Hammer and Nail
April 2011
Hawaii Habitat News
There’s a lot going on in the Hawaii
Habitat for Humanity office and we’re
excited to share the news!
Thanks for helping us hammer
it home! Wednesday, April 20th was
Hawaii Habitat’s Third Annual Legis-
lative Nail Driving contest held at the
State Capitol. From 9-11am, legisla-
tors and their staff joined us to see
who could drive the most nails into a
block of wood in 1 minute to make
some noise at the Capitol and draw
attention to the need for affordable
housing in Hawaii. Mahalo to Lee-
ward and Honolulu Habitat for their
help with materials and volunteers
for the event and mahalo to all of
this year’s participants! The winning
legislators were Representative Cindy
Evans and Representative Tom
Brower, and the top staff members
were returning champs Ola Kakalia
and Larry Sagaysay and newcomer
Bernadette Fo. Congratulations to all
of this year's winners!
The First Annual Hawaii Habi-
tat Conference is less than 2
months away, and we are deep in
planning mode, meeting, and iron-
With special thanks to our sponsors:
The Department of Hawaiian Homelands
ing out details. The two-day
event will be held Thursday and
Friday June 23rd and 24th in
Honolulu. Habitat representa-
tives throughout the state will be
brought together to share in net-
working and learning opportuni-
ties and to attend workshops on
leadership, board training, fam-
ily services, resource develop-
ment, and sustainable building.
We are fortunate to be able to
deliver a diverse set of work-
shops with the help of local pre-
senters as well as Ginny Claborn
and Mark Lassman-Eul, Organ-
izational Development Consult-
ants from Habitat for Humanity
International. Hawaii Habitat for
Humanity will be funding our
affiliate Executive Directors,
Family Selection/Services net-
working group and Construction
Site Supervisors networking
group representatives to fly in
for this event, however we invite
and strongly encourage all Habi-
tat representatives who can to
attend this rare opportunity to Representative Dee Morikawa enjoying our 2011
network with HFHI staff and “Hammer It Home” Legislative Nail Driving competi-
tion at the state Capitol
your fellow Hawaii Habitat affili-
ates! Mahalo to our event sponsors Production Program. This innovative
which include the Department of Ha- program will provide fruit trees and
waiian Homelands, The Federal Re- raised garden beds and an aq-
serve Bank of San Francisco and uaponics system for 21 Habitat
Habitat for Humanity International. homeowner families statewide, or 3
Stay tuned for registration informa- per affiliate. The aquaponics system
tion. If you’d like updates on the con- will run on solar energy and is being
ference, please contact Laura Fay at designed specifically for our home-
the Hawaii Habitat office. owners by Hawaii Habitat’s Green
Building Associate VISTA member,
The first garden and aquaponics
Mike Day (please see sidenote on
installation for a Honolulu Habitat
page 7 for more information on ex-
family through our Swayne Family
actly what an aquaponics system is
Foundation grant is right around
and how it works). Our office is
the corner and our office is turning
working with affiliates to select in-
into a greenhouse! Last year we were
terested families and will be on site
awarded a $15,000 grant from the
with each affiliate over the summer
Foundation for a pilot Local Food
along with volunteers and commu-
 Hawaii Habitat Board of
Directors
Affiliate News
President Leeward O’ahu
Chandler Rowe Leeward Habitat is looking for volun-
Vice president teers to help out at their “Rodney
Richard Emery Villanueva 1st Annual Celebrahtee
Charitee Golf Tournament on May 26 at
Treasurer
the Hawaii Prince Golf Club. All pro-
Jean Lilley
ceeds from the event will benefit Lee-
ward Habitat and their efforts to build
Darryl Banks simple decent homes on the Leeward
Tom Bartlett coast of O‟ahu. If you‟d like to help out
Senator Suzanne Chun- Oakland or participate please contact the Lee-
Before and after shots of the Kalanui
Mike Dang ward Habitat office at 696-7882. Kealoha home built by Habitat Leeward
Ron Davis In early February Leeward Habitat O’ahu
Abe Lee bid aloha to their bookkeeper Ana Pilo-
their Habitat home just before Christ-
Ty Nohara ton. Ana had been working tirelessly to
mas in 2010 and was in need of furni-
Emillia Noordhoek further Leeward Habitat‟s mission since
ture, and Junior responded in a big way
Diane Quitiquit she began work with the affiliate in
which is typical of his giving spirit. Jun-
May of 2008 and she will be missed.
Michele Robles ior is involved with homeless shelters
Good luck to Ana on her future endeav-
Peter Savio along the Leeward Coast and has sup-
ors!
Jody Shiroma Perreira plied many of them with furniture as
Tiffany Marshall will be joining the well. Mahalo nui loa to Junior Atisanoe.
Michele Robles Leeward Habitat „ohana as the new part
Leeward Habitat held a clean-up on
-time Office Manager/Bookkeeper. She
February 27th on their property in Maili.
is a military spouse and lives on
Staff Schofield. E komo mai to Tiffany.
Volunteers got rid of over 400 tires that
have been dumped on the site over the
The affiliate wishes to send a big ma- years, with the help of 50 – 80 of their
Kathleen Hasegawa halo to Junior Atisanoe from Kapolei for most faithful volunteers, as well as sev-
Executive Director donations of dressers, night stands, eral groups of military volunteers. Ma-
lamps, mirrors, paintings, and more to
Amaya Kali supervisors Kauai Habitat
Mandy Jansen their latest Habitat home build in Nana-
volunteers who are building her future
Operations Manager kuli. The Kealoha family moved into home.

