Awards

Congratulations to Ualani Ho`opai – AOKHCC Member of the Year for 2020!

Jann Ualani Ho`opai, or as we know her, Ua, is a wonderful encourager; her “you can do…” attitude is shown in her bright smile and Aloha spirit.  She is not one to tell you to go “learn it on your own”, but prefers to say “we’ll figure it out together” as she walks with you until you can run on your own.  Ua has found her calling to support her people by advocating for the Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander community specifically in the area of health, leaving a 25+ year career in the retail industry to achieve a Master’s in Public Health degree in 2015.  Recognizing the need to lead, whether it is to help out in the kitchen cutting vegetables, or balancing the books as our treasurer, she is always one to lead by example and get others involved in a common cause.
With all the shelter in place time we had this year and the familiarization of Virtual Meetings, Ua was a leader in starting `Ainahau’s 1st Virtual ‘Olelo Classes.  Not at all an expert in virtual meetings, but recognizing this would be a great way to not only practice and learn `olelo but more importantly, to stay connected to each other, her “we can figure this out” attitude proved to be enough for classes to begin.  Classes meet 3 times a week and has sparked a resurgence of members using `olelo Hawai`i within our day to day conversations, most especially in our club meetings.

Get to know a little more about our 2020 Member of the Year here, on page 4 of the October 2012 newsletter.

`Ainahau would also like to honor those whos names have been recognized in the traditional Association of Hawaiian Civic Club Convention categories

Linda McElrea – Kako`o ia Kalaniana`ole Award
Ululani Cortez – Kalaniana`ole Award
Hubbard/Johnson `Ohana – Pualeilani Award