Posted on: Thursday, November 15, 2001

Island Voices
Kokua one more time, dear friends

By Kelvin H. Taketa
President and CEO of the Hawai‘i Community Foundation

Nonprofit organizations in our community will be called upon to meet critical needs. They need your help.

It is our time to help.

In light of the cascading effects to our fragile economy and our collective psyche following Sept. 11, how we respond will define who we are as a people and as a community.

Now, more than ever, we need to support our local nonprofit organizations that help those in need and make a difference every day in the communities they serve.

In many ways, these organizations are an essential part of the fabric of our daily lives. They find companions for our elderly, they care for our toddlers, they feed the hungry, they nurture the sick, they preserve our environment, they educate our children, they provide us with our places of worship, and they provide "food for the soul" through the arts and cultural and recreational activities. Imagine what life would be like without them.

Following Sept. 11, the Hawai'i Community Foundation convened and participated in numerous meetings of nonprofit agencies and community groups statewide. The aim was to better understand the growing needs and impact in our communities and to identify potential strategies to meet them.

While many of these needs are still emerging, we know that there are increasing demands for food and housing assistance for the unemployed and underemployed. Many of those people affected will also need help with medical insurance and tuition subsidies for child care and preschool.

We also know from talking with culture and arts organizations that they have seen increased interest in their programming and events as people search for ways to stay connected to each other and enjoy a respite from the demands of their daily lives. What happened on Sept. 11 has affected our pocketbooks and our hearts.

The nonprofit organizations in our community will be called upon to meet those needs at a time when charitable contributions have dropped from businesses struggling to make ends meet and the prospect looms of decreasing government support as state revenues decline.

But the people of Hawai'i have always had a strong tradition for giving back to our community. A 1999 study commissioned by the Hawai'i Community Foundation showed that, even in times of economic hardship, 88 percent of Hawai'i residents gave to a charity compared with 69 percent on the Mainland.

Tomorrow, we will celebrate National Philanthropy Day, recognizing our great American tradition of civic engagement and our country's spirit of giving. The theme for this year is appropriately titled "Change the World Through a Giving Heart."

Over the next few months, you will hear from many of the nonprofit organizations in our community that need your support. We hope you will respond, as best as you can. You could:

• Give to your favorite charities or place of worship.

• Donate blood.

• Donate food or goods.

• Give of your time — volunteer.

• Give to the United Way on your island.

• Call the Hawai'i Community Foundation at 537-6333 for more ideas.

Making the connection between those in need and those who can give of their resources and time serves two purposes in these uncertain times. Surely, we will have helped to address important community concerns. But equally important, we will have created an environment of greater optimism, where individuals will know that their involvement makes a difference.

It is that magic of making a difference that brings meaning to our lives. It is what makes our Islands home.