{"id":19915,"date":"2025-08-29T11:14:39","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T21:14:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pidf.org\/?p=19915"},"modified":"2025-10-01T09:01:40","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T19:01:40","slug":"pidf-honors-two-visionary-women-leading-youth-focused-change-in-hawaii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pidf.org\/pidf-honors-two-visionary-women-leading-youth-focused-change-in-hawaii\/","title":{"rendered":"PIDF Honors Two Visionary Women Leading Youth-Focused Change in