Senate Standing Committee on Ways and Means

Next.

Good morning. My name is Branch Lotspeich and I'm the Executive Director of the Rescue Tube Foundation. Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 15 in Hawaii. Drowning is also the leading cause of death amongst our visitors. Hawaii has an average of 80 drowning deaths per year. That's 80 souls lost.

80 families and their ohanas devastated by the death of a loved one each year. For the last 15 years, the Rescue Tube Foundation has addressed this crisis by deploying nearly 600 yellow public rescue tubes on Hawaii's beaches. These personal flotation devices protect citizen rescuers and aid in the rescue of swimmers in distress.

From the hundreds of known rescues, it's estimated that 35 to 50 lives have been saved, likely many more. It is always best to swim near lifeguards. But there are 350 beaches in Hawaii and only 60 have lifeguards. With your support, we would like to expand this proven life saving program. Install 500 new rescue tubes and underserved areas.

Thank you.

This funding will create safer beaches. Please help us save lives.

Thank you. Next. Who has number, four? Moving on to number, number four on, number five. Can you line up please so that we can move this because we have quite a few people testifying. Okay, so number five. No, number six. Number seven. Number eight. Number nine. Look at your numbers. We're moving along. Number ten. Okay, 10 to 15. Anybody? 10 to 15.

Number 15.

Okay, go ahead. Line up behind. Behind him.

Aloha kakahiaka, senators, representatives. I'm Tim Bostock from St. James Church in Waimea, Big Island. We want to build the gathering place a new community center for Waimea. This will house the Waimea Community meal which currently serves 700, 600 to 700 meals every week. On a Thursday, yesterday we served 718 meals. We need a better kitchen.

We need a better dining room to be able to present this service. We have raised almost $4 million towards a $5 million need. We're asking for $250,000 CIP support from you this morning. And I want to mention that of that $4 million that we've raised, over 218 people have given us that money. No public money so far.

This has all been private donations. And this is the town. The town of Waimea wants this building, wants this community center, particularly wants a new certified kitchen that can be used by the whole community. Thank you.

Thank you.

Aloha.

Aloha. Next. Anybody from 10 to 20, come up. Please, move, move forward. Pease, go ahead.

Aloha. Good morning. My name is Joyce Yang and I'm the Executive Director of the United Korean Association of Hawaii, also known as TUKAH. So principally we are a community center.

We have special relationship with the Departments of Parks and Recreation and we on average hold about 20 classes per week, serving primarily senior citizens at our center. Classes such as hula, English, and portrait drawing, for example.

We also, in close collaboration with the Consul General of Korea and other Korean organizations in Hawaii, hold a lot of events to celebrate the legacy of the Korean Immigration history. And also some annual events such as movie night and Kimchi Day festival which is open to the entire community.

And we hope to continue to grow and serve everyone and to share our beloved Korean traditions and history. Thank you. Happy Valentine's Day.

Thank you. Next.

Can we please have up to number 30 lineup in the back so we can keep this going? Okay. If not to number 30, number 40. Thank you.

Okay, proceed.

Hello, I'm Steve Sparks. I'm the President of Puna Community Medical Center Foundation. There is a pressing need for a hospital, ER, and medical services in Puna. Not only because of our projected boom in population, but the location of our population and the limited access to Hilo Medical Center.

The Puna district is about the size of Oahu and there's only one two lane highway in and out of Puna. For the residents in southern Puna, that means it's an hour and 45 minute drive to Hilo Medical Center. In an emergency, this can be devastating.

Our medical campus will be greatly enhanced to health and well being of the people of Puna and will be a major employer supplying more than 200 high paying jobs and bringing tens of millions of dollars to the Puna economy. We have a leased of site and we are almost finished with design and planning.

Please help us complete our design and planning portion of this much needed project by approving our GIA application.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next. Please step up to the podium as soon as person leaves.

Excuse me. Next. Please come forward.

Please, please.

Aloha Chair, Vice Chair and committee members. I'm Dr. Lisa Labrecque, a veterinarian and CEO of Maui Humane Society. Our medical team has been providing free veterinary care to the west side of Maui since the 2023 wildfires. Both veterinary clinics in Lahaina were lost in those fires.

To date we've held 111 clinics in Lahaina and treated nearly 2,000 animals. The value of these services totals $290,000. Due to the ripple effects of the fires on tourism and the Maui economy, we also provide free and low cost veterinary care to owned pets. At our shelter in Pu'unene and when.

When need exceeds our capacity, we offer a referral service to private clinics and we pay the cost of those services. I'm here today to ask you for your support of our GIA grant so that we can continue providing these life saving services to fire survivors and to those in the community who need it most. Mahalo for your support.

Thank you. Next.

Hello everyone, My name is Wayne Thibodeau. I'm here with Maui Advanced Manufacturing Alliance. Let's see here. We're here requesting funding from Mama Core to revitalize the historic Paia Mill through the development of Advanced Manufacturing Center. Although I understand you prefer a virtual testimony, we took this opportunity to meet with our Maui legislatures after this chat.

So in the wake of the devastating Maui wildfires, our island's need for economic resilience has never been greater. This project is shovel ready and will provide immediate and long term benefits. Creating high quality skilled jobs, reducing reliance on volatile industries and ensuring economic stability for the local families.

By investing in modern infrastructure, energy efficiency, workforce training, the Advanced Manufacturing Center will strengthen our economy and help Maui rebuild stronger. These funds will go toward critical renovations and safety upgrades allowing us to honor the Mill's 150 Year Legacy while building a future that is sustainable for all.

Thank you. Next please step up.

Number 43. Aloha. I serve as the Feral Pig Program Director for Malama O Puna I'm grateful for this opportunity to share the project that supports Hawaii's environment, food security, and economy by controlling invasive species.

Malama O Puna is developing a USDA compliant meat processing facility in Pahoa, Hawaii which will process wild animals and domestic livestock into market ready products like bacon, sausage and smoked meat. Why this matters? First, environmental protection. Wild pigs and other feral animals destroy native forests and spread diseases like rapid Ohio death.

This facility provides a sustainable way to manage their population. Second, food security. Hawaii imports up to 90% of its food. By processing local meat, we reduce the reliance on imports and provide high quality affordable protein to our communities. Third, economic growth.

The facility will create jobs, support local farmers, hunters, and open local and export opportunities for premium wild game meats. This project is a win win for Hawaii, helping our environment, our economy and our food security. Mahalo.

Mahalo. Next.

Aloha. Chair Dela Cruz, Vice Chair Moriwaki, and esteemed members of the Ways and Means and Finance Committees. I am Kawehi Inaba, Executive Director of Laʻiʻōpua 2020, a Kona nonprofit dedicated to supporting native Hawaiian homesteaders and the broader community through job training, economic growth and education. Today, I ask for your kokua in funding a critical project.

In partnership with Pacific Growth Associates and Hokupa'a, L2020 is seeking funding to build a state of the art preschool and learning lab that will expand child care access, boost the local economy, and train future educators through partnerships with Palamanui College and the YWCA. Investing in this preschool means investing in Hawaii's keiki, families, businesses and workforce.

Your support will help us build more than just a school. It will create a foundation for lasting community impact, preschool, workforce development and community. Mahalo nui.

Mahalo. Could the people stand closer to the podium so you can just. We can just move forward. Thank you. Next.

Aloha. My name is Ashley Raymond, Executive Director of the Donkey Mill Art Center in Kona. We're an art education center. We are seeking capital funds to develop a comprehensive master campus plan to renovate and upgrade our existing facilities and construct new permanent spaces on a 2.6 acre property.

This expansion will nearly double our usable square footage, addressing facility constraints that significantly limit our ability to meet community demand for classes and events. Funding will allow us to complete phase one, which focuses on securing a special use permit from the County of Hawaii. This phase includes schematic and conceptual design, engineering analysis, and zoning applications.

Simultaneously, we are conducting a capital campaign feasibility study to assess the fundraising potential of the plan. Funding from the state GIA will support these architectural and engineering fees and are critical to move this project forward. Mahalo for your time and consideration.

Mahalo. Please come up to the podium. Please stand in line. We're going from 40 to 60, so just, just, go by the podium or up to 80.

40 to 80. Can we get people in line, please?

Just get people stand up on the side here so that we can move quicker. Thank you. We've got the neighbor islands recovering and then Oahu next, so we'll try to get through. Please proceed. Just stand up. If no one's there, just go. Go for it.

Aloha, Chairs and the committee. My name is Kirsten Hermstad. I'm the Executive Director of the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association. I see lots of familiar faces from testifying all week this week, so thank you for your time.

We're a statewide nonprofit even though we're on the list as a neighbor island. We are statewide and our focus is on water safety education for our native Hawaiian community who drown at a higher rate than any other ethnicity in the state. For our visitors, for our keiki, and our communities in general.

Our request is to expand capacity of our five different programs that teach people what to do if they find themselves in an emergency in the water, to save themselves or save others. So this program affects every one of your constituents because we're providing service in every county in the state. So thank you for your consideration.

Thank you. Next. Please step up. Step up to the podium as soon as someone leaves. Thank you.

Aloha Chair, Vice Chair and members of the committee. My name is Amy Lee and I'm honored to be here on behalf of Hawaii Care Choices Hospice of Hilo. For over 40 years, we have been the sole provider of hospice, palliative, and bereavement support for East Hawaii.

Today we seek your support for grant to prepare our interdisciplinary team for the launch of the Med-Quest palliative care services benefits. Palliative care provides early specialized support to patients with cancer, heart failure, and advanced neurological diseases, helping them to stay home, avoid unnecessary hospitalizations, and experience a better quality of life.

However, to fully realize this potential, we must ensure that our team is trained, our technology is upgraded, and our outreach efforts are reaching those in need, especially in rural and underserved communities. By investing in this initiative, you are directly impacting health equity. Mahalo for your time and consideration.

Next.

Aloha. I'm Barbara Moir. I'm the Executive Director of the Lyman Museum and Mission House in Hilo. And I'm coming before you to request your assistance in replacing a more than 50 year old HVAC system which we have been patching together and, and making minor repairs to for the last several decades.

And because we could not afford to replace it. However, we're not able to continue doing that because those parts no longer exist, they're no longer being manufactured and the equipment is obsolete.

So the Lyman Museum, as you know, is a general history museum that tells the story of Hawaii itself from settlement all the way to the present day. And it's the only museum in the state which does that. And we serve students not only on the Big Island, but on Oahu and from Maui and from Kauai as well.

They come over to learn about the things under one roof that they need to know as part of their history. So please, we are asking for your assistance so that we can continue to do this.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Number 56. Aloha. I am David Fuertes from Kahua Paa Mua Organization. For years we have been training youth and adults to grow food sustainably. Two years ago, 30 agriculture teachers and six students built a strategic plan and prioritized that professional development and sustainability. They asked our organization to do a GIA which was much needed for professional development.

It was a huge success and we rested for one year. We continue to see a growing interest in agriculture across the state. 10 years ago we had dwindled down to only 10 schools. Next week at the state convention, there's 25 schools throughout the states that's participating.

Since agriculture education is now 43 secondary schools and over 3,500 students, we humbly ask your support for this GIA.

Thank you.

Aloha. I am Jenny Taira, number 64 from Ohana Arts. Ohana Arts is a performing arts organization for youth here in Hawaii. In 2023 we had the honor of bringing our original musical, Peace on Your Wings, the story of 12 year old atomic bomb victim Sadako Sasaki and her 1,000 paper cranes to her hometown of Hiroshima, Japan.

We had the honor of having a delegation from the Hawaii State Legislature in attendance at those performances and it was a very moving and emotional experience. After the shows, Mayor Matsui of Hiroshima City has invited us to return to bring the show back as part of the 80th anniversary commemorating the atomic bombing in Hiroshima this summer.

So we believe that this show gives our all, all youth Hawaii based cast the opportunity to be ambassadors of a very timely and important message of peace. And we hope you will consider supporting. Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you. Just for clarification, we're currently doing the neighbor island numbers and then we'll be doing the Oahu numbers afterwards. So, no problem. But so right now it's the ones with the NI numbers.

Oh, is there any, any new ridings left? Let's get them up. Thank you guys. Sorry.

Good morning staff members. My name is Walt Carvalho, Central Pacific Youth Athletic Club over on the Big Island. We've been running an athletic program, an academic program for about 28 years and mostly self, self funded.

So we go out and do our own funding to make these programs work and we use college students as tutorial help for the kids after school program. And we are now looking to build a new facility. I've already purchased the land and cleared it and got permits ready to go on the building part.

And we're asking for help from the state to make this unique program. It's a very unique program, one of a kind that worked with many kids. I have several kids that are off playing in the major leagues. Kolton and Kean Wong, several kids that fought in the UFC.

They're all trained and, and have been a part of our program over many, many years that I've been running this and we now need to find a home base that we don't have to keep moving. General Growth Properties kind of bumped us out of where we were and so now we're in a temporary location.

So we're asking for your help and please support what we do on the Big island with the kids.

Mahalo

Thank you.

Next.

Aloha. My name is Robin Benedict and I'm the Executive Director of Friends of the Children's Justice Center in East Hawaii. We are a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Our mission is to meet the needs of all abuse and neglected children in the East Hawaii.

We're the only organization in East Hawaii providing emergency basic needs and enhancement items, services, and resources to child victims of abuse and neglect at no cost. Our emergency closed closet will soon be open and expand to 24 hours in response to community demand. The 24 hour closed closet that we have is the only one of its kind on Hawaii Island.

It will be available to law enforcement, Child Welfare Services, and all of our partner agencies and anyone in the community that works with abuse and neglect the children, offering them clothing, footwear, hygiene items, school supplies, safety items, comfort items, backpacks, duffel bags, bedding and so much more.

Our service area goes from Honokaa, Hamakua, Hilo to Puna, all of Puna, and all the way up to Pahala and Naalehu. They support ourselves by fundraising efforts, our local businesses, grant funding.

Well, I have to move on.

Thank you for helping us.

Next

Good morning. My name is Justin Potter here on behalf of EOA Pacific and EOA Pacific is answering the critical need in Hawaii schools helping teachers better support Marshallese students, one of the most underrepresented and underserved communities. In recent years, only 50% of Marshallese students who entered ninth grade graduated high school.

This is a large disparity compared to the rest of the state at 86% graduation rate. EOA Pacific has created a long standing relationship with the Marshallese public school system by training them in educational technology and PBL pedagogy. This creates a unique opportunity for the state.

Through a professional learning community, we will train teachers, foster cultural competence, and create a best practices framework that directly improves Marshallese student success. The immersive Spartan camp experience in the Marshall Islands will give Hawaii educators firsthand cultural insights leading to more effective teaching strategies back in Hawaii State

We are asking for your support to create a professional learning community, immerse that community in the culture of the Marshall Islands, and produce a best practice guide the state can leverage towards.

Okay, thank you. Anyone else from neighbor islands? Okay, so we're going to move on to the Oahu, Oahu applicants. We're starting with numbers one to 10. Then we have. Can you line up on the side here? Okay, proceed. Thank you.

Good morning. I'm Colleen McAluney. I'm the Director of the Patsy T. Mink Center for Business and Leadership Women's Business Center at YWCA Oahu. I'm doing a capital ask and an operating ask. So I'll start with the capital ask.

We are requesting a grant in aid for our capital work in the amount of $694,544 for the renovation of our Juliet M. Atherton Hall and its community kitchen. Located at our 10 and a half acre campsite, Kokokahi in Kaneohe. Built in 1936, the structure has served our community for nearly 90 years. We have committed more than 345,000 dollars for this project, including planning and construction. We also have secured 565,000 for construction.

The proposed funding will help us complete renovation work on our historic facility. The project is currently in the permitting and planning review phase. We expect construction will begin in late 2025. The facility is an extension of the Patsy T. Mink Center and it will serve as a hub for small business development, product innovation, and workforce training.

Thank you.

Thank you. So next for my operating ask.

Thank you. We'll have to move along. You have a minute.

Oh, okay.

Aloha, Chairs and Vice Chairs, members of the committees. My name is Ian Ross. I'm testifying on behalf of the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, the largest safety net provider in West Oahu, providing a lifeline to Hawaii's, some of Hawaii's most underserved communities. The first ask GIA $1,000,000. As you know, wildfires are an increasing threat.

Our main campus in Waianae is at high. As Waianae Coast's only full service medical provider, we ask help in making sure we can continue to aid the community at all times. Currently, only about 6.25% of our 16 acre campus is protected by firebreaks. With your support, we can fund our plan to protect the whole campus.

Our second GIA is also for $1 million and is related to security. You've seen the news. There's a troubling rise in violent crime and theft in West Oahu. These realities have placed an unprecedented strain on our operations. Our security costs are up over 235% since 2019.

Please help invest in necessary security plans that we detail in our application. Mahalo for your time and consideration. And thank you very much for it.

Thank you.

Aloha Chairs, Vice Chairs and esteemed committee members. I am Vicki Sato, Executive Director of the Early School, a nationally accredited early childhood program in Honolulu serving 65 children from 18 months to 5 years of age annually for over 50 years.

Our vision is to nurture the humanity of the students through joyful exploration, helping them value themselves and others love learning and to succeed as individuals. One of the most cherished parts of our school is our playground. Our space where children explore, imagine and build essential skills.

Nestled under the freeway, this iconic part of our school needs improvements to continue serving our children safely and effectively. We hope you will consider our request. We do uphold strong financial responsibility, conducting regular audits and maintaining transparent financial oversight to ensure the long term sustainability. Thank you for your consideration.

Thank you. Next. Okay, up to number 20. Up to number 30. Oahu applicants. Anybody in the audience left to test? Okay. How about we just all go line up? I think we have. We don't have that many.

Aloha. My name is Campbell Amick, Development Director, and I'm honored to be part of Surfing the Nations, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to bringing hope and transformation to communities in need. Here we don't just serve the community, we're embedded in it.

Our Feeding The Hungry program has provided food and support to those in need for years, building deep trust with the people we serve. Now we're expanding our Feeding The Hungry distribution center to meet the growing demand.

This expansion will allow us to store and distribute more fresh and nonperishable food, serve more families, and create a more efficient system to provide consistent meals. With improved infrastructure, we can increase our impact, ensuring that no one in our community goes hungry.

Without programs like this, the reality is hunger increases, communities suffer, and people backslide into hardship. But with this expansion, we have an opportunity to change that. Surfing The Nations has a history of making a real impact, and we are committed to continuing that mission. The need is great, but together we can meet it.

Restoring hope, strengthening relationships, and building a more resilient community for the future. Thank you.

Aloha, honorable joint committee members, I am Nina Guerrero, the Clinical Director at Sounding Joy Music Therapy. As the only nonprofit music therapy organization in Hawaii, Sound Sounding Joy requests a grant for weekly music therapy services to enhance the physical and psychosocial well-being of people with disabilities on Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii Island.

Music is an integral part of human experience, personal, cultural, and universal. By using music as a creative pathway for nonverbal communication and interaction in therapy, we enhance access to therapy, especially for people with limited verbal communication.

Our project will target communities with heightened need, such as those experiencing ongoing impacts of the Lahaina wildfires and underserved communities across the islands. On behalf of the clients, families, and staff at Sounding Joy, mahalo nui for your time and consideration. Thank you.

If you can tell us your number so we can follow along, but also your organization clearly. Thank you.

68, Oahu Resource Conservation and Development Council. Youth is Hawaii's future. But can we be doing more to provide them with the tools they need to be successful students to compete for jobs, especially in the ever-growing STEM field? Today, only 30 percent of our fourth-grade students are proficient in science, ranking as 43rd lowest in the country.

The same trend holds for math. Research proves that including students in meaningful STEM co-curricular programs in elementary years, not just middle and high school, makes an enormous difference in outcomes. Pop-up labs for STEM is taking on this challenge, but it cannot do so without your support.

We offer a one-of-a-kind mobile sustainable STEM program to elementary schools on Oahu, with teachers and principals say is helping them overcome instructional hurdles. We teach over 15 schools, reach over 1500 students offering over 5000 student lab hours. Today, we visit nearly a quarter of the Title 1 eligible schools.

As one Waianae elementary student said, this is like a field trip but better because we get to come back each week and learn more.

Good morning. I'm Dotty Kelly-Paddock. My number is 116. I'm the Executive Director of a small community-based nonprofit, Hui O Hau`ula. We are dedicated to serving the thousands of residents who live on the rural, remote coastal north shore of Oahu. Kahuku, Hauula, Punaluu, Kahana, Kaaawa, and Laie.

Our mission is to advance equity by addressing the lack of social services in our community communities. We are working on, for this GIA to help seniors to navigate services to age in place in their communities. Hire a coordinator to assist food security through supporting community gardens and our six food programs that we provide out of Hui O Hau`ula.

We also provide disaster preparedness trainings through this grant, which are very necessary for families, youth, and seniors, as well as digital equity training. For our residents that are left behind. Thank you.

Aloha. Good morning. I'm Walker Rowsey with Kids Hurt Too Hawaii. Today marks our 24th anniversary, and in that time, we have actually served over two percent of the state through our peer support group, mentoring, and community-building activities. We offer grieving and traumatized youth and their families safe and healing environment, support, and unconditional love.

Our services are needed and integral in the lives of those that receive them, and that need is only growing. In the past year alone, we have completed more parental suicide intakes than we have in the preceding five years combined.

That means that in the last 12 months, more families have come to us following the loss of a parent by suicide than the previous five years. We are asking for your help to increase our capacity so that we can meet this growing need. We have a wait list, and we need to help these families. Thank you.

Thank you. Again, your number and your organization, so we can follow along with you.

Robert Speer, number 125, Honolulu Men's Shed. Good morning Chair, Vice Chair, and the wonderful team for evaluating GIA grants. I'm the President of the Honolulu Men's Shed, doing business as a Honolulu kupuna shed.

We are a 501(c)(3) organization focused on creating connection among seniors and post-retirement years, where kupuna often experienced isolation and loss of sense of purpose as the only significant woodworking space available in an urban core area. We have proven to be truly unique resource to Honolulu. The Shed offers more than just woodworking.

It's a gathering space where seniors can engage in making connections, exercise their creativity, and contribute back to the community. It empowers them to remain active, engaged in an independent through woodworking, learning, and meaningful social interaction. In addition, we refurbish bicycles and abandon some of those, and return them to the homeless community for free.

By supporting this grant will expand our programs and sense of purpose and well-being. Thank you for consideration.

Aloha mai, I'm Angela Britten, number 134, Hawaiian Islands Land Trust. Mahalo for the opportunity to request 100,000 dollars grant and aid funding from the state to contribute to our four million DOL operating budget, which supports eight community preserves in Kohala and Hilo, Hawaii Island, Kilauea, Kauaihe and Kaupo, Maui, and Haua, Oahu.

We steward these preserves for the benefit of the community. In 2024 alone, we served more than 5,000 K through post-secondary students and 30,000 residents and visitors with aina-based educational programs as well as cultural, subsistence, and recreational opportunities, connecting people to aina.

Our coastal resilience and native habitat restoration efforts provide added protection and relief to our neighbors from the damaging effects of climate change, such as wildfire and flooding. Support from the state will enhance our native habitat and cultural restoration activities and expand our aina-based education programs. Mahalo.

Number 151, Hawaii Literacy. Good morning. I'm Julianne Baker-Mattern. We are asking for two grants. Our first is to support a new Bookmobile to deliver essential educational programming to underserved communities on Hawaii island, where there's a limited access to libraries and educational resources.

The Bookmobile will provide one-on-one tutoring, family reading workshops, and quality books for keiki to instill a joy of reading while reinforcing the skills taught in the classroom. Our second grant request is to expand our parent literacy initiative.

We're the only organization in Hawaii connecting one in six adults with the lowest levels of literacy to tutors and resources like this initiative that are designed to help parents with language barriers to support their child's education while they develop their own literacy skills.

Our parent literacy initiative aims to break generational cycles by equipping parents with the skills and confidence, and tools to support their children's learning, foster literacy, rich homes, environments, and, creating long-lasting change for families and communities. Thank you for your consideration.

Number 155, Hawaii Heritage Center. My name is Thalia Choy, and I'm a volunteer treasurer of the Hawaii Heritage Center. The Hawaii Heritage Center was founded in 1980, 45 years ago, to educate, preserve, and perpetuate Hawaii's unique multicultural heritage. Our mission is implemented through various exhibits, public forums, multimedia productions, and the Chinatown food, history, and cultural walking tours.

We have sponsored exhibits in the Chinese, Filipinos, Greeks, Japanese, Jews, Portuguese, Puerto Ricans, Scots, Cambodians, Germans, Irish, Koreans, Okinawans, Samoans, and Vietnamese. Honolulu's historic Chinatown has been our home for 45 years in various rental locations. And we desperately need a permanent facility which will house the Larry and Beatrice Ching multicultural gallery, it's historic library collection, and immigration, immigrant, and heritage items. Hence, we are asking for one million dollars. Thank you.

192, Dynamic Healing Center. Aloha everyone, good morning. My name is Dr. Annie Anderson. I'm the Executive Director and founder of Dynamic Healing Center. Dynamic Healing Center is a local nonprofit human service agency that currently provides the only homeless emergency shelter that we have here in Oahu for our seniors.

I get choked up because it's a close place in my heart. And for our kupuna, it's actually for individuals and couples age 16 older, and it's right around the corner actually located on Ward Avenue. So, in addition, we also operate four other transitional homes throughout various parts of our island.

Sorry, and substance abuse treatment services, and other mental health services as well. With the support of the state gia we're looking at expanding services to provide additional transition, additional housing, and supportive services for other homeless or at-risk individuals. That includes those that are incarcerated. We look forward to hearing from you and mahalo for your time. Thank you.

Number 168, Hawaii Bicycling League. Aloha and good morning, chairs, vice chairs, members of the committee. My name is Eduardo Hernandez. I'm with the Hawaii Bicycling League. We have been serving the community since 1975. We believe that a bicycle can be a solution to so many of the problems that face individuals and families across Hawaii.

This session, you, members of the Legislature, are considering more than 24 bills related to regulating bicycles. And we think that this is important. But you can only, regulation only goes so far. And education is what our grant is about. We want to, we've been offering education for everyone from keiki to kupuna.

And we ask in this grant to be able to expand the offerings that we provide so that more people can learn how to ride a bike safely. And addressing the fact that a hundred people, more than a hundred people die every year on Hawaii roads. This is a Lahaina-sized tragedy, and safety and education are paired. Thank you.

178, Girl Scouts of Hawaii. Aloha and good morning chairs, vice chairs, and committee members. My name is Sheri Magno, and I'm here representing the Girl Scouts of Hawaii, where we build confident girls of confidence, character, and courage.

Last year, our CEO, Dr. Kanoe Nāone, and our team went through a redesign process because our goal is to have 10,000 girl members by 2030, 2034. Excuse me. Every girl deserves the opportunity to experience STEM outdoors, life skills, and entrepreneurship. Right now, we serve roughly 2,000 girls with about 150 troops.

What we found is that we have a wait list of girls who don't have access to a troop in their community. Our goal with our GIA request is to serve 400 girls in Title I schools across the state.

This funding, along with significant foundation funding, will help us achieve our goal of having a troop in every elementary school in the State of Hawaii. By implementing troops at every elementary school, anyone who wants to be a Girl Scout will have one in their community. Mahalo

92, Kingdom Catalyst. Hello, legislators. My name is Ace Bumatai, speaking on behalf of Kingdom Katalyst and the Love Chinatown Task Force, and we are building a mobile application to aid in economic revitalization of Chinatown. Chinatown has always been at the center of Honolulu's story, even since the days of the Hawaiian Kingdom.

It has always been the place where people have gathered to form communities and start businesses. And it is by recognizing this essential character and developing it that we are going to aid in revitalizing Chinatown. Even as Chinatowns across the nation are fading away.

Our app will teach both locals and tourists what Chinatown has to offer. It will show them all the hidden gems of Chinatown, from shops and restaurants to the arts and the history, including with our partnership with the state archives.

We will help users visit Chinatown by showing them where to park, how to catch the bus, and eventually how to ride the rail. And we will incentivize users to visit Chinatown with community programs, highlighting events and with special promotions in partnership with the local business community. We are guided by this effort with our, thank you.

18, Feeding Hawaii Together. Aloha, my name is Jennine Sullivan and I am the Executive Director of Feeding Hawaii Together. As the only e-commerce food distribution service in Hawaii, we serve over 1,200 unique families every week from our warehouse in Kalihi.

With one in three households experiencing food insecurity in Hawaii, we are on the front lines of providing for our community with a walk in refrigerator and freezer. We provide farm fresh items to our clients every week, partnering with local farmers to support our local industry.

We support clients like Sally, a retired kupuna who lives with her disabled husband and struggle, or Catherine, who is a working mom trying to put food on the table for her five-year-old daughter. Both families separately sharing with us their SNAP benefits don't last them through the month.

We respectfully request the state support for our capacity building so that we can continue to provide fresh, diverse, nutritious items to our keiki through kupuna in need so that no one has to go hungry. Mahalo.

Number 227, 442nd Legacy Center. Aloha, my name is Mel Kaneshige. I'm the Vice President of the 442nd Legacy Center. More importantly, I'm the son of a 442nd Regimental Combat Team veteran, the most highly decorated unit in the history of the United States Army.

I'm here to ask for your assistance in building a museum to honor their achievements and to recognize the tremendous impact that they've had on the history of Hawaii. Why are we building a museum, you ask? Well, that's easy to answer. There's no other group in the history of Hawaii that has made such an impact on our society.

The veterans returning from the war created a revolution in Hawaii that saw minorities have opportunities that they never had before. Opportunities opened up in business, education, the professions, and yes, even politics. The 442nd Veterans spearheaded the political revolution in 1954 that upended decades of Republican rule that is carried over to today.

Many of you sitting here today would not be here except for the changes that they brought about. These veterans are the giants on whose shoulders we stand today. Please, thank you.

124. Aloha, I'm Jason Morrison, Director of Campus for the Honolulu Museum of Art, which goes by HoMA for short. HoMA is the largest and oldest art museum in the Pacific, with a world class collection spanning 5,000 years. It's been on the National Register of Historic Places for decades and will be 100 years old in 2027.

Houma serves over 120,000 visitors annually. Most of those aren't tourists, but local families, students and older adults. In our state, HoMA is one of a kind. What protects HoMA, the people, the artwork and the building is the museum's roof. Most of that roof is nearing 100-years-old and it needs replacement.

Our comprehensive roof replacement project provides a technically optimal solution that respects historic preservation. We've obtained bids and we're awaiting our permit. We seek a two million dollar grant in aid for a first phase that starts with vulnerable areas. The project entails federal and private funding plus investment from HoMA. The project is scalable.

We can work in phases, size and time to suit funding over many years. HoMA's comprehensive roof replacement project sustains an irreplaceable Hawaii institution. Mahalo for your consideration.

Good morning, 224 Adult Friends for Youth. Good morning, senators and representatives. My name is Lisa Tamashiro with Director of Operations and Special programs. Violence has become the norm that we see on the news daily and it should not be. Thus AFY, For 39 years we have been the lead agency combating youth violence.

We are the only agency to work with youth in the state as natural groups and whole entities. We have been providing direct outreach in the communities we are day in and day out in the public housing, in the schools, working with our youth and families, providing direct service.

It's imperative to work with our youth now so that they break that cycle of violence so that everyone can feel safe in our communities and feel at peace. We provide support, opportunities, love, necessary service to a really hard to reach population. And so we're requesting for operational funding.

We are also requesting for a CIP request for more adequate space to provide more safe services for our youth. Thank you for your time.

Aloha. Number 205, Seeds of Peace. Aloha Chairs Vice Chairs, Members of the Committee. My name is Luella Costales and I'm the Co-Executive Director of Ceeds of Peace, founded by Dr. Maya Soetoro and Dr. Kerrie Urosevich. We've requested a grant in aid to implement the school community, school strategy at Blanche Pope Elementary School in Waimanalo.

We believe that every keiki is entitled to their basic needs. Hot meals, clothing, shelter and care. But unfortunately, this isn't the case as we see in so many of the keiki in our community.

Under the school community school strategy, our coordinators are building partnerships with food pantries to make sure that keiki and their families are fed partnerships with businesses to create resource closets on campus for clothes, school supplies, and partnerships with mental health clinics and partnerships between families and school staff.

We look forward to sustaining the motto at Blanche Pope Elementary, mahalo.

Number 202, Common Grace. Aloha, senators and representatives. My name is Kayla Malapit, and I'm here on behalf Common Grace, which was founded by Jay Jarman after the Columbine massacre.

Our mission is to help lonely and innate keiki that are in Title I Hawaii Public Schools through one on one mentorship with trained and dedicated high school and adult mentors. As I represent the younger generation, I urge you to take notice of our needs.

Since the pandemic youth on our island have gone through increased rate of mental health issues. Common Grace provides solution by caring for our youth through mentorship. However, we understand that we cannot do this alone. We humbly request your help.

Through mentorship, we can reach a larger number of youth on Oahu, showcasing that their voices are valued and their presence is essential. Thank you for your time.

Number 146. Aloha, my name is Terry Kennedy, and I'm representing the Hawaii Parkinson's Association. Imagine opening your mouth and that's what comes out. Nothing. 90 percent of individuals with Parkinson's have or will have a speech or voice impairment.

We are requesting support to fund an evidence based, Parkinson's telehealth speech therapy program to individuals in Hawaii free of charge. Telehealth services are a necessity in this population due to Hawaii's geography, limited specialists, and reduced physical mobility, which can make leaving the home taxing and difficult.

Due to significant Medicare cuts, and the proposed ending of telehealth speech therapy services scheduled for March 2025, this program is vital to the Parkinson's community. Decreased communication leads to social isolation, resulting in mental health decline, physical health decline and an overall reduction in quality of life. Please help us have these people regain and maintain their voice. Thank you.

104, 104. Aloha, kakou. My name is [Unidentified Speaker]. You know, Auntie not getting young. And I'd like to mention the Hui, Ka Makani Kaili Koa, and I'm one of the programs under them. Ho'okipa. I like to mention that, you know, the ho'okipa is another program that under the helmet. They call it the helmet which says there's, we learn about.

Excuse me. Oh, wait, hold on. Can you backtrack that? Okay, well anyways, Ka Makani Kaili, aloha, is under the helmet. Okay. And then all I have to say is, oh my gosh.

Thank you. You want to say one sentence, because we have to move on?

One sentence.

Ok, one more sentence.

You want to say one more sentence because we have to move on in one minute?

I can't hear you.

One sentence. And we have to move.

As soon as my first word. Here we go. I humbly ask you to cocoa for our project known under the helmet. For autistic, for doctors. Gaining military, military and everyone deserves aloha from kupunas. I have three words to say. Kupuna, homeless, and melee Hawaii.

Mahalo.

Mahalo. Mahalo. Very nice people. Okay, one more sentence.

Mahalo. Thank you. I appreciate it.

Number 216. My name is Sabrina Grace, and I'm from a nonprofit called Back to the Beginning. What we do is we rescue the lost, homeless elderly people in Waianae. We try to get them into our shelter, and we're full right now.

We take them with their caregivers, we get them their mental health treatment, we help them with their drug addiction, we get them back on board so they can fill their self-worth again. Right now, my home and my properties, my structures, are completely filled. I have the help, I have the people to help me care for them.

But I don't have a place to take in any more people. A constructed, renovated container cannot meet their needs. I need to build it. I need to get structures that are handicap accessible. Okay. We also provide a place to help hospice them, rescue them if they're end of life and they need.

And I'm happy to say that we did two, three this year. One graduated and two expired. We need your help. Thank you.

Thank you.

Number 153. Hello, my name is Esther Kang, and I represent the Hawaii Korean U.S. Citizens League. Our main focus is voter registration, helping more people gain access to their rights to vote. We also offer free citizenship task preparation classes to support those seeking naturalization, ensuring they can fully participate in the democratic process.

While we help people of all backgrounds, we especially work to educate all, encourage the Korean community to understand the importance of voting, and make their voices heard. Voting is not just a right, it's a responsibility that shapes our future. Thank you for your time and support.

Thank you.

Number 24, Aloha, legislators. I'm from the Estria Foundation and Mele Murals program. First, mahalo for all you do for a keiki. Our Mele Murals program is a visual arts and culture program. We've been serving over 200 schools across the islands for the last 10 or 12 years.

We're asking for your support to be able to serve Ke Kula Kaiapuni o Anuenue, which is in House District 21 or Senate District 10. We are wanting to serve them their title one.

These kinds of schools don't have access to funds for arts programming, so we try to bring that to them, and we want to deepen their connection to their place through kupuna, through sacred sites, so that they can grow up to become caretakers of our land. As well. So, Mahalo for your time.

213, Blood Bank of Hawaii. Aloha Senate, House, and committee representatives. My name is Dwayne Parker, and I'm representing the Blood Bank of Hawaii. You have a copy of our request, so I won't go into the details. However, I would like to highlight a few important points.

Every day, patients across Hawaii, keiki, kupuna, trauma victims, and cancer patients depend on a stable blood supply. To meet this growing need, BBH needs to reach more donors and maximize each donation. This funding will allow BBH to deploy a new blood mobile bringing donation opportunities to high-traffic and underserved areas on West Oahu.

It will also support the integration of two Alex machines, enhancing the collection of double red cells, which are critical for advanced medical treatments at our hospitals. This investment is about saving lives, strengthening. Strengthening Hawaii's healthcare system. I respectfully urge your support. Every patient needs to get., for every patient to get the blood they need. Mahalo, happy Valentine's Day.

Number 195. My name is Sandra Pohl, and I'm the Executive Director of the Downtown Art Center. We are a nonprofit fulfilling identified community needs for the arts and culture.

Our vision is to create a welcoming home and to bring people of all ages and all skill levels together to participate, share, inspire, learn, and enjoy the arts. DAC uses art and culture to address quality of life issues like increasing social connections and creating a sense of place and belonging.

We work through collaboration and partnerships to heal individuals and community and to reinvigorate our Chinatown downtown. We diversify our state's economic development and tourism strategies by using art and culture as economic engines to increase our state's GDP. We are asking for operation funds to expand our program and to move forward boldly with new projects.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Number 80. Good morning, I'm Bob Imose. I'm President of the Korean War Foundation, Inc. and the Korean and Vietnam War Memorial Foundation, Inc. Thank you for the 150,000 dollars grant in aid that you approved last year. We are working with DAGs presently for 2025. We have two granting aids on the Korean War Foundation, Inc.

345,000 grant aid operations for oral history projects, Hawaii's role in the Korean War, which is 43 pages. We have a request for two million dollars grant in aid capital improvements for the Korean and Vietnam War Memorial that is on the State Capitol grounds and was constructed by the state using state money in 1994.

We held our 30th anniversary of the Korean and Vietnam War Memorial last year. On July 25, 2024. We also held our 31st anniversary of the Korean War anniversary last year on July 27, 2024. Thank you very much.

226, A Healthier Hawaii. Good morning. And before I begin, I just want to wish everyone a happy Valentine's Day. My name is Josiah Morita, and I'm the co-founder of A Healthier Hawaii. As college students, my partner Tyler and I have seen how health disparities affect our peers.

They face challenges such as food insecurity and mental health issues. Our mission is to encourage them to build good habits that will help them live a healthier life. We aim to look at health from a more holistic approach. Health to us is not only physical, but it's mental and financial as well.

To address food insecurity, we hosted a Thanksgiving donation that provided 200 meals to UH students in collaboration with the UH Food Vault and Foodland. All of our events have the common goal of building a community that empowers the next generation to take control of their health and to build good habits that will last.

Thank you for this opportunity to speak.

Thank you. Is there anybody else here to testify? Okay, so we're going to recess for a minute, and we're going to try to get the Zoom people on. Everybody here has already spoken. Right? Okay, thank you very much. IT we're going to recess.

Okay, we're reconvening now with the people who are here on Zoom. I'm going to read the organization and if you're on Zoom, if you could just unmute, get yourself on video so we can hear you? Young Men's Christian Association of Honolulu. IT, anybody on?

I'm going to just read through and if nobody comes on, I'm going to move. West Hawaii Community Health Center, Inc. Weed and Seed Hawaii, Inc. Life of Foundation. Waimanalo Health Center. Waimanalo Health Center. Please proceed, Waimanalo Health Center. No. Wakiki Community Center. Waikīkī Business Improvement District Association.

Aloha, Senator Moriwaki and members of the committee. My name is Trevor Abarzua. I'm the President Executive Director of the Waikīkī Business Improvement District. We're asking for a grant and aid for our Aloha Ambassador program, which is a keystone of Waikīkī. And our mission is clean and safe Waikīkī.

So we provide custodians, we provide safety ambassadors, provide hospitality ambassadors for visitors that are visiting Waikīkī, and also mental health and homelessness outreach ambassadors. So we're tourism space, but we're also for the community with our 22,000 plus residents.

We assist with lots of different community activities, but and also in our Waikīkī Special District, the Ala Wai Boat harbor is part of it as well, which is state property. So our ambassadors want to help in all parts of Waikīkī, and we really appreciate the support and happy to answer any questions. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Next. Waianae Economic Development Council. Waianae Community Redevelopment Corporation. Waianae Coast Aikido and Movement Center. Wahiawā Center for Community Health. United States Veterans Initiative, Inc. United Self Help. United Cerebral Policy Association of Hawai'i.

Please, if your name is called, please unmute yourself and let us know that you're here.

Ulu Aʻe Learning Center.

Here. Ulu Aʻe Learning Center. Here.

Okay. Please proceed.

Mahalo. Miki‘ala Lidstone here, Executive Director. For the past two years, the state GIA has supported our work in increasing access to after school and summer programs in West Oahu. With your support, we've served more students each year. Last year we served 80 more students than the previous year.

That's 80 more families who had access to after school and summer programs so parents can be in the workforce knowing their child has a safe and engaging place to go. We did that with your help. Today we're asking your support to expand our programs to include an internship program for high school students.

We've piloted this program over the past few years where high School students receive workforce training, field experience, and resume coaching at the end of the internship. They have a resume in hand, work experience, and they are employable. We provide mentorship and a connection to local businesses for the students' field experience. With your support, we'll continue to engage youth during the out of school time and grow community contributors that lead to a thriving Hawai'i. Mahalo.

Okay, moving on to Ultimate Hawai'i Trail Run Foundation Inc. Uhane Pohaku NA Moku O Hawai'i, Inc.

Aloha, members of the Legislature and committee. I'm Douglas Martin representing Uhane. We're based in the Ka'u District of Big Island and we were established in 2009 to serve and engage youth and community members in cultural restoration, preservation of Hawai'i's natural resources.

We're asking for $159,000 to continue and expand our services you've been so generously supporting in the past, but especially to serve our youth at risk. Special emphasis on Hawaiian values that interconnect the social, cultural, material, economic, physical, emotional, and educational domains to impact all generations.

Capacity to develop the knowledge, skills and behaviors necessary to succeed in living a high quality life. The mission of Uhane is to empower youth, young adults, and their families and community through the creation of living environment, integrating land and ocean opportunities for learning and healing experiences through the concept of refuge, sanctuary, peace and safety and integration and management of Ahu pua'a. Interconnects the land, its people and the cultural values for long term stewardship, Oahu and promotion of.

Thank you.

You know, I just wanted to remind people on Zoom to please turn your cameras on when it's time for you to testify so we can see you. Thank you.

Next is for public land.

Yes, Sorry, it says I'm not able to turn my video. Okay, sorry. There we go. Aloha. My name is Emily Perry and I'm here as the Parks for People Program Manager for the Trust for Public Land and our CIP project asked for $525,000.

TPL is seeking support for design, planning and permitting efforts for the community driven park improvements at 'A'ala park for the public benefit of the estimated 18,000 residents within a 10 minute walk, park users, businesses, organizations, and the broader community.

Built in the early 1900s, this park has historically served as a political gathering place, a site for cultural festivals and athletic events, a tent shelter, and in present day, unfortunately, a place where residents feel unsafe and unwelcome.

With this funding, we aim to restore the park's historic role as a gathering place for cultural, recreational and partnered community driven events while addressing the urgent need for safe, welcoming public spaces in Downtown Honolulu, Chinatown, and Iwilei area. Mahalo for your time and consideration.

Mahalo. Next, Travel Visions Aloha.

I'm here.

Please proceed. Can you put your video on?

My name is Marri Murdoch and I'm the founder and President of Travel Visions Aloha for the Blind, TVA, the only nonprofit on Oahu dedicated to fostering empowerment and connection for the blind and visually impaired community through structured outdoor activities.

Since launching in early 2024, TVA has provided free, fully accessible experiences that address both isolation and loneliness and physical health challenges often faced by individuals in the blind community. Our programs, ranging from guided hikes and whale watching to adaptive sports and cultural experiences, are designed to bridge social and economic gaps, ensuring that no one is left behind due to financial or accessibility barriers.

The support of the grant and aid would allow us to expand our reach, enhance our volunteer training program, and provide more opportunities for the blind community to engage in the world with meaningful ways. This funding will allow TVA to continue breaking down barriers.

Thank you. Thank you. Next ,Thrive With Movement, Inc. The Spirit Horse Ranch. The REHAB Hospital of the Pacific.

Hi, we are here. And good morning, Chair, Vice Chair, members of the committee. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. I am Stephanie Nadolny, the CEO of REHAD. REHAB is the only acute inpatient rehab hospital in Hawaii and the entire Pacific region.

For over 70 years, we've been providing intensive rehab services to our community members for conditions such as stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, et cetera. Our mission is to help our patients rebuild their lives. In FY 24, we served approximately 7,200 patients.

I'm here today to seek support for our FY 26 GIA request. Funds awarded to be used to purchase, install, pay for freight, tax and all related costs of 80 new beds to replace our entire fleet of hospital beds. Our current beds are at the end of their useful life and need near constant repair.

The new beds have improved safety features to help prevent fall and to provide real time monitoring of patients. The upgraded beds also are designed with more ergonomic features to reduce staff injuries and improve efficiency in the work environment. Thank you.

Thank you. Next, the Mediation Center of the Pacific. Legal Clinic.

Aloha. Happy Valentine's Day, Vice Chair, Chair, and esteemed committee members. My name is Bettina Mok and I'm the executive director of the Legal Clinic which serves Hawaii residents from low-income families with free legal services statewide.

TLC is seeking support for an innovative job creation pilot initiative in partnership with three other nonprofit legal service providers: Legal Aid Society, Pacific Gateway Center, and Roots Reborn on Maui. This project would provide expert training and paid internships for eight local young adults and others to become eligible for certification through a special U.S. Department of Justice program.

Through this DOJ program, we can engage non-attorneys in immigration legal services work. They wouldn't need a law degree and can earn decent wages, good wages that can positively impact hundreds of Hawaii residents. These are specialized, highly specialized positions and we're excited to launch this cohort with your support. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you. The Key is Aloha. Next. The Island of Hawaii YMCA. Hawaii Pharmacist.

Hi. Good morning. I'm Wendy. I'm the CEO at the Island of Hawaii YMCA. Thank you for this opportunity. We target keiki to kupuna. We have a current building that no longer meets our community's needs. Membership has gone from 120 members to 5,900 as we sit today.

This would be the first community center in Hilo on the Big Island. This request is not a need. I'm sorry. This request is not a want, it's a need for Hilo. Please support our request for planning, design, and permitting for our community center. Happy Valentine's Day, everybody.

Mahalo. Next, Weed and Seed Hawaii, Inc.

Hi, my name is Gale Braceros. I'm the executive director of Weed and Seed. Our organization wants a federal initiative on the Department of Justice has grown into a dedicated nonprofit committed to strengthening communities across Hawaii by reducing crime, hosting, fostering community partnership. I'm sorry. Partnerships and providing resources for those in need. We have three sites.

Kalihi Palama, Chinatown, Ala Moana, Waipahu, Ewa Ewa Beach. And we recently included parts of Kalaeloa, the former Barber's Point. Weed and Seed Hawaii is more than just an organization. It's a movement that brings together law enforcement, government agencies, businesses, nonprofits and most importantly, the people we serve. Our collaborative efforts have made a lasting impact.

Reducing crime rates, providing opportunities for youth and strengthening the overall well being of our communities. To continue, we continue making a difference. We humbly ask for your support in funding Weed and Seed Hawaii. Your investment in our organization will allow us to sustain us. Thank you.

Thank you. Next, Island of Hawaii YMCA. YMCA? You unmute yourself? No. Next. The Hawaii Pharmacists Association.

Good morning. I'm here, senators and representatives. Corrie Sanders, executive director of the Hawaii Pharmacists Association. The goal of our GIA grant is to bridge current access to care issues and address the current health care provider shortage by elevating local pharmacy residency programs to ensure they provide provide the highest level of training possible.

In 2026, there will be eight pharmacy residents across our entire state, and There are nearly 6,000 residents across the country. Our eight representatives represent only 0.13% of national opportunities for pharmacy residents. It's imperative that we can do all we can to support the existing residency programs here in the state.

On a more positive note, in the past five years, 60 to 70% of Hawaii trained pharmacy residents have stayed in Hawaii to work, and a large number of those residents trained have local ties. If we cannot graduate our own local talent and retain them for advanced training opportunities, especially when we have a UH school of pharmacy, we are only contributing to the provider shortage issues. This is a key gap that needs to be filled, and the support of the state to help with these training shortages and future providers cannot be dismissed. Mahalo for your consideration.

Mahalo. Next. The Food Bank, Inc. Food Bank. Filipino Community Center.

Aloha. I am Andrea Caymo-Kauhanen, executive director of the Filipino Community Center. The FilCom center stands as a testament to Hawaii's commitment to cultural preservation and community development. We not only serve the Filipino community, which comprises 25% of our state's population, but the entire Hawaii community through our cultural programs, educational workshops, and social services.

We are profoundly grateful for your past support which has enabled our facility to serve thousands of residents annually. This year, we are requesting your support to help fund critical capital improvements and programs that will allow us to continue providing impactful services to our stakeholders.

These investments will help the center contribute to Hawaii's economic development through workshops that contribute to workforce development, cultural classes that enrich tourism attractiveness, and social services that address the needs of our most vulnerable population. Mahalo nui loa for your continued support to the FilCom Center.

Mahalo. The Exploration Foundation.

Not present, Vice Chair.

Okay. Episcopal Church of Hawaii.

Also not present.

Okay. Early school.

Also not present.

The Alcohol Rehab Services of Hawaii.

Yes, we're here. Thank you.

Okay.

Aloha. My name is Brian Baker and I'm the chief operating officer for the Alcoholic Rehabilitation Services of Hawaii, doing business as Hina Mauka. Hina Mauka, for those of you that may not know, has been serving the community for more than 50 years, providing critical substance use, treatment and behavioral health services to individuals and families in need.

Your support of our GIA request will allow us to complete the next phase of our solar and roofing project, which has already begun. With this project, we can reduce our monthly operational expenses and refocus those savings into direct services for our vulnerable clients and also contribute to the state's renewable energy and sustainability goals.

By making our facilities more energy efficient, we are ensuring that we can continue this valuable work well into the future and also expand access to care while being responsible stewards of our resources. Mahalo for your time and consideration.

Mahalo. Next, the Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii.

Not present.

Okay. Susannah Wesley Community Center.

I'm here.

Okay, proceed.

Aloha. My name is Joni Chun and I'm the executive director of the Susannah Wesley Community Center. We have been serving the community for over 125 years, strengthening families and supporting you.

I ask for your support of our Level Up Advancing Education Opportunities for Kalihi Youth that is a targeted initiative to improve the educational outcomes of one of Hawaii's most at risk vulnerable populations or communities. This funding will allow us to contract credentialed teachers, tutors, and enrichment instructors to support GED students and youth in our after school programs.

Funding will also allow us to engage with an educational consultant to develop a longer term strategy that integrates academic support with support services tailored to Kalihi families. With your support, we can provide students with critical resources, foster academic success and build pathways to brighter futures. Mahalo.

Mahalo. Next, the Surfrider Spirit Session.

Not present.

Supporting the Language of Kauai, Inc.

Also not present.

Straub Foundation.

Good morning. My name is Simone Borisov and I'm here presenting on behalf of the Straub Foundation. We're seeking operational support for our burn care unit at Straub Benioff Medical Center. We operate the only burn unit in the state and across the Pacific region.

We treat patients with everything from kitchen scaldings to electrical injuries and obviously respond to the mass casualty incidents such as the wildfires on Maui or the fireworks tragedy on New Year's Eve. As home to Hawaii's only specialty trained burn team, Straub Benioff took in some of the most complex cases and seriously injured while also working closely and collaborating with the medical teams across Oahu that had patients in their care.

Burn treatment requires highly specialized services and a multidisciplinary team approach, so this support will help us to offset the costs related to all of the teams that it takes to care for these patients. We've supported our community for over 40 years and treated more than 2,000 patients. Thank you so much for your consideration.

Thank you. St. Francis Healthcare System of Hawaii

Not present.

Okay. Spill the Tea Cafe.

Also not present.

Special Olympics Hawaii Inc. Soil Thrive.

Special Olympics is here. Sorry, I wasn't able to unmute. Anyways. Good morning. Thank you so much for hearing our testimony today. My name is Dan Epstein. I am President and CEO with Special Olympics Hawaii. Special Olympics Hawaii was founded in 1968 and we are dedicated to enriching the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities through sports, health programs, and community engagement.

We serve over 6,000 athletes and unified partners ages aged 2 through 80 across Hawaii, providing year round sports training, competitions, and health screenings. Additionally, we have programs that serve our young athletes, ages 2 to 7.

Our Unified Champion Schools Program which promotes inclusion within the schools, our athlete leadership training, family support initiatives and healthcare services tailored for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

The purpose of our request is for operational funds to specifically support almost 2,000 athletes and unified partners in training and competitions to assist support for over 40 competitions in three annual state games, over 800 preschool children in our young athlete programs and to support over 150 students participating in Unified League play at the middle and high school levels, along with over 500 free health screenings that we provide annually. Thanks so much for your consideration of our request.

Thank you. We're going to recess at 11, so we'll take a couple more and then we'll recess and be back at 1:00. So the next would be Soil Thrive Hawaii.

Not present.

Searider Productions Foundation. Ronald McDonald House Charities of Hawaii.

Not present, Chair.

Roman Catholic Church in the State of Hawaii. Roman Catholic Church?

I'm here. Aloha. My name is Anastasia and I am the Development Director for Sacred Heart School in Lahaina. And we read a grow a grant with you to request aid for 52 families and 12 teachers and staff that were affected by the Lahaina wildfire. They lost everything and were displaced.

This funding is not for our school, but for the people who make up our school community. Our educators, our parents, the children struggling with housing, financial stability, and basic needs. While initial help relieved them, the long term recovery still remains a crisis. Without this aid, many will be forced to leave Maui, further devastating our already fragile community.

These family and staff are a foundation of our school and our future. Your support means keeping them in Lahaina, keeping our kiki with their teachers and keeping our community intact. Mahalo for your time and consideration.

Thank you. River of Mission. River of Life Mission. Rise Hawaii Foundation River of Life.

I am muted. There you go. Okay. Good morning. My name is Paul Gates. I'm the Executive Director of River of Life. Thank you so much for having us on. Many of you know that we have pivoted to an all mobile model. Not serving in Chinatown, but serving out in 80 hubs around Oahu. We have every community covered on Oahu.

Two weeks ago we had a man come up to a hub who we found out actually had a wife and three children in Texas. One of our staff was able to get on a call with his wife and reconnect them and we flew him home to be reunited in Texas with his wife and three children.

It has been an incredible run for river through our hub model but we now have a road to redemption model which basically where we're training our hub leaders and anybody interested on how they can actually transition somebody off the streets. It goes into a database where they can get people into beds, detox, get them the help that they need. And so River of Life is in a completely new space and place and your support would just help us be able to do more. John Mizuno and his team have been into our office multiple times and we're excited for our future.

Mahalo. We're going to recess and we will reconvene at 1:00.

Good afternoon. Welcome back to our grant hearing today. So we're going to continue with our Zoom testifiers. So if you guys know anybody else that wants to get on the Zoom, we're going to be taking Zoom. You can enter the Zoom until 1:30 pm this afternoon and then after 1:30 we'll be closed.

So we will pick up where we left off. Actually, we're going to start back at the beginning, the end of the alphabet for anybody who didn't testify. So first up, we have YMCA of Honolulu.

Not present.

We have YPO Foundation. Not present. Waimanalo Health Center.

Not present.

Waikiki Community Center.

Also not present.

Waikiki Business Improvement District Association. I think we might have did them already. Waianae Economic Development Council.

Non present.

Waianae Coast Aikido and Movement Center.

Also not present.

Did I miss Waianae Community Redevelopment Corporation?

Not present as well.

Wahiawa Center for Community Health.

Also not present.

United States Veterans Initiative.

Also not present.

United Self Help.

Also not present.

United Cerebral Palsy Association of Hawaii.

Also not present.

Ultimate Hawaiian Trail Run on the issue.

Not present.

Travel Visions. I think we did that one. Thrive with Movement.

Not present.

Spirit Horse Ranch. Not present. The Mediation Center of the Pacific. Not present. The Key is Aloha.

Not present.

The Food Bank.

Also not present.

The Exploration Foundation.

Not present.

The Episcopal Church in Hawaii.

Yes, we are here. Good morning. Can you see me okay?

Yeah, we're good. Please proceed.

Great. Aloha kakou. I'm the Reverend Mark Kekaileonui Haworth, urging your kokua to invest in the Halawa Commons, which is the Hale Kupuna center in West Oahu. The project's a model participation partnership between the Hawaii's Episcopal Church and Lunalilo Trust. And it's addressing the need for adult daycare in West Oahu.

We have the fastest growing population in our state with over 134,000 and still growing. Yet families have a critical shortage of affordable adult daycare options there. So Halawa Commons meets the needs of our families with community centered partnerships.

We're focusing on continued support of our Hawaiian culture, lifting and teaching and sharing our history with our keiki programs at kupuna care. From kupuna to keiki, keiki to kupuna, this is community engagement. It's a sustainable model for elder care and it's one that engages our kupuna strengthens working families, creating a model for public and private partnerships statewide. Want to mahalo you for your leadership and for investing in the future of our kupuna. Mahalo.

The Early School.

Not present.

Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii.

Aloha. My name is Rafael Bergstrom. I'm the executive director for Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii. We have been cleaning beaches and educating all around the islands for almost 15 years now. Our request is a general operating grant to help us continue and expand our work. We're pushing towards a million pounds removed of debris from coastline, streams, streets.

We have primary focuses on windward Oahu because that's where most of the marine debris comes. But we've also done illegal dumping sites in West Oahu and we work on Palolo Stream as well as the island of Moloka'i, including cleaning Kalaupapa from thousands of pounds of marine debris that arrives there.

And finally, and most importantly, we're also looking to continue to fund our educational Ahupu'aa program where we're getting students, primarily Title 1 students, out of the classroom and into the field with an experience that works from Makai to Mauka, understanding not only the plastic pollution problem, but what are the solutions that lie upstream of that that we can help create a future where we don't have to clean up our beaches. Mahalo.

Thank you very much. Next we have Surfrider Spirit Session.

Not present.

Supporting the Language of Kauai.

Also not present.

Straub Foundation. St. Francis Healthcare System of Hawaii. Soil Thrive Hawaii.

Oh, sorry. We have St. Francis on Zoom. Yes, please proceed.

Aloha. I'm Kathy Morimoto of St. Francis. I represent our outstanding hospice program. We are the first to bring hospice to Hawaii and our ask our request is to provide kokua so that we can Upgrade, modernize our 12 bed hospice unit in Nu'uanu.

It is an urgent need of renovation with more infrastructure and outdated systems that threaten the comfort of the care that we provide, the comfort, the dignity and the safety for those who rely on us. We have been a sanctuary serving more than 1100 patients each year and supporting thousands of families during life's most difficult moments.

This is our promise. It's our promise to community that no one will have to face their final days alone in pain or without dignity. It's a very special case gift that we are able to share with community and we truly appreciate your kukua. Mahalo.

Thank you very much. We're going to take a pause on the Zoom testifiers real quick. We're going to take our couple in person. May you please identify yourself in your organization.

Aloha, Gabe Amey, RiseHI Foundation. Ready. According to Aloha United Way, 44% of of Hawaii's families are living paycheck to paycheck. Right? Our kids are growing up seeing mom and dad struggle to get by, working multiple jobs, getting stuck in hours of traffic each day just to get by.

You know, oftentimes our kids are going to grow up thinking that this is their destiny too. And that the only way for them to thrive is to move away to the continent. Well, RiseHI is here to change that. What we do is we create Hawaii specific curriculum for middle schoolers and high schoolers focused on social, emotional, learning and career explorations. Now, these two curriculum initiatives introduce our students to Kamayana creators, change makers, entrepreneurs.

Showing them that they can have success too and also providing them a roadmap to get there. We've never applied for a GAA funding in the past. And with this funding, we're going to use it to get curriculum into schools so we can get a proof of concept so that we can get federal funding in the future. Aloha and appreciate your time. Mahalo.

Thank you very much. Do we have somebody else?

Aloha. My name is Lisa Solomine. I'm the executive director of Manoa Heritage Center. Imagine seeing a child stepping onto the grounds of Manoa Heritage Center for the first time. Eyes wide with wonder, feet planted on the same aina where generations before them stood.

For many keiki, especially those from Title 1 schools, this is their first encounter with the sacred heiau. Their first time seeing native plants thriving. Their first real connection to the stories of their ancestors. Manoa Heritage Center is more than a place. It's a bridge between past and future, between knowledge and identity.

But today, Kualii, the historic home entrusted to us by Sam and Mary Cook, is deteriorating. Rain and mold threaten its walls, its stories, its legacy. Without urgent restoration, we risk losing an irreplaceable place piece of Hawaii's history. Our $500,000...

Sorry, we need to move on to the next.

Is not about just preserving a house. It's about ensuring that every child who walks through our doors...

Okay, thank you. We need to move on.

Thank you very much for your support and for this time and for stories alive. Mahalo. My apologies.

Anybody else in person? If not, we're going to resume our Zoom testimony with Spill the Tea Cafe.

Not present.

Sea Writer Productions Foundation. Ronald McDonald House Charities of Hawaii. Reuse Hawaii.

Ronald McDonald House is here.

Hi, Ronald McDonald House. Please proceed.

Aloha, committee members. My name is Ed Nishioka. I'm the president and CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Hawaii. We would like to testify in support of our application for the grant and aid program. Our mission is to serve local families and families whose children are experiencing serious medical issues.

For more than 38 years, the Ronald McDonald House Charities has been serving the families of Hawaii with seriously ill children. We serve families across all islands. With your support, we'll be able to make essential changes and improvements to our facilities to help serve more families and help more families in need. Mahalo for your consideration of our request. We look forward to working more for the families of Hawaii.

Thank you very much. Sorry. Next we had Reuse Hawaii. Are you there?

Aloha. Reuse Hawaii is an 18 year environmental nonprofit that envisions a future where waste reduction and the preservation of resources are maximized through deconstruction and building material reuse. Where jobs and opportunities are created for those who experience barriers to employment, allowing a sustainable circular economy to thrive.

Our request for $150,000 will support our programs and will strengthen our capacity development, enabling us to significantly increase landfill diversion, preserve valuable resources, reduce environmental strain and advance Hawaii's commitment to sustainability. Reuse Hawaii recently relocated to Stadium Marketplace and will be celebrating our relocation grand opening on March 1st.

This new facility is three times the size of our previous location and allows us to expand our workforce development program and this funding will directly support our workforce development training center. All these efforts support the State of Hawaii's commitment to work towards carbon neutrality by 2045 as outlined in Act 15. Mahalo for your support in reducing landfill waste and protecting our precious Hawaii.

Thank you very much. Next we have Residential Youth Services Empowerment.

Not present.

Regenerative Services Kauai.

Also not present.

Read to Me International Foundation.

Not present.

Rainbow Health.

Not present.

Pulse Oceania.

Not present.

Project Vision Hawaii.

Aloha Chair, Vice Chair, Members of the Committee. My name is Danielle. I'm just checking you can hear me okay?

Yep.

Awesome. My name is Danielle White, Philanthropy and Marketing coordinator for Project Vision Hawaii. We're a non-profit dedicated to increasing health access for underserved communities across our state. Mahalo for the opportunity to testify for support of our GIA request for $560,000 test to continue and expand our mobile health outreach program.

Our program provides vision, hearing and dental health services to low income children across Hawaii in partnership with the doe, DOH and community health organizations.

With this funding, we aim to screen over 20,000 Keiki for vision impairments and provide free prescription glasses, conduct over 6,000 hearing screenings to address issues affecting learning, offer over 100 dental services and referrals to connect families with critical oral health care. These services are an investment to our Keiki's future. Our mobile model is effective and sustainable.

The program is fiscally responsible, leveraging federal, county and private funding to maximize impact. On behalf of Project Vision, we respectfully ask for your support. Mahalo for your time.

Thank you very much. Next, we have Project Nehemiah, Hawaii. Not Present. Pro Arts?

Aloha. It's not letting me turn on my video. Excellent. Thank you. Aloha. I'm Lynn McEwen, Executive Director of Pro Arts Playhouse on Maui Pro Arts, Inc. We're grateful for your time in Kukua, both now and during the time we spent with you at the opening session.

We are the only nonprofit community space and arts venue in South Maui.

We're seeking funds for operational and programmatic costs to allow us to keep up with the almost overwhelming community demand for our initiatives such as our Hawaiian Art and Culture series, our Access for All Program, which provides hundreds of free tickets to fire survivors and those with financial struggles, and our Pono Project, which produces community events with dozens of other non-profits and Keiki Programs.

In the last year, we were named Maui's outstanding nonprofit, small business and Hawaii's favorite local theater. We served as South Maui's main donation center in the weeks after the fires. And we're known for our financial responsibility, professional standards and commitment to community and local economic vitality.

Mahalo for your support for Pro Arts and the tens of thousands of community Members we serve every year here.

Thank you. Thank you very much. Next, we have Prince Dance Company.

Not present.

Not present. You know, we'll go take another quick pause from the zoom. We have an in person testifier. Would you please identify yourself in your organization?

Hello, chair and Members of the Committee. My name is Ryan Mondo and I'm the CEO of Dreamhouse. Today I would like to ask to testify in support of funding our program. Dreamhouse of a Beach Public Charter school is Hawaii's fastest growing charter school.

We just opened a brand new high school in Kapolei and this request for funds is for our emerging technology and Ina program. We had success in creating an indigenous computer science program. Our students have won three years in a row for a Congressional App Challenge.

And so we're seeking support in creating a new tech lab for this brand new building because we believe that students on the west side should have access to amazing computer science programs so that we can create more technology users for Hawaii. Our goal is to foster leadership and identity development programs for Native Hawaiian youth.

And my hope is that we can continue to support our school and our growing environment or our growing school community out on the west side. Thank you.

Thank you very much. We're going to continue back on to our zoom testimony. Next, we have the Portuguese Culture and Historical Society center not present. Okay. Polynesian Voyaging Society.

Aloha. Aloha. My name is. Yes, Aloha. My name is Joan Apple. I'm the development coordinator for the Polynesian Voyaging Society and a crew Member on Hokulea. I'm honored to ask for your support for for PVS and the Marine Education Training Center.

It's an exciting year for PVS as we celebrate 50 years of Hokulea, restarting the Moana Nuiakea voyage and continuing to expand our voyaging education programs. The facility, the Marine Education Training center, will serve as the heart of its mission, our home base for voyaging, training, education and cultural preservation.

Your support will enable PVS to continue urgent safety and security renovations, ensuring that the facility remains a safe space to be a functional hub for learning and exploration. This investment will also fund a comprehensive condition assessment survey, providing a roadmap for the for METC's long term sustainability.

By supporting this request, you're investing in education, cultural heritage and a thriving future for Hawaii and the Pacific. So mahalo Nui Loa for your continued support and thank you for considering considering this request.

Thank you very much. I'll take a break from zoom again. I'll take another in person testifier. Please identify yourself in your organization.

Aloha. My name is Paola Vidilich. I represent Hawaii's Volcano Circus. We are a non-profit on the Big Island, Lower Puna. We've been operating for the last 30 years.

We were born out of Social Circus, but after the back to back tragedies of first the Kilauea eruption and then Covid, we shifted to serve our communities in a broader way. We offer classes and education in micro farming, the visual arts as well as performance arts. We have a digital equity program.

We also have a K through 6 school that we host along with Haas, the Hawaiian Academy for Arts and Sciences. And we are a resilience hub doing disaster preparedness training and planning for our communities down on the coastal area in Lower Puna. So you may be asking, why are we doing so much?

The communities that we serve are incredibly remote. They're incredibly underserved. Most of them are. Most of the families we serve fall into the alice category.

Thank you.

Is that it? Okay. Yeah. Very quick. Mahalo. Thank you for your time. I hope you'll remember us and support the work that we're doing down there. Thank you.

Thank you. To continue back to our zoom testifiers, we have Ohaha Ikalani not present. We have Pet Fix Bay and Neuter Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum. Oh, sorry. Yes. Please proceed.

Aloha. I am Janine Woolhoff. In terms of growing need for a skilled aviation workforce as the global demand for air travel increases. In the aviation maintenance field alone, 30% of the airframe and power plant mechanic workforce is at or nearing retirement age.

We are partnered with local and national industry professionals and academic professionals in building a high school aviation amp mechanic program positioning juniors and seniors each year to complete the training needed to earn their FAA license upon graduation from high school. A clear path for a viable career with high paying jobs right here in Hawaii.

With state GIA funds, we successfully launched our pilot training program in 2023. And now we humbly ask for your support for our high school aviation amp mechanic program. Mahalo Nui for your consideration.

Thank you. Next we have Partners in Care Oahu Continuum of Care.

Aloha. Thank you all. My name is Laura Thielen and I'm the Director of Partners in Care whose mission is to end homelessness on Oahu through collaboration and coordination of services and resources. Today we are asking for your support for our GIA that will provide assistance with moving those experiencing homelessness into housing.

With supports, our Landlord Engagement program works with more than 150 landlords throughout Oahu who partner with us, our partner agencies and our clients. Funds in this grant will provide access to security deposit application fees, utility hookups and other expenses that often are the only barriers to moving into housing.

Over the last five years, Partners in Care has assisted hundreds of families and individuals to transition into housing and we will be able to continue this important work with your assistance. Thank you for considering our application.

Thank you very much. Next we have Parents and Children Together Aloha Committee.

Tricia Kajimura here representing Parents and Children Together, a statewide social services agency founded in 1968 in Kali. Our operating GIA request is for two of our services addressing domestic violence. The first is our shelter services. We have three facilities on Oahu providing emergency shelter, transitional housing and support services for survivors and their children.

The second is our family Visitation centers located on Oahu and Kauai. These centers are the only of their kind on each island and allow children caught in the abuse or conflict between their parents to to have supervised visits. Without these visitation centers, children in these situations would lose contact with their non custodial parent.

These services are essential in helping families stay safe and find a path out of abuse. Thank you for your support.

Thank you very much. Next we have Papakoleo Community Development Corporation.

Aloha Mai Kakou. Thank you Members of both committees for holding this hearing. We are so thankful to have this opportunity to share a little bit about our project. I'm the Executive Director of the Papakolea Community Development Corporation and my name is Lilia Kapuni AI. We operate the Papakolea park which is right above Punchbowl.

We are requesting $718,000 from the state GIA to make improvements to the park, to fix the roof of the center and to complete our master plan and environmental assessment needed for the Native HA Education and Culture center that we are building on the slopes of Puovina. Both of these projects are priorities identified within the DHHL Regional Plan.

I thank you for your support and have a great thank you very much.

Next we have Polymomi Foundation Aloha.

I'm Courtney Wagner from Polymomi Foundation. We are seeking support to implement a new State of the art CT scanner at Polymomi Medical Center. Polymomi is home to a range of emergency services that support our community including an ER that serves over 43,000 patients each year.

We provide emergency complex care as the only designated trauma center in Central and West Oahu and deliver life saving stroke care as a nationally accredited primary stroke center. CT scans are often a first step in rapid clinical decision making for stroke and trauma as well as detecting abnormalities including cancer.

In one year our team will conduct an average of 21,000 CT scans. This new CT scanner will improve patient care and safety with superior image quality and reduced radiation doses, allowing our clinical teams to support the preventive and diagnostic needs of patients from the Leeward coast to the North Shore to Pearl City and Aiea.

We kindly ask that you consider our request. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Next we have Pacific Whale Foundation, Pacific Tsunami Museum.

Aloha.

Yes, please proceed.

Thank you. Aloha. My name is Lauren Spencer and I'm the lead education specialist at Pacific Wealth Foundation on Maui. Mahalo for the opportunity to share about our Keikiba Watch program, a vital program that brings marine science to life for over 1500 students on Maui annually. With a focus on our Title 1 schools.

Through Classroom lessons and a customized whale watching trip led by our marine educators, Kiki Whale Watch provides hands on learning that fosters creativity, environmental stewardship and early exposures to STEM careers.

One of our fourth grade teachers from King Kamehameha III elementary School stated, throughout the years, I've seen the sheer excitement and inquisitiveness in our Keiki before and after the Whale Watch and the overall impact is priceless. Your support ensures equitable access for underserved students.

By investing in Keiki Wheel Watch, we invest in Maui's future, empowering our Keiki with knowledge and inspiration to protect the ocean for generations to come. Mahalo for your time and support.

Thank you very much. Pacific Tsunami Museum Pacific Survivor Center. Oh, yes, please proceed.

Hi, Aloha. This is Cindy Preller from the Pacific Tsunami Museum. And last year's GIA funding helped us launch our Kama Ina initiative which is serving all local state residents with vital life saving education regarding all natural hazards, not just tsunami. Tsunamis can arrive within minutes and we need to know the warning signs.

Last year we served over 50 classrooms and we hope to double that in our upcoming couple of years. I appreciate your continued support and I hope that we don't have to face a tsunami together.

Thank you very much. Pacific Survivor Center Pacific International Center for High Technology Research not present. Pacific Historic Parks also not present. Pacific Health Ministry.

Not present.

Pacific Fleet Submarine Memorial Association.

Hello.

Yes, please proceed.

Okay. Good afternoon. I'm Chuck Merkel, the Executive Director of the Pacific Fleet Submarine Memorial Association. We have requested a $270,000 capital grant which equates to 10% of the cost to refresh our museum and campus. This refresh will add additional interactive exhibits that will illustrate STEM concepts that we'll use in our education visits.

We will include an exhibit that highlights the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard. This museum work is covered by this grant as part of an ongoing mobile mobilized project. So it will be very efficient part of our capital improvement.

As we emerged from the pandemic, we began working with the public schools and offered free admission, transportation, and, if needed, a meal for all DOE schools. This has grown every year, and in 2024, we hosted over 7,000 DOE students on our campus at no cost to DOE or the students. We've also established a scholarship program. Thank you.

Okay.

For some reason, Pacific Birth Collective incorporated.

Aloha.

Yes, please proceed.

Aloha. I'm Maria Mendoza, the Director of Leadership and Operations at Pacific Birth Collective. In partnership with Building Birth Hawaii, our GIA proposes a solution for more equitable pathways to midwifery education through financial assistance for students.

While the position of PBC is to support the creation of a licensure program that recognizes apprenticeship as a valid pathway, we also strongly believe in the importance of supporting the growth of local practitioners to serve Hawaii's families in their childbearing years.

Currently, midwifery licensure laws require an education from one of nine midwifery schools to be eligible for licensure within the state, none of which are located in Hawaii. Financial and logistical barriers make certified professional midwife credentials out of reach for many local students.

So much so that since the establishment of the midwifery program In Hawaii in 2019, there are zero Native Hawaiian licensed midwives and only one licensed midwife in the entire state that has been born and raised here.

By establishing a financial assistance program that alleviates some of these barriers, we ensure that aspiring local midwives receive the support they need. Mahalo.

Thank you. Pacific and Asian Affairs Council.

Not present.

Pacific American Foundation Also not present. Paulo Elementary and Intermediate School.

Not present.

Our Pacifica.

Also not present.

Olelo Community Television. Ohana 100, the Daniel Kayakina Akaka Family Foundation.

Sorry, you somehow missed me. This is Ohana 100, the Daniel Kaiki Nakaka Family Foundation.

Yes, please receive.

Okay, thank you. So, Aloha, chair and Members of the Committee, thank you for this opportunity to speak on behalf of our family Foundation. I'm David Mattson, President of Ohana100, the Daniel Kaikinaka Family foundation, and the grandson of Dan Akaka.

Since 2015, our foundation has provided educational resources for learners of all ages, including more than 300,000 new books for children and service opportunities, as well as mentorship for children and seniors alike. Funding support will enable us to provide more books and publish more original stories for the children of Hawaii.

We'll also be able to expand our summer Youth Leadership Service Camp and provide volunteers more opportunities to serve our community with Aloha. On behalf of the Board of Directors in Myohana, we appreciate your consideration of support for a continued work for the children of Hawaii. Mahalo Nuiloa.

Thank you very much. Next, we have the Ocean Air Research Foundation. Not present, we have the Ocean Alliance Project.

My name is Dylan Brown and I'm the Director of Ocean Alliance Project. I'm here with you all today with a lot of urgency. Just because our reefs, our island's most vital and fragile ecosystems, are disappearing before our eyes, we all kind of know how. Our reefs are very significant.

They protect our shorelines, they help to sustain our fisheries, and they hold a high amount of cultural, social, economic and environmental significance. But recently and over the past few decades, because of pollution, sedimentation, all in conjunction with climate change, they're accelerating in their decline. And so we just can't afford to wait.

With this grant, we'll be able to expand hands on ecological monitoring, expand restoration. We'll be able to train local residents, especially native Hawaiians and underserved communities, and be able to train people on how to become stewards of our own marine environments. We're not just collecting data.

We're building a movement where science and traditional knowledge are united so that we can safeguard our reefs for future generations. So it's more than just conservation. It's about resilience, justice, and ensuring that people who rely on our oceans have the power to protect them. Your support will help us to turn this so that it's just one.

Thank you very much.

Oahu Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Yes, hello. Thank you so much. Aloha Senate and House Members. Mahalo for this opportunity to present today. My name is Corinne Hansen and I'm presenting on behalf of the Oahu Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to animals or Oahu SPCA.

Oahu SPCA was founded in 2009 and is one of the first and largest no kill animal shelters in the state. The organization's mission is to ensure that every healthy, treatable animal will find a forever home. Oahu SPCA provides low cost veterinary care including reduced spay and neuter services, shelter and rehabilitation programs, foster home care and adoption services.

From 2016 to 2024, Oahu SPCA saw a 39% increase in animals served. To keep up with the demand, Oahu SPCA is requesting operating support for additional veterinarian hours to ensure that 3264 companion animals are spayed, neutered and that 609 canines felines are adopted during the one year project period.

This will be a 16% increase in adoption and a 32% increase in spay and neuter. Thank you so much for your time. Mahalo for Supporting our request. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Next we have the Wahoo Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association, Hawaii.

Aloha. This is Ikoika. My name is Ikaika and I'm honored to share why Okra's leadership in Hawaii's canoe racing programs. Our state sport is vital to cultural survival. Canoe racing is more than a competition. It's the heartbeat of our identity, a direct link to our ancestors who navigated these waters long before us.

But today are at risk of losing one of the most sacred traditions tied to our sport, the art of koa canoe building. There are fewer than seven koa canoe builders on Oahu or canoe builders on Oahu, and only four of whom work with koa. Without action, this generational knowledge passed from master to apprentice for centuries will disappear.

Ochre is committed to reversing this trend through our apprenticeship program, ensuring that the skills, craftsmanship and cultural protocols of canoe building are preserved and perpetuated for future generations.

As the stewards of Hawaii's most iconic canoe races, Navajino Kikai and Molokai Hoi, Okra continues to uphold and advance the traditions of our ancestors, keeping our VA and our culture strong. Mahalo.

Thank you very much. Next we have Neighborhood Housing Community Development Corporation. Yes, please proceed.

Aloha. My name is Raquel Sagato Figueroa and I'm the development Director and Neighborhood Housing Community Development Corporation, also known as PAL Hawaii. And I humbly request your support.

PAL Hawaii is dedicated permanently affordable housing and ensuring local families can stay rooted in their communities for generations. This year, Powell has submitted two crucial grant and aid applications. A $300,000 capital improvement project request to help build six affordable homes in Kalaheo.

And these homes will be placed in our community land trust, ensuring that they remain affordable for eight generations and beyond. We've also submitted $100,000 requests for general operating support to continue advancing our projects and programs, including our Beyond Housing program which provides critical case management and wraparound services for families transitioning out of houselessness.

These funds will allow Powell to help build and sustain solutions that prevent displacement and create long term housing stability for Kauai residents. I respectfully urge you to support these applications. Mahalo for your time and consideration.

Thank you very much. We have NA Mahana Education Foundation.

No, I'm still muted. There it is. Aloha Mai Kakou. My name is Dr. Kapua Chandler and I'm the school leader of Namahana School here on Kauai. Mahalo Nui Loa for making time today for us to share the significant impact this grant would make on our local community, especially for our Keiki.

Our community has endured a lack of access to education with the nearest public middle and high school requiring a two to three hour daily commute for our youth.

After years of planning, we received approval from the Hawaii State Charter Commission to open this fall, making Namahana School the first public middle and high school on the north shore of Kauai. Namahana has a unique AINA based learning education model including personalized learning plans, internships, apprenticeships and a student advisory ohana.

We purchased 11 acres of land in Kilauea and have also secured a temporary leased facility for the first year of operations while we construct the permanent classrooms. The Hawaii GIA grant would provide us with the critical funds we need to complete the construction of eight essential permanent classrooms for our community. Mahalanui Loa for your time and consideration.

Aloha.

So next we have Na Wahine Paami Opunahou.

Not present. Chair.

Okay. Nakoa Manu Conservation.

Also not present.

Nakamakai.

Also not present.

Moili ILI Community Center, Moanalua Gardens Foundation.

Aloha.

Please proceed.

Aloha. Committee chairs, vice chairs and Committee Members. My name is Ian Kelly Castino. Hello, Committee chairs, vice chairs and Committee Members. My name is Ian Kelly Costino. I am the Executive Director for the Moanalua Gardens Foundation. Mahalo for allowing me the time to speak on behalf of our Malama Kumananui AINA based education program.

We've been stewarding the Bahipana of Moanalua valley for over 54 years. Our STEM program serves between 800 and 1300 students from public schools across Oahu with a focus on Title 1 schools. We instill cultural identity and sense of place in the Haumana and Kumu.

We reach and train them using both Ike Kupuna, our ancestral ways, and Western environmental sciences to grow the future generations of Al Wa'ina, protectors of the land. We humbly ask for your support as we continue to steward this precious Aina with more than 3,700 acres of pristine forest in Oahu's urban core.

Mahalo Nui for your time and consideration.

Hollow. Next we have Maui United Way.

I'm present.

Okay, Please proceed.

Aloha. My name is Jason Economou. I'm the President and CEO of Maui United Way. We have a youth mental health crisis in Hawaii and especially in Maui County in the aftermath of the August 2023 fires. We are asking for your help to bring a vital and proven resource to Hawaii's youth.