Mike Day
Green Building Associate

Laura Fay
Affiliate and Community
Relations/Fundraising

nity partners to install the gardens,

trees, and aquaponics systems and
to provide education to the fami-
lies. We are very excited to see how
the first garden installation, sched-
uled for May, turns out, but will be
sad to say goodbye to all the plants
sprouting up around our office. For
more information or to volunteer
for this project, please contact
Mike at the Hawaii Habitat office,
847-7676.

Page 2
halo to all of the volunteers who dedi-
cated their Sunday to helping Habitat!
Kauai
Kauai Habitat was recently the recipient
of a generous gift - $253,500 from the
Department of Transportation‟s 2010
Omnibus Appropriations bill for meri-
torious programs. The funding will help
the affiliate development infrastructure
for 26 homes for low income families on
their property in Ele‟ele. They were rec-
ommended for the award by a member
of their Board of Directors, and the
funding will go a long way towards
helping them achieve their goal of
building another 100 homes for families
on Kauai.
Another great piece of news from the
Garden Isle is that the affiliate recently
received a guaranty from DHHL that
will allow them to begin their first
home remodel. The first homeowner to
benefit from this program is a young
woman who has been sharing an over-
crowded home with several family
members. She never thought she‟d be
able to afford a home of her own until
she inherited a 30 year old home from
her Aunty. She has already rallied the
troops of her „ohana to gut the house to
the frame and floors and is so enthusi-
astic and excited to be given the oppor-
tunity to make the house safe, decent,
and her own. Mahalo to Kauai Habitat‟s
newest potential homeowner for re-
minding us why we do the work that
we do!
Hilo
The Hilo Exchange Club poses after doing
spring cleaning at the Kahee home
Hilo Habitat recently recognized long
time volunteer, Adrienne Eisele, as their
2010 Volunteer
of the Year.
Eisele, who has
served as volun-
teer coordinator,
helped to update
the Habitat web-
site, served on
the Habitat De-
velopment Com-
mittee and, most
recently, partici-
pated on the
board of direc-
tors, was fea-
tured in the Ha-
waii Tribune
Herald last week
Habitat West Hawaii volunteers unload furniture donated by Hilton
for her efforts. Grand Vacation Club
Congrats to Adri-
enne!
West Hawaii has recently added
The affiliate‟s latest home for the
Kahee family is coming along and Development Coordination to the job
should have a final inspection soon description of Isobel Donovan, their
with a blessing scheduled for April. The multi-talented ReStore Coordinator.
Exchange Club volunteered to "spring The Development Coordinator posi-
clean" at the home by wiping down all
tion is key at Habitat as Isobel will be
surfaces, fixtures and windows (in and
responsible for increasing the affiliate‟s
out), and doing yard work.
support from core funders, charitable
Hilo Habitat would like to bid „aloha‟
foundations, corporate sponsors, local
and farewell to ReStore Manager Polly
and regional business donors, the
MacRoberts who is moving to Maui
County, State and Federal Govern-
where her husband has accepted em-
ment. In the short time she has been in
ployment. Her last day was April
this position, Isobel has been instru-
1st. Polly has been a great asset to Hilo
mental in expanding Habitat West Ha-
Habitat and has helped them get really
waii‟s support base.
close to achieving their sales goals for
the retail outlet. Aloha Polly! The affiliate will be starting new
builds soon in Kawaihae and is look-
West Hawaii ing for Site Supervisors. The main
Habitat West Hawaii is busy planning responsibility for the Site Supervisor is
their annual Kokua „Ohana event to to organize and manage the construc-
recognize various businesses and tion of the home from the site work to
groups that have lent support to their completion. For more details, please
efforts over the past year. This year‟s contact the Habitat for Humanity West
invite-only event will be held on Tues- Hawaii office at 808-331-8010.
day April 26th at the affiliate ReStore.
This year the Board of Directors, staff
Honolulu
and volunteers of Habitat West Hawaii
Honolulu Habitat for Humanity will
have selected Hilton Grand Vacations be holding a series of information ses-
Club, Pohakuloa Training Center, La- sions for those interested in applying
hela Kulana Corporation and Kona for a home or gaining more informa-
Trans to be recognized. tion on their program. A representa-
tive from the Family Selection Com-
Page 3

