Four Hawai'i nonprofit organizations won Chaminade University of Honolulu business plan competition awards yesterday for proposals to recycle building materials, promote cultural exchange, support nonviolent substance-abuse offenders and expand a home for women recovering from substance abuse and life trauma.

The competition, co-sponsored by American Savings Bank, awarded $30,000 in prize money and was the third year nonprofits were solicited for the contest overseen by the Hogan Entrepreneurial Program at the university.

Re-Use Hawaii took first place and $15,000 for a plan to reuse and recycle building materials.

Papakolea Community Development Corp. took second place and $10,000 for its Cultural Bridge Experience Program, which aims to provide cultural exchange opportunities between Japanese visitors and Native Hawaiians living in the Papakolea community.

Hina Mauka, with a plan to build a facility for nonviolent substance abuse offenders modeled after San Francisco's Delancey Street Foundation program, took third place and $5,000.

Hope, Help & Healing Kaua'i was selected for the Most Compelling award for a plan to expand its long-term transitional home for women recovering from substance abuse and life trauma. The group won 120 hours of free marketing communications services from Loomis-ISC.

The competition was open to new Hawai'i nonprofit organizations and existing local nonprofits starting a new program or subsidiary.

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