Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 11, Number 12, 1 December 1994 — An open letter to OHA trustees [ARTICLE]

An open letter to OHA trustees

First of all, congratulations to all the winners in the November election. May your four years in office be fruitful and may you fulfill all the wishes of the Hawaiian constituents. This open letter is written to ease my disappointment in some of the programs that were not fulfilled when I was a trustee. One especially comes to mind: the $10 million grant to the OHA Education Foundation. T was there when the board voted unanimously to use the money from the anticipated $130+ million, and I was there when the board voted for a group of knowledgeable educators and citizens to oversee the program.

For 43 years I have been a member of a scholarship program at the University of Hawai'i, the last 20 years as chairman. The original grant to the program was one-tenth of OHA's proposed grant. and in the 43 years of giving out grants to literally thousands of students, only the interest generated from the initial grant is used for the program. Ten million dollars will last forever. and think of the number of Hawaiian students that ean be helped. I am also in charge of a small fund, generated from programs and sale of items during Ho'olako, the year of the

Hawaiian, in 1987. This fund is a very small drop in the bucket compared to OHA's proposed grant. In spite of limited funds, we have helped many Hawaiian students. You have an obligation to serve your constituents the best way you know how, and I am hoping that helping our young people get a much-needed education will be high on your list. Tommy Kaulukukui Trustee Emeritus