Affiliate News, Continued
mittee will be there to explain the
Habitat process, answer questions, and
provide applications. Families that
have land (Hawaiian Homelands, fam-
ily land, or any kind of owned land)
need to attend one of these sessions if
they wish to apply:
Sat. May 21—11 am-12pm. Waima-
nalo Public Library, 41-320
Kalanianaole Hwy, Waimanalo
Sat. May 28—11 am-12 pm. Papakolea
Community Center, 2150 Tantalus Dr,
Honolulu
Sat. June 4, - 11 am-12pm. Papakolea
Community Center, 2150 Tantalus
Drive, Honolulu
Sat. June 11— 11 am-12pm. Waima-
nalo Public Library, 41-320
Kalanianaole Hwy, Waimanalo
Tues. June 14th—6pm-7pm. Kahuku
Public Library, 56-490 Kamehameha
Hwy, Kahuku
Punahou School‟s Student Global
Leadership initiative team has been
working with Honolulu Habitat to
increase water efficiency by installing
rain barrels on Habitat homes. The
project culminated with installation of
rain barrels at the Vasconcellos home
in Waialua. The rain barrels are con-
nected to the home‟s gutters and
downspouts, to catch runoff from rain.
The water can be used for any outdoor
purpose, such as watering plants,
washing a car, or rinsing your feet af-
ter a day at the beach. The rain barrels
will also result in lower utility bills for
Habitat families. The SGLI team‟s
work resulted in a $5,000 grant from
the Weinberg Foundation to Honolulu
Habitat to support future building ef-
forts. Moving forward, rain barrels will
be installed on all future Honolulu
Habitat for Humanity homes. The
students are creating a step-by-step
installation handbook for Habitat vol-
unteers to use in installation of future
rain barrels. The affiliate looks forward
Maui,” which focuses on Maui
non profits, was on site to film
the day‟s events to be featured
on their program. You can
check out the video here
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=N0D5qlTaD74 . A
group from Thrivent was re-
cently out to help as well, and
the affiliate is also thankful for
a group of volunteers and a
$3,000 donation from State
Farm for the Alo home. Ma-
halo!
Honolulu Habitat Board President Tara Young paints at Maui Habitat will once
the Vasconcellos family home in Waialua again be participating in the
Maui Hotel Association‟s
to renewing their commitment to sus- Charity Walk event themed “Put Your
tainability by installing rain barrels at Best Slippah Forward” on Saturday May
all of our homes. 14, 2011. Pledges are being sought at
this time. A minimum of $35 needs to be
On Saturday February 12th Hono-
raised by each person walking in the
lulu Habitat Board of Directors and
event. All proceeds raised by Habitat for
Committee members “worked hard,
Humanity Maui comes back to us and
got dirty, and made a difference,” at
MHA will match up to 100%! The affili-
the Habitat Board and Committee
ate is looking for as many people
Build Day at the Vasconcellos home in
(individuals, students, church groups,
Waialua. Board and Committee mem-
and businesses) as possible to help them
bers proved once again that they are
raise pledges for this wonderful event.
truly supportive of Habitat‟s mission;
Maui Habitat has assembled a fun,
through sitting at meetings, works
enthusiastic group of people who are
with the community and families,
passionate about the mission of Habitat
AND a willingness to lift hammers,
to be a part of their fundraising commit-
paint brushes and power tools. Mahalo
tee. This group will coordinate events,
nui!
develop donor relationships, search for
The dedication for Honolulu Habi- grants, solicit donations and help with
tat‟s first home on the North Shore for direct mail projects. Mahalo to the new
the Vasconcellos family was held on committee which includes:
Saturday, April 9th. Congratulations to
Honolulu Habitat for putting another Bubba Gump donated time and lunch on the
family into a simple, decent, affordable Alo family build site in Kula
home!
Maui
Habitat for Humanity Maui is making
some real progress on the Alo family
home in Kula – the home is currently
