Celebrating a Decade of Catalyzing Change
Mahalo nui to all who joined HAPA in celebration of our 10th anniversary in September. What a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our growing community of changemakers across Hawaii, all we’ve accomplished together, and our vision for the future.
It was great to take a walk down memory lane with our partners who have been with us since the beginning, catch up with our Kuleana Academy alumni, and introduce our movement to new friends who believe in a Hawaiʻi that puts our ʻāina and people over corporate profits. We’re especially grateful for our sponsors and local vendors who made the night possible and continue to both lead and support progressive actions across Hawaiʻi
An ʻai pono experience to remember
Staying true to our roots as a food and environmental justice organization, we made a conscious effort to support locally grown ingredients and build partnerships at each stage of planning. Dinner was a highlight of the night featuring a rare collaboration between Nui Kealoha and Roots Kalihi that took us on an ʻai pono journey across Hawaiʻi. (Anyone else still dreaming about that Lions Mane Mushroom Lūʻau?)
Even our bar featured drinks made in Hawaiʻi generously provided by Honolulu Beerworks, Waikulu Agave Spirits, and Lanikai Spirits.
We watched short videos that highlighted HAPAʻs past, present, and future and heard from HAPAʻs board members and community partners like: Gary Hooser, Keani Rawlins-Fernandez, Cade Watanabe, Kim Coco Iwamoto, and Ikaika Hussey.
But the room really came alive when our board members Kim Coco Iwamoto and Ikaika Hussey gave up their time at the mic to give a platform to Tiffany Halemano of the Hawaiʻi Nurses Association who had just been locked out of Kapiolani Hospital earlier that day. (Watch it here)
This moment really captures the spirit of what we at HAPA aspire to do every day - stand arm in arm with our partners in “catalyzing community empowerment and systemic change towards valuing people and ʻāina instead of corporate profits.” In the weeks that followed, we got straight to work to support the HNA and the nurses on strike as well as the many other social causes that seemingly arose all at once. (You can read more about our work to Support the Kapiʻolani Nurses, Protect Kaʻula Island from Military Testing on our blog.)
The night wasn’t all business though! The party continued with live music from Kaukaohu Wahilani and fun pics in our photobooth with native plants we borrowed from Hui Kū Maoli Ola and HAPA’s own “Pollinator Princess” Fern Holland. We closed the night with an epic performance by Sudden Rush Nation and their special guests. (Click here to view and download all the images here)
In our growing network of activists and changemakers, it’s these moments of celebrating with our friends in the community over delicious food and awesome music that fuel us to keep going. In these uncertain times, it can be easy to fall into the doom scrolling of all that’s wrong in the world - but seeing a room full of 200 people who are out here fighting to change the system for the better is enough to make anyone believe that together we can accomplish anything.
Mahalo to all who were able to join us in person or sent encouraging messages for our 10th anniversary! We’d love to hear your favorite part of the night and what causes are important to you in this upcoming year for legislative session.
Thank you to all the Kuleana Academy Alumni who volunteered to help at the Gala! Looking towards the future: We are ramping up for our next cohort for Kuleana Academy (applications open in January) and strategizing with partners about our Fair & Sustainable Food Systems policy agenda for the 2025 legislative session. We count on the continued support from our community to make it all happen!
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