Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 27, Number 10, 1 ʻOkakopa 2010 — Kākoʻo Hoʻonaʻauao helping Molokaʻi families [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Kākoʻo Hoʻonaʻauao helping Molokaʻi families

This month's articīe is written by Dara Lukonen, Principal of Aka'uīa School 011 Moloka'i.. Started in 2003, Aka'ula School offers a auali.P/. multi-ase. transitional

environmentfor Moloka 'i. students i.n grades five to eiglit. For more i.nformati.on, please visit www. akaulaschool. org. For people in Hawai'i, private schools often evoke images of wealth and privilege, a world to whieh not everyone has access. OHA has leveled the playing field with Kāko'o Ho'ona'auao, a hnaneial assistance program designed to support

economically challenged Hawaiian families whose children attend private elementary or secondary schools. For Aka'ula School, a private middle school on Moloka'i, it provides the diversity critical to the school's vision, and it has provided Hawaiian students and their families the gift of educational ehoiee in an economy that has not been so generous. Because of Kāko'o Ho'ona'auao, Aka'ula School maintained demographics reflective of the community it serves. Of the 46 students, 72 percent are Hawaiian, 15 percent have learning disabilities or behavioral challenges, and about 70 percent are eligible for free or reduced luneh by federal standards. While the school provides Ananeial assistance for all students, Moloka'i's eeonomie condition limits the school's ability to offer as mueh as is needed. For some families, Kāko'o Ho'ona'auao is the only way they have been able to keep their child at the school. Ku'ulei Arce says: "The assistance fromOHA was a definite boost during our Ananeial hardships last year. On paper it seems that we are financially stable, but after all necessities are paid (mortgage, utilities, gas, food, etc.), we barely have enough. We struggle financially to put our son through this private school, but we are willing to make this sacrifice for his betterment. There are no words to describe how OHA's scholarship helped to ease the tension within our family: financially, physically and mentally."

This particular OHA program provides Ananeial assistance to ehildren attending K-12 private schools other than the Kamehameha Schools. or. attendina a

specialized academic program, in Hawai'i. Other requirements include that applicants must be a parent or primary caregiver of a child with extraordinary education expenses and live or be eligible to live on Hawaiian Homelands. For families with multiple children at the school, Kāko'o Ho'ona'auao is crueial. The Faleali'i 'ohana, shares that "our family is fortunate to live on Hawai-

ian Homelands that have been passed on through three generations. Qualifying for OHA assistance allows our two children to get a good education at Aka'ula School. We are truly blessed to be a part of this program and we thank OHA from the bottom of our hearts." Aka'ula School's 'ohana has always worked together to make it through Ananeial difficulties. In the last year, a significant number of families were affected by state furloughs and loss of employment. Considerable sacrifices were made to keep commitments to the school and to eaeh other. Coco Stone-He reflects: "We are grateful and blessed to have received a Kāko'o Ho'ona'auao scholarship. We have used the award towards tuition, bus transportation and school supplies. It really helped us through this eeonomie change with state furloughs and a 5 percent loss in gross wages and decreased hours for my husband." The Ananeial assistance that Kāko'o Ho'ona'auao provides isn't just about the money. It's about OHA's eommitment to children of Hawaiian ancestry. It's about offering Hawaiian families peaee of mind knowing that their children ean attend the school of their dreams regardless of cost. It's about giving Hawaiian families hope; hope that their children will have the opportunity to pursue their dreams and achieve their aspirations. ■

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ma nr . . -a Cūlette Y. Machadū Trustee, Muluka'i and Lāna'i