HCAP WEEKLY October 4, 2021

FREE COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Being Offered at HCAP Leeward District Service Center Every Tuesday!

Have you received your COVID-19 vaccination? Need to get tested for COVID-19? Every Tuesday from 2:00-6:00 PM, free COVID-19 vaccines and tests are offered at HCAP’s Leeward District Service Center (85-555 Farrington Hwy). Testing and vaccinations are FREE and so are the music and smiles! At this week’s event, community member Derrick completed his vaccination and posed alongside our MC Tony from DA BRADDAHS and DJ PIPI with PIPI Sound and Lighting! 

All upcoming events are open to the public and pre-registration is recommended but not required! Just bring yourself, your I.D. and your insurance if you have. For more information, call us at (808) 447-5422.

Mahalo to our partners Hawaii State Department of Health, Project Vision Hawaii, Papa Ola Lokahi , the Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Hawai’i Covid-19 3R Team, Project Vision Hawaii, the Marshallese Community Organization of Hawaii, and Ke Ola Mamo for keeping our leeward communities safe!

Where are They Now: Nā Lima Hana Participant Receives a Job Promotion at Blood Bank Hawaiʻi!

We are excited to share an update on Johny, one of our Nā Lima Hana: Employment Core Services (ECS) participants! In April of 2020, Johny was working as a part-time stockroom associate at Tommy Hilfiger when he was placed on a temporary furlough due to the pandemic. Johny was then referred to our Central District Service Center by one of our partners, Professional Healthcare Educators, for tuition assistance to obtain his Phlebotomy Certification. Through our ECS Program, Johny was able to receive tuition assistance at Professional Healthcare Educators to attend their Phlebotomy Technician Training Program and soon received his certification!

Since then, we are pleased to share that Johny secured employment at Blood Bank of Hawaiʻi as a Collection Specialist 1 and has maintained his employment for over 90 days! Johny also received a gift-card incentive provided by the ECS Program for reaching his second employment milestone.

But Johny’s story didn’t end there! In a recent update from Johny, our staff learned that he is not only thriving at his job, but has now been promoted to the Collection Specialist 2 position with Blood Bank of Hawaiʻi! Our Central District Service Center is very proud of Johny and looks forward to seeing how far he will go in the future!

For more information about our Nā Lima Hana: Employment Core Services (ECS) Program, visit: https://www.hcapweb.org/na-lima-hana-employment-core-services-program/

Hā Initiative Students Learn how to Test Water Quality!

This week our Hā Initiative: Creative STEM After-School Program students learned about potable vs non potable drinking water! In order to test for water quality, our students took water samples from different sources such as faucets and sprinklers. The students then tested the waterʻs pH, phosphate, and chloride ion levels as well as the waterʻs hardness, dissolved oxygen content, and bacteria. Through these various tests and experiments the students were able to determine which water samples were safe and unsafe to drink. While performing their experiments, the students also dove deeper into the wonders of chemistry by learning about titrations, precipitates, and solubility!  

When not learning about chemistry, our Hā Initiative students have also been building their models for the FIRST LEGO League Challenge Competition! This year’s theme is ʻCargo Connectʻ and students have been learning how cargo is transported, sorted, and delivered to its destinations. The students are very excited about this yearʻs challenge and canʻt wait to show off their models in the upcoming competition!

Want you keiki to get involved in STEM learning? Join our Hā Initiative: Creative STEM After-School Program by emailing: hcapstem@hcapweb.org!

Head Start Keiki Take their Bitmoji Teachers on Adventures!

Even though our HCAP Head Start Kainalu keiki are learning from home, their teachers are finding creative new ways to build bonds with their students! In order to stay connected with their students from afar, our HCAP Head Start teachers Ann and Tracy printed out and laminated bitmojis of themselves so that their students could take them on different adventures! This idea was based on the original “Flat Stanley” book, but with a twist! Throughout the week, our Head Start parents took pictures of their children with their ʻFlat Teachersʻ and shared them with us! This was a creative way for our Head Start teachers to remain connected with their students while also building on social emotional skills during distance learning. Check out all the cool places our keiki went with their ʻ’Flat Teachers’!

Ariana took her teachers to the park and they had so much fun together!

Taya took her teachers to the YMCA where they enjoyed reading books and having a picnic.

Willow and her teachers made banana bread and it was super ono!

Click Here for more information about HCAP Head Start & Early Head Start.