being prepped for drywall and await-
ing electrical and plumbing inspection.
Several groups have been coming out
to help the affiliate on the home.
Bubba Gump sent a great lunch and a
team out to work for the day. The
same day, Maui Magazine‟s web-
based video series “Making Over
Page 4
Affiliate News, Continued
Jack Fisher (Chair) Judy Buettner
Theresa Zorz Dawn Hall
Wes Durham Robb Haskins
Linda Haskins Desiree As Sau
Travis Thompson Clarice Holmes
Charlene Schulenber
The committee will raise funds for Habi-
tat for Humanity Maui by coordinating
events, developing donor relationships,
searching for grants, soliciting donations,
and helping with direct mail projects.
Changes abound at Habitat for Hu-
manity Maui! “After many years of ser-
vice and dedication to the mission of
Habitat, we say goodbye to several long-
time board members.” said Executive
Director Sherri K. Dodson and “We feel
honored to have these accomplished
members of our community commit to
helping Habitat end homelessness here
on Maui.”
Aloha to:
Dean Duque, Assistant Vice Presi-
dent, First Hawaiian Bank, Lahaina
Branch;
Mei Lee Wong, Project Manager
with the Dowling Company;
Mark Moser, former CFO Maui
Youth and Family Services
John Jaskula, retired General Man-
ager of the Marriott Vacation Club.
The affiliate would like to welcome five
new Board Members:
Travis Thompson, former Director
of Finance for the County of Maui
Ryan Anderson-Teshima, an attor-
ney with Maui County Corporation
Counsel
Gary Passon, a retired successful
businessman from Los Angeles
Bob Novello, past president for the
Italian American Social Club, Treas-
urer for the Maui Food Bank and a
successful local businessman repre-
senting Fastenal Company
George Sullivan, the new CFO with
Aloha House, Malama Recovery and
Maui Youth and Family Services
Hawaiian Community Assets:
Spotlight on a Community Partner
Hawaiian Community
Assets (HCA) has been
working to strengthen
Hawaii‟s families using
homeownership and
financial literacy in the
Michelle Kau- islands for over 10
hane, Execu- years. HCA‟s mission
tive Director of of increasing the capac-
HCA ity of low income indi-
viduals to achieve economic self-
sufficiency aligns directly with Habi-
tat‟s work of building simple, decent
homes in partnership with low income
families, making them a community
partner worth getting to know. Mi-
chelle Kauhane, Executive Director,
recently took the time to answer some
questions about their work and how
Habitat families can benefit from their
programs.
Q: Why is homebuyer education and
financial literacy important?
A: Homebuyer education and financial
literacy provide families and individu-
als with the tools and skills to make
homeownership, post-secondary edu-
cation, or business start-up a real-
ity. According to the National Finan-
cial Education Endowment, as little as
10 hours of financial education can
positively impact the spending and
savings habits of individuals. At
HCA, families who walk through
our door increase their use of
budgeting tools, actively save and/
or pay down debt, and, on average,
improve credit scores by 101 points
after engaging in 12-24 months of
homebuyer education, individual-
ized credit counseling, and access
to asset building programs. But
the importance of homebuyer edu-
cation and financial literacy is
about more than just the num-
bers. Research proves that the #1
reason for divorce in the US is due
Participants of a Financial Literacy class given
to financial stress. We also have to
recognize that economically depressed
communities have higher rates of
crime, drug abuse, and health prob-
lems and are at greater risk of being
victims of predatory financial prod-
ucts. Homebuyer education and finan-
cial literacy is a way for us to manage
stress in our lives so we can raise
happy, healthy families, while at the
same time become part of a bigger
movement to increase the economic
self-sufficiency of our communities by
first managing our own resources
wisely.
