Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 27, Number 11, 1 November 2010 — Alu Like provides support to Hawaiians in times of need [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Alu Like provides support to

Hawaiians in times of need

Mary Kawena Pukui gifted Alu Like its name in the spirit of working together, struggling together and striving together. Fromits beginning in 1975, Alu Like ine. has remained committed in its efforts to help Native Hawaiians achieve social and eeonomie self-sufficiency. This mission parallels the Strategic Plan of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, thus creating an ever-flowing partnership between the two. "The Kūlia Like Department, whieh has been supported by OHA, provides information and referral services, volunteer income-tax assistance, hnaneial education workshops and Individual Development Accounts for savings," says Leslie īanoue, Interim Director of the Kūlia Like and Ho'okahua departments. "We are integrated asset builders - supporting the efforts of Native Hawaiians to become economically selfsufficient. We look at the services that we provide as a hand up, not a hand out." In addition to the Kūlia Like Department, OHA has supported countless other programs within Alu Like throughout the years, such as child-care assistance, offender/ex-offender job placement and chronic disease self-management workshops. "For many nonprofit organizations, both large and small, having support and funding from OHA allows us to provide services to Native Hawaiians, build upon, and improve and/or expand services and access to services," adds īanoue. Alu Like is a statewide system that provides services in the areas of early childhood, high-risk reduction, employment and training, hnaneial literacy and elderly care. For more information, visit www.alulike.org. — Melissa Moniz M