Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 36, Number 12, 1 December 2019 — Ka 'Ohana Keola [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Ka 'Ohana Keola

One day the Keolas saw an announeement in their chureh bulletin. Catholic Charities needed foster families to care for pregnant teens. They talked about it, but Kau'i was teaching full time and president of a non-profit. With three keiki of their own, there just wasn't time to help. Fast forward two years. Kau'i was now teaching part-time when the same announcement appeared in the church bulletin. This time the Keolas decided to try. Kau'i felt confident she could teach these girls how to take care of babies, help them make transition plans for after the baby was born, and then they would move on. A few years into fostering, one of the pregnant teens they were working with already knew she wanted to give her baby up for adoption. When he was born, the baby boy was placed with the Keolas. It was only supposed to be for a week, but four months later the baby, who they had named Keolanui, was still with them, and so they decided to adopt. With this decision the Keolas began an unexpected iourney.

Soon afterwards, the Keolas transferred their licensing from Catholic Charities to DHS, shifting their focus from pregnant teens to newborns. In their first five years of fostering, the Keolas cared for more than 80 babies. Then in 2008 they became foster parents to Ku'umele. But when she was just six weeks old, her mother could not commit to parenting. So the Keolas decided to adopt Ku'umele as well. Shortly after that, another newborn and her brother were placed , with the Keolas, but their mother also relinquished her parental \ rights. So the Keolas adopted them - and their three siblings J who were in other foster homes. And when Ku 'umele' s mother had more babies, the Keolas adopted them too. By 2018, the A Keolas had adopted 1 2 children. "It' s all about family for us," H| explained Kau'i. "Not just our own. We want to keep the biological families of our adopted children together." The Keolas never imagined they would have 1 5 children and it has transformed their lives. Their days are a whirl of activ-

ity beginning at 5:30 am to get 12 keiki to ftve different schools. While the children are in school Kau'i starts the laundry and husband, Rocco (temporarily on leave from his job), handles J

other chores including cooking dinner. Afternoons are a blui of school pick-ups and extra-curricular activities. When the children get home, there's sharing and snacks and then 20 minutes of reading before dinner. "People always think i its chaos," laughs Kau'i. "To me it's exciting and fun." M The Keolas eat together and share the day's highs and H low. Then it's pule, showers and if all goes according

to schedule, everyone is in bed by 8:30. *iMi >w| All 12 of their hānai keiki were drug-positive babies, but the Keolas have availed themselves of all the resources and professional help available to them. "Our goal is to raise independent, responsible, contributing members of society," said Kau'i. "We want them to have good lives. They are all blessings. They all have strengths." - — • *«JI

"Fostering has changed our lives in such a positive way," continued Kau'i. "We're having fun. It was never the plan, but I don't make plans anymore m because God has a plan. We'll stop fostering ■ when God doesn't send any more children to our 1 door."

The Keolas firmly believe that it is their kuleana, as Hawaiians, to care for these children. "Our native people need to take care of our own keiki. . . as a lāhui that is our kuleana," Kau'i insists. "we cannot put that kuleana on anyone else. We need to be the ones to do it." Living together in their modest three-bedroom home, the Keolas manage to make it work. "We don'i have a lot of things," Kau'i reflects. "We don't havt a lot of space. But we have a lot of love. Love i abundant. And that's what we ean share." ■

From the Keola Family Alhum: SporIing matching Kini Zamora outfits after Ku'upua's adoption in 2018 (above). Right photos, top to bottom: Family outing to Kualoa's "Secret lsland;" Taking a break from jumping on their backyard trampoline; Piling into the Keola's 1 5-passenger Ford 350 Transit; and Posing with Judge Uale at the 2016 adoption for seven of their keiki. - Photos Courtesy