What kind of initiatives is HCA fo-
cusing on right now?
In 2010 HCA launched its statewide
Family Financial Education Initiative
which seeks to engage families and
youth in free, culturally-relevant finan-
cial education and asset building and
retention strategies in their own com-
munities. HCA is keenly aware that
each community has their own way of
organizing to meet their needs and
that financial education is most effec-
tive when it is tailored to the unique
situation of each community. As part
of this initiative, HCA has developed
and updated its culturally-relevant
Kahua Waiwai curricula, trained train-
ers from community-based, financial,
and education organizations statewide
by HCA In Kailua Kona
Page 5
to deliver youth financial education
programs, engaged homeless families
living in transitional shelters in financial
education workshops, one-on-one credit
counseling, and community revenue-
generating projects, and conducted free
tax preparation and foreclosure mitiga-
tion outreach to assist families at-risk of
losing their homes. Now in 2011, HCA
is expanding its initiative to provide
free financial education services to un-
derserved, rural homebuyers as part of
the Hawaii Family Finance Project.
Q: How has the economic downturn
affected the families you work with?
A: HCA is rooted in the philosophy of
kahua waiwai (foundation of wealth)
where the home is viewed as the kahua
(foundation) from which family knowl-
edge and spiritual teachings (waiwai)
can spring forth. It is the spiritual value
of the home and its surroundings that
provides stability and the opportunity
for families and communities to build a
secure future. This philosophy guides
every aspect of our work. Unfortu-
nately, the economic downturn has put
the foundations of our families and
their knowledge and spiritual values at-
risk as we‟ve seen sharp increases in
foreclosures, unemployment, and
debt. This has required HCA to walk
with a foot in both worlds in terms of
financial crisis management and long-
term financial planning. On the flip
side, we‟ve seen a renewed commit-
ment from our families to make positive
changes in their spending and savings
habits so their children and their chil-
dren‟s children will have opportunity in
to create a more prosperous, sustainable
future.
Hawaii Habitat Partners With Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods
Hawaii Habitat for Humanity has be-
gun an exciting new partnership with
Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods (HLH)
and the Hawaiian Reforestation Initia-
tive (HRI)! The HRI aims to restore
1000 acres of historic koa forest on the
Hamakua coast of the Big Island of
Hawaii. HLF has donated 1,000 acres
of their 2,700 sustainable koa project
for the HRI and is partnering with lo-
cal non-profits, including Hawaii
Q: What is the Hawaii
Family Finance Pro-
ject?
A: The Hawaii Family
Finance Project is a 3-
year, $3.1 million pro-
ject funded by the US
Department of Treas-
ury to provide Hawaii
homebuyers with free
homebuyer education
and financial literacy
services in order to in-
crease the rate of home-
ownership in our
HCA has been helping families achieve economic self-
state. The project is sufficiency in Hawaii since 2000.
being administered by
the Council for Native Hawaiian Ad-
vancement and delivered by a collabo-
rative of housing counseling agencies
like HCA, credit unions, and govern-
ment agencies. To qualify for enroll-
ment into the project, individuals must
(1) NOT currently own a home, (2) be at ety of services to financially prepare
least 18 years old, and (3) earn less than
80% the area median income (http://
hawaii.gov/dbedt/hhfdc/resources/
income-sales-rent-guidelines). Folks
who enroll in this project will be able to
access homebuyer and financial educa-
tion workshops, one-on-one budget
repair and credit counseling, tax prepa-
ration services, and match money for
debt reduction and down payment and
closing costs – all for free!
Q: How can Habitat affiliates benefit
