Posted on: Monday, August 2, 2004
Four nonprofit executives receive Ho'okele honor
By Deborah Adamson
Advertiser Staff Writer
A dedication to low-income and disenfranchised families and a zeal to improve Hawai'i's private schools have garnered four nonprofit executives the Ho'okele Award for 2004, and $10,000 each.
The winners are Lynn Maunakea, executive director of the Institute for Human Services; Patricia McManaman, chief executive officer of Na Loioi Immigrant Rights and Public Interest Legal Center; Carol Ignacio, executive director of the Office for Social Ministry, Roman Catholic Diocese of
Honolulu; and Robert Witt, executive director of the Hawai'i Association of Independent Schools and president of the Hawaiian Educational Council.
The award, presented by the Hawai'i Community Foundation and the Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation, is given to individuals who make a difference in Hawai'i, get results through strategic thinking, encourage diversity, inspire others and work for a nonprofit with limited means.
"It is a recognition of their long and selfless contributions to the community. ... They have been slogging away in the trenches for a long time, often without regard to their personal needs," said Kelvin Taketa, president and chief executive of the Hawai'i Community Foundation in Honolulu. "We wanted to give them a gift to do things that otherwise they may not be able to do."
The cash prize is to be used exclusively for the winner's professional and personal development. Past winners have used the money to go on vacation, buy supplies and tools to build a home on homestead land, or to hire a singing coach, he said.
"It's quite a unique award," said winner Maunakea. "It's a lot of money. (Spending it is) something that's going to take a lot of careful thought." One possible use for her $10,000 award: visiting the homeless programs in New York City and Seattle.
The two foundations started giving out the Ho'okele — the Hawaiian word for a steersman who guides his canoe to its destination — in 2002 after learning from a study that directors of Hawai'i nonprofits had an average tenure of three to five years, a bit shorter than the national average, Taketa said.
"Those jobs are very stressful," he said. "Oftentimes executive directors wear many hats. They're not only executive director, they're the chief financial officer, they're human resources, they're everything. ...
"You find that those people feel fairly isolated and lonely at times," Taketa said. "They are doing a job that very few understand and appreciate. We felt they are unsung heroes in our community. We wanted to recognize truly outstanding leaders in their field."
Maunakea has run the Institute for Human Services, a homeless shelter on O'ahu, for seven years. Taketa's foundation said Maunakea brings to her position an "understanding of the diverse needs and issues of homeless people, as well as warmth and compassion for the human suffering that homelessness can bring."
McManaman, of Honolulu-based Na Loio, is a "relentless advocate" for the healthcare needs of the poor, the foundation said. She was the main architect of legislation that provided state-funded medical benefits to immigrant children who qualify under income restrictions. Under her leadership, Na Loio has made the provision of legal services to battered immigrant women and children a priority.
Ignacio's mission at the Office for Social Ministry is to fight for social justice. She was a key player in the formation of programs that benefited people on the Big Island: the island's first homeless shelter, a homeless task force, food bank and support program for displaced sugar workers, among others. A partnership she formed led to the first traditional housing project for the homeless in Hawai'i County.
Witt, of the Hawai'i Association of Independent Schools in Honolulu, led an initiative to deregulate licensing of K-12 schools and teacher certification requirements under the Hawai'i Council of Private Schools — a professional organization of private school principals — instead of the state Department of Education.
Two years ago, he led the effort to amend the state constitution to allow private schools to use tax-exempt bonds for campus renovations. Since then, he has helped 10 private schools tap $80 million in special-purpose revenue bonds.
Reach Deborah Adamson at dadamson@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8088.
