Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 32, Number 10, 1 ʻOkakopa 2015 — Native Hawaiian Legal Corp. to hold fundraiser [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Native Hawaiian Legal Corp. to hold fundraiser

Contributed by the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation Aloha mai kākou! On Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Ko'olau Ballrooms, the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation will hold a fundraiser to celebrate its 41st anniversary. This year's fundraiser, like last year's, is entitled Ho'omalu Ka Lehua I Ka Wao: The Lehua Shelters the Forest. Forty-one years ago the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, originally known as the Hawaiian Coalition of Native Claims, was founded by a group of passionate, committed grassroots community leaders — lehua if you will. At a iime when the criticism heaped

upon them was perhaps as hot as flowing lava, they nonetheless took a stand to protect, preserve and perpetuate the Native Hawaiian identity, a quality synonymous with the very essence of Hawai'i

But for the stand taken by our founding brave lehua and the lehua we will be honor at this fundraiser, Beadie Dawson and Puanani Burgess, native Hawaiian practices such as the hula, 'ōlelo Hawai'i (the Hawaiian language), aloha 'āina (love for the land), mālama 'āina (taking care of the land), and mālama iwi (the proper care for and

respect of native Hawaiian human remains), may have been forever lost and forgotten. The Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation owes its existence to these lehua. It is, as such, a privilege and an honor to be a part of such a wonderful leaacy.

rhis important and rewarding work would not be possible without the support of all of you and so, on behalf of the staff, the board, and our current and future clients, mahalo nui loa for being our lehua through eon-

tinuing to support our efforts to preserve the heart and soul of Hawai'i. Please eome help us celebrate! ■