Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 33, Number 11, 1 November 2016 — Registration is Simple & Beneficial [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Registration is Simple & Beneficial

By David Greer

0HA's Hawaiian Registry Program opens up many opportunities for benefits. The process is simple: an applicant only needs a completed Hawaiian Registry Applieahon Form, a birth certificate, photo ID, and a photo to get started with registration. Onee registration is completed, a Hawaiian Registry card will be issued. The card bears the applicant's picture, is the same size as a driver's license, and serves as proof that Hawaiian ancestry has been verified by the Hawaiian Registry Program at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Cardholders are eligible to apply for various programs offered by OHA such as the Mālama Loan and the Con-sumerMicro-Loan. Cardholders are also eligible to apply for OHA-funded scholarships to ease the cost of college. The University of Hawai'i is offering a STEM scholarship for Native

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was required ' to receive the scholarship award. There are also several non-profit organizations throughout the state, one of them being Hawaiian Community Assets, whieh offer programs aimed at Native Hawaiians and they recognize the Hawaiian Registry card as proof of being Native Hawaiian. The benefits of having a Hawaiian Registry card may go beyond the State of Hawai'i too. Several cardholders have apparently been helped by Native American tribes that recognize Hawaiians as an indigenous people. Cardholders report having received business loans, scholarships, or discounts offered at Native American-operated stores, and lower gas prices by filling up at tribal or Native Americanrun gas stations. Others have used the card to apply to special college programs. A Hawaiian Registry card offers eligibility for several benefits and it confirms that the cardholder has been verified as a Native Hawaiian by OHA. It's simple to get started. Please visit www.oha.org/registry today to download an application form and get started on receiving your own Hawaiian Registry card. ■

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