna Makaiwi). Guest speakers from Ke Ola Mamo and St. Francis Hospice visited the Kalihi kupuna to talk about the services their organizations offer. Kent Kaahanui, Ke Ola Mamo’s patient navigator, spoke about the free services they provide such as dental care and blood pressure screening. Luisa Wyant, a social worker with St. Francis’ Bereavement Services team, discussed ways to support someone who is grieving. For lunch, the kupuna had a tuna sandwich on whole grain wheat. When the kupuna weren’t busy listening to the speakers or eating, they participated in mandala weaving, an activity that involved weaving yarn around Popsicle sticks.

C-Base Student Balances School with a Full-Time Job

Olivia has been a student with the Competency-Based Community School Diploma Program (C-Base) class at the Central District Service Center since March. In addition to taking C-Base classes twice a week, Olivia also has a full-time job at McDonald’s. Recently, the C-BASE cohort took a test on the Government and Law unit. All of the students passed the Government and Law unit test with a score of 76% or higher, but Olivia was the standout – acing the test with a 100%.

She has successfully completed four out of the five units required for completion of the program, and will complete Phase I of the C-Base Program once she completes the Government and Law unit. Olivia’s future is looking bright, and we’re proud to have given her a second chance at school.

Leeward District Service Center Client Receives Wraparound Services

Carla, a single mother of two, has utilized a variety of HCAP’s wraparound services since first seeking assistance at HCAP’s Leeward District Service Center. With assistance and encouragement from HCAP’s Na Lima Hana Employment Core Services (ECS) Program, Carla completed pre-employment services such as Job Readiness Training, and has maintained full-time employment since completing the program. Carla also receives a food box for her family through HCAP’s Ohana Produce distribution at the Leeward District Service Center every month.

There have been some setbacks in Carla’s path to achieving self-sufficiency, but Carla’s persistence and resilience have never wavered. Earlier this year, Carla was confronted with an eviction notice from her landlord. With help from the community workers at Leeward District Service Center, Carla began actively applying for housing assistance. Recently, Carla received a letter from the City and County of Honolulu – she had been accepted into the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program. Carla showed the letter to the staff at Leeward District Service Center to share the exciting news. She is extremely happy, and looks forward to moving into a new home for her and her family.

Leeward STEM Students Build First Lego League Robotics Table

This week, the students at the Hā Initiative: Creative After School Program’s Leeward STEM Exploration Center worked on constructing their FIRST LEGO League (FLL) robotics competition table. Every team participating in the FLL must build a competition field. The field consists of ten structures that relate to this year’s theme, hydrodynamics. These structures must be assembled before robot building and programming can begin. The students on the robotics team are working hard for the FIRST LEGO League competition coming up in November. In addition, younger students are building the Aqua Adventure Junior Legos for the FIRST LEGO League Jr. Once the fields are completed, students will begin building and programming robots that can navigate through the various missions presented by the FLL. The Hā Initiative is looking forward to this year’s FLL robotics competition.

HCAP Staff Attend 24th Annual Hawaii Children & Youth Day Event

HCAP Head Start Assistant Director Suzie Uyeda, HCAP Head Start Education Program Manager Jason Takimoto, and Community Worker Reiko Titong attended the 24th Annual Hawaii Children & Youth Day on October 1st at the State Capitol. Suzie and Jason were there to talk to parents and their children about the HCAP Head Start program, while Reiko discussed other HCAP programs and services, including the Na Lima Hana Employment Core Services (ECS) Program and the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Children who visited HCAP’s booth had a lot of fun making paper plate jellyfishes. Overall, there was a large turnout of people; over 100 booth participants showed up, and thousands of adults and kids were present for the day-long event, which combined fun, food, and entertainment for the entire family.

HCAP Early Head Start Accepting Applications

HCAP’s Early Head Start (EHS) program provides home-based child development and family support services to low-income families with infants and toddlers, and to low-income pregnant women and their families. The program, which began on October 1, 2017, is still accepting applications for infants and toddlers, ages 0-3 years, who are based in the Windward and Central areas on Oahu. Families are encouraged to apply by calling (808) 847-2400 or visiting the HCAP Head Start Waipahu Office, located at 94-810 Moloalo Street, #200, Waipahu, Hawaii 96797.