Q. The Na Keiki Law Center, which you helped create in 1999 through Volunteer Legal Services Hawaii, was the first such center in the state to focus exclusively on the legal needs and rights of children. What motivated you to get involved in the project?

A. (Since 1992) I had been doing casework for Child Protective Services (now Child Welfare Services) representing abused and neglected children. Na Keiki Law Center presented an opportunity to focus on all children in Hawai'i, not just one case at a time. The only job opportunities for someone wanting to be a child advocate are volunteer positions. It's very hard to find an opportunity to focus and become an expert in child advocacy if that's where you want to go. At Na Keiki Law Center, I actually got paid a salary and got to work where I could focus exclusively on the legal rights of children. It was just an amazing opportunity.

Q. How would you assess the center's impact after six years?

A. We definitely identified the need for this type of legal work for children, and we were able to make some real good systemic changes. We helped to change the laws regarding relatives taking care of children (allowing relatives to enroll them in school and other activities). But when we have to save money and cut our budget, the children lose out first, and I don't think we've changed that so far. I really want to continue focusing on getting people to understand how beneficial it is to listen to kids and to really focus on the idea that they have the right to be safe, the right to be heard, and that they're the ones that know what's going on.

Q. Do you ever feel overwhelmed or discouraged by the problem of child neglect and abuse?

A. I feel overwhelmed and discouraged by (the enormous difficulty of) the funding problem. (But) if you know the need is out there, there is nothing better, in my estimation, than being part of the solution. We know they are out there and we know there are problems, and it just makes me happy to help. But the funding and asking for money and not having money ... that can be discouraging.

Q. How are fundraising efforts going?

A. Getting funding is really difficult. Nonprofits normally get one or two years of startup funding, which the state or grantors consider a kick start. It's a little harder with Na Keiki because it's not like you're going to find the children who have the money where they can pay you. The kids are always poor. So going in and trying to convince the Legislature why this is important when there are so many other important things going on as well can get very difficult. We just got a grant from the Geist Foundation to help pregnant teens in high school become aware of their legal rights. But after a year, that money is gone, so then you figure out where the next source is — and sometimes there is something and sometimes there isn't.

Q. One of the programs spun off from Na Keiki Law Center is Project Visitation, in which volunteers help bring together foster children who have been separated. What kind of impact is the program having?

A. Project visitation is just an intuitively happy project for people. We're still looking for volunteers — we're always looking for volunteers. The idea is all of these kids (siblings) are separated into three or four different foster homes around the island, and they don't get to see each other. So what we do is get a volunteer and connect them with another volunteer to bring siblings together. Either we have events, or we pick them all up one Saturday and bring them to the park and let them hang out together. It's just to make sure that you keep their bond going. There's a sense of hopelessness that foster kids have that is exacerbated mightily by not having contact with their siblings.

Q. You've also helped developed Hawaii Legal Seminars, a training center for lawyers wishing to further their legal education. What was the idea behind that?

A. We started identifying people who could benefit from the training. There are people from the Mainland who can come out here and get their continuing education credits. There are also a lot of people from Hawai'i that can't get back to the Mainland that often for training, so this will offer them an opportunity to learn here.

Q. Are there any other new projects you are working on?

A. I'm working with three or four other child advocates, and we're starting another children's legal center which will be more of a for-profit model. It's mostly my reaction to having to continually convince people why children need to be heard in the court process. Any systemic issues we can address, fine. But as far as constantly losing staff, gaining staff, losing staff, losing my job, getting my job back because of funding — you tend to get burned out because of that. We will always continue working with poor kids, but working with families that can afford the services allows us to do some work for those who can't pay.