Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 26, Number 6, 1 Iune 2009 — CCN: Voices from the nation [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

CCN: Voices from the nation

By Nara Cardenas Cammunity Dutreach Specialist Cary Cox and 'ohana in Edinburgh, Indiana, participated in the most recent Communitv Consultation Network,

or CCN, video conferenee linking Hawai-

ians near and far with the Office of HawaiianAffairs. Cary keeps his nephews and children eonnected to Hawai'i through Hawaiian music, a shared pas-

sion in their family as with so many Hawaiian

families. Although he has been able to eome home and bring makana back to the 'ōpio, they have never been able to travel to Hawai'i. For the youth, "Unele Cary" is the keeper of their heritage - outside of family

they don't know any Hawaiians. The 'ohana spoke of two themes that unify Hawaiians: family and culture. They say that they are lucky to be Hawaiian as it is so rare, and they are thankful they ean eall themselves Hawaiian. Cary says that

not a day goes by without thinking of Hawai'i;

it is a longing that can't be fulfilled by anything but stepping off the plane, smelling the flowers and knowing that you are home.

As for a future Native Hawaiian government, they believe it

should be culture-based and about the people and should reinforce what is best for Hawaiian culture and heritage and the people of Hawai'i. Mahalo nui e Cary, Robbie, lake, Josh, Joe, Maile and Kelani! A e

mālama pono a hui hou kākou. What do you think? A CCN video conference takes about an hour, and OHA will loan equipment to you for the meeting. To schedule a video conference or for more information, eall 1-800-366-1758 and ask for Dawn or eall her at 594-1759, or email hla@oha.org. More information is online at oha.org/ccn. Federal Register announces funding opportunities Times are tight and this economy is pushing everyone to look for alternatives to traditional funding sources. Here are a eouple of opportunities found on the Federal Register. Keep your eye on @kauinoa and kauinoa.org/blog - we'll be posting more opportunities as we get word of them. • Finoncial aid for those receiving unemployment benefits The president announced that unemployed workers receiving unemployment benefits may qualify for help in paying for education and training. Aid ean be significant: in particular, the Federal Pell Grant program ean provide up to $5,350 for educational costs at community colleges, colleges, universities and many trade and technical schools. This is only one example of several federal student aid programs available to assist unemployed workers. For more information, visit opportunity.gov.

• Form aid - value-added producer grants Approximately $18 million in competitive grant funds for fiscal year 2009 is available to help independent agricultural producers enter into value-added activities. Ten percent is available to Beginning Farmers or Ranchers and Socially Disadvantaged Farmers or Ranchers - applications must be postmarked by June 22 and sent to the Hawai'i State Office. All other applications must be postmarked on or before July 6 and sent to the Hawai'i State Office. Grants may be made for planning activities or for working capital expenses, but not for both. The maximum grant amount for a planning grant is $100,000 and the maximum grant amount for a working capital grant is $300,000. Matching funds are required and must be at least equal to the grant amount, a one-to-one match. Applications for grants must be submitted on paper or electronically. Fate applications will not be accepted. An application guide and other materials are available online at rurdev. usda.gov/rbs/coops/vadg.htm. For information, visit edocket. access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9- 1 0424. pdf or contact Fori Nekoba in Hilo at lori.nekoba@hi.usda.gov, 808-933-8312 or: Fori Nekoba, Business Programs Specialist, USDA/Rural Development, 154 Waiānuenue Ave„ Room 311, Hilo, HI 96720. ■

HO'OULU LĀHUI ALOHA ■ TD RAISE A BELDVED NAĪIŪN KA WAI OLA I ĪHE LIVING WAīER 0F OHA

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