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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Friday, July 18, 2003

'Olelo show spotlights Hawai'i's nonprofits

By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Befitting his history with nonprofit organizations, Olomana Marketing owner Alan Tang is quick to take advantage of his opportunities.

Case in point: When 'Olelo, the public, educational and government TV access provider for O'ahu, said it wanted to strengthen its support of Hawai'i's nonprofit groups, Tang saw a chance to perform some community service of his own.

Tang envisioned a television program that would spotlight individuals and organizations that provide social, health, environmental or cultural services in the community. The outcome of his discussions with 'Olelo, fittingly, is "Outcomes," a show modeled after "The Hawaiian Moving Company," with special emphasis on nonprofits.

It took just four short months for the project to gestate from inkling to finished product, another indication of the nonprofit influence. Shooting for the first episode took just two months, with the featured groups providing their own on-site footage thanks to camera instruction from 'Olelo. Olomana handled the interview segments.

"We worked on it really quickly, which is the best way to get things done," Tang said.

The show debuted on July 9 on 'Olelo Channel 52. Featured on the show were the Polynesian Voyaging Society, Catholic Charities Hawai'i, and Community Health Centers. Former Hawai'i first lady Vicky Cayetano hosted the inaugural episode, which also featured a tribute to the late community leader Myron "Pinky" Thompson. The show will be repeated at 8 p.m. on July 23 and 30.

New episodes air the first Wednesday of each month through December, with repeat airings each Wednesday through the month.

Tang and his Olomana Marketing staff, as well as their counterparts at 'Olelo, are all volunteering their efforts to produce the show.

"We (Olomana) do a lot of work with nonprofits and I myself have a nonprofit background, so we're familiar with the processes," Tang said.

Given the tenuous economic situations in which many nonprofit groups find themselves, the timing of the show couldn't be any better.

"We do get a sense of urgency every time we meet with clients," Tang said. "Every nonprofit is under a lot of demands. The economic impact is significant. A lot of them are working very hard just to maintain what they're doing."

May Akamine, executive director of the Kalihi-Palama Health Center, agrees. Though Akamine said the show might hit home a little more if it focused more on the people who receive services than on the people, like her, who administer programs, she says the show's message is just what's needed at a time when state budget battles have left health and human service agencies in a state of continual uncertainty.

"I just hope Gov. (Linda) Lingle was watching," she said.

Tang said he hopes the show will give people a better understanding of the far-reaching work nonprofit organizations do in the community, and inspire them to donate their time and effort to support causes they care about.

"When my father had cancer I went to the American Cancer Society to get literature to understand what was happening and how to deal with the situation," Tang said. "A lot of us enjoy our lives and don't realize that it's because nonprofits do their jobs so well. A lot of the ills of society don't directly touch us because the nonprofits are there to help people in need and to intervene before bad situations escalate."