from the Hawaii Family Finance Pro-
ject?
A: Habitat affiliates can partner with
HCA to enroll families into the Hawaii
Habitat, to help through tree sponsor-
ships. Anyone who is interested can
sponsor a Koa Legacy tree for $60. Of
that $60, $20 goes directly to Hawaii
Habitat, $1 goes to the Nature Conser-
vancy, and the rest goes to caring for
the tree. You will also receive an en-
graved certificate and the coordinates
for your tree so you can visit it if you
wish. People often sponsor trees in
someone’s memory. Tree sponsorships
Family Finance Project. After complet-
ing a simple intake form, Habitat fami-
lies can work with HCA staff at one of
its statewide offices (Honolulu, Ana-
hola, Paukukalo, Hilo) to access a vari-
them as homeowners. Probably the
most exciting piece of this project is the
fact that enrolled Habitat families are
eligible to receive a 3:1 match on sav-
ings up to $2,500 for a total of $10,000
toward down payment and closing
costs! By taking a community-based
approach to homebuyer and financial
education, the Hawaii Family Finance
Project will help guide Habitat families
to financial education providers like
HCA so we can together promote the
skills necessary to build and retain asset
wealth through homeownership. Habi-
tat affiliates interested in more informa-
tion on the project should contact HCA
at (toll-free) 1.866.400.1116.
make a great gift. Please spread the
word about this great new partnership,
or sponsor a tree
yourself! It’s a
gift you can feel
good about!
Please visit our
Legacy Trees
website for more
information!
http://www.legacytrees.org/hawaiihabitat/
Page 6
 Aquaponics: No Watering, No Weeding….No Worries!
An aquaponics system is a great com- which is the
plement to a backyard garden, a won- perfect size to
derful extension of “malama ‟aina.” fit in the yard
and is great for someone who is inter- of a single fam-
ested in growing/harvesting their own ily home. The
food. system will be
completely
The system combines the solar powered,
practice of raising fish in a tank and with no plugs
growing plants in water. Basically, fish or cords
live in tanks or tubs underneath or needed to keep
near the plants. The waste from the the water
fish enriches the water, which is pumps flow-
pumped into the tubs where the plants ing.
are growing. The plants are able to use
the nutrients from the fish to grow. We at
The plants even help to cleanse the Hawaii Habitat
water before it is pumped back into the are very ex-
fish tanks/tubs. Essentially, the plants cited to be tak-
and the fish are helping each other to ing part in this
thrive by sharing the nutrients that innovative new
keep of the garden. Questions about
they are unable to use. Most aquapon- program with our island homeowners.
aquaponics or home gardening? Con-
ics system purveyors on the island The benefit of this kind of system to
tact Hawaii Habitat‟s resident green
develop medium to large-sized sys- families is that they get to grow their
thumb, Mike Day at
tems for retail or farms. Hawaii Habi- own food and raise their own fish to
mike@hawaiihabitat.org or 847-7676.
tat has developed a small scale system eat, saving food costs without the up-

Hawaii Habitat First Annual Conference

This first time two day event will bring together Habitat representatives to share in networking and
learning opportunities and attend workshops including several presented by Habitat for Humanity
International staff. Please plan to take part in in two days of workshops and events and expand your
knowledge of Habitat, network with your peers and receive updates from Habitat for Humanity In-
ternational. Call our office for more information! 847-7676

Workshop areas include: Where: Honolulu, O’ahu

-Leadership When: June 23rd and 24th

-Board Training Who: Habitat volunteers, staff,

partner families and BOD
-Family Services members
-Sustainable Building Why: To network, attend
-Resource Development workshops and have fun!

Registration information will be available soon!