Caring For The Health Of The Waianae Coast
By Dr. Glenn Pang, Board Chairman, Waianae CARE
Waianae CARE Inc. consists of a group of diverse individuals (physicians, educators, businessmen, lawyers, pastors, social workers and others) who have come together through their compassion for the homeless. Their goal is to drive action and to inspire an attitude of responsiveness within the community that will empower homeless individuals to live self-sufficient lives.
Waianae CARE’s mission is to serve as an advocate for change within the Leeward Coast community and work in collaboration with other public and private organizations across the Islands to plan, develop and coordinate community-based initiatives. This totally volunteer nonprofit hopes to make a difference through the development of youth mentorship projects in aquaponics, sports, culinary arts, life skills and financial literacy.
Waianae CARE friends and families began their journey together in 2008 as medical volunteers at Nanakuli Health Fairs. They hosted a keiki Christmas party at Waianae Harbor, supported annual Thanksgiving food drives and delivered emergency supplies to homeless families at Oahu’s Leeward beaches and shelters.
Waianae CARE’s first project was “Ke ala O kou Wa‘a” (The Pathway to Your Canoe), a culture-based workshop, which was followed by Mandarin language instruction for Waianae students.
Observing the need for community-to-school partnerships, we helped facilitate the donation of a medical van to Kamaile Academy PCS in Waianae.
In 2013, the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii generously awarded Waianae CARE a public health fund grant of $10,000 for a third project: CAPS (Community Adolescent Physicals for Sports) to purchase medical equipment and supplies.
In the spirit of Aloha, 31 doctors and nurses joined 66 non-medical community members and school administrators to provide 267 students with free sports physicals. The second CAPS event was last July and served 180 students.
A new program focuses on the emerging needs Ho‘omau Ke Ola and the board for building a community healing center and an aquaponics farm in Waianae Valley to help individuals fighting chemical dependencies. Please consider becoming a volunteer with Waianae CARE and make a difference; sign up at waianaecare.org.
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