Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 5, 1 May 2011 — Honoring 3 Hawaiian icons [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Honoring 3 Hawaiian icons

Alfred 8ouza Jr„ Drs. Kekuni Blaisdell and Benjamin Young receive 'O'O Awards

By Francine Murray / / \ A #e honor three ** 1 /\ /individuals 1 / 1 / for their eon- \/ \/ tributions to V V not only the Hawaiian community, but for their past, present and continuous eontributions to all of Hawai'i and the world." With those words, Dirk Soma, President of the Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce, introduced the three recipients of the 35th annual 'Ō'Ō Awards to more than 550 chamber members and guests at a benefit gala on April 7. "Dr. Benjamin Young, Dr. Kekuni Blaisdell and Alfred Souza Ir. exemplify the spirit of the 'Ō'Ō Awards and perpetuate our mission to strengthen Native Hawaiian businesses and professions by building on the foundations of relationships, resources and Hawaiian values." Entrepreneur Alfred Souza Jr. is a partner in Hawai'i Box and Packaging Co. In 1996, he was inducted into the Hawai'i State Golf Hall of Fame and is now a Director on the Executive Committee for the Sony Open, one of the largest charity events in the state, whieh has raised more than $ 1 0 million for Hawai'i nonprofit organizations since 1999. Benjamin Young was the Director of the Native Hawaiian Center of

Excellence and the founder of the University of Hawai'i lohn A. Burns School of Medicine's hni Ho'ola Post-Baccalaureate Program, whieh for 30 years has recruited socially, educationally or economically disadvantaged students who show promise as future physicians. Since its inception, the program has assisted more than 200 college graduates who have succeeded and are now physicians. In 2010, Young was recognized by the Hawaiian Historical Society as a Distinguished Historian for his significant role in perpetuating Hawaiian medical history. Dr. Kekuni Blaisdell was the first Chairof Medicineatthe JohnA. Burns School of Medicine and later founded E Ola Mau, an organization of Native Hawaiian health care professionals. His work led to the 1988 Native Hawaiian Healthcare hnprovement Act and considerable funding from the U.S. Congress for programs to better the health of Native Hawaiians. ' 'Kekuni asked humbly, how did I get nominated? I am not a businessman," recalled the 'Ō'Ō Awards Chairperson, Leilani Kūpahu-Marino. "He's a very positive iniluenee in the community." She explained, "As the selection committee looked at the character of eaeh person, what his achievements were along with many other things, these three men stood out among the large number of nominations we had." "It is like our theme this year, 'I

ulu a māhuahua ka 'umeke 'ai a Hina - the Goddess Hina with the 'umeke filled with wonderful treasures.' We are honoring two doctors and a businessman and all that they have contributed. That is our treasure for thisyear's 'Ō'Ō." Native Hawaiian artist Carl Pao and his students illustrated the theme in a series of banners for the special event, whieh commenced with the perfonnance of a stirring oli by awardwinning Kumu Hula Veto Baker and Miehael Casupang and their hālau, Hula Hālau I Ka Wēkiu. "I view the 'O'O as a tool whieh our ancestors used to propagate the land," shared Dr. Benjamin Young. "I am filled with awe and respect and will always remind people who cast their eyes upon it that eaeh of us must never forget to do our part to continually cultivate the rich and beloved soil of our Hawaiian culture." The chamber's foundation is grounded in its values of Aloha - compassion, Lōkahi - unity, Pono - propemess, Ha'aha'a - humility, 'A'a - challenge, Alaka'ina - leading, Po'okela - excellence, Ho'okō - fulfillment, Ha'aheo - pride, and 'Imi 'ike - seeking knowledge. A portion of the evening's proceeds will support the NHCC youth scholarship program. For infonnation about NHCC and the 'Ō'Ō Awards, visit www.NativeHa waiianChamberOfCommerce.com. ■

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