Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 20, Number 7, 1 Iulai 2003 — OHA welcomes volunteers to help [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OHA welcomes volunteers to help

Hawaiians in all island communities

Aloha mai kākou ! In early June, I had the privilege of attending a special luneheon acknowledging OHA volunteers on the island of O'ahu. Similar gatherings were also held on the neighbor islands to honor the specific island volunteers. Since OHA's inception in 1978, OHA has enjoyed and utilized the services of many volunteers. In fact, the efforts of the informal grassroots organization "Volunteers for OHA" has served to introduce the Office of Hawaiian Affairs throughout communities in Hawai'i. In 1986, a formal volunteer program was created with the intent to provide Hawaiians and "Hawaiians at heart" the opportunity to work with OHA staff and their clients. Today, the OHA volunteer program is statewide, contributing 12,000 manhours of service and providing over $70,000 of "in-kind" services. OHA Volunteers are managed by

the Human Resources Office. The Webster dictionary defines a volunteer as "one who enters into or offers oneself for a service of his or her own free will." OHA volunteers assist on a wide variety of levels. They serve as members of advisory boards, eouncils, and committees such as the OHA Native Hawaiian Historic Preservation Oouneil and the OHA Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund Board of Directors, to name a few. The OHA Hawaiian Registry enlists countless number of volunteers to assist in the enrollment of Hawaiians. The OHA 'Aha 'Opio Program relies on numerous volunteers to make the annual week-long youth conference a success. Besides major programs and projects, OHA also utilizes volunteers on a daily basis for various administrative assistance. Volunteers eome in daily or many times a week as

well. These volunteers range from students to retirees. Volunteer positions include but are not limited to: administrative assistants, clerical aides, advisory board eouneil members, district coordinators, genealogy researchers, professional volunteers, receptionist aides, recruiters, single task/special project volunteers, trainers, and voter registrars. The volunteer program also has had volunteers who have eome from many segments of the community, such as individuals required to perform community service or those in transitional programs. Along with individuals who are college interns, senior citizens and other eommunity workers who want to fulfill their need to help Hawaiians have participated in the OHA volunteer program. The rewards of volunteering at OHA are as varied as the volunteers' contributions. Some of the benefits of becoming a volunteer

are: travel reimbursements (mileage, parking, bus), meal reimbursements, insurance coverage for "registered" active volunteers, and automobile liability insurance. OHA continues to invite individuals to join our Volunteer Program. We ean use your talents here if you have the extra time to share as a volunteer. For those individuals who are already part of our volunteer 'ohana, we thank you onee again. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please eall our office at 594-1888 and ask to speak to our Human Resources Office. You may also eall my office to assist in getting connected to the Volunteer Program. My numbers are: phone 594-1854, fax 594-0210 and e-mail address — dantec@oha.org. A hui hou, aloha pumehana. n

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Dante Keala Carpenter Trustee, O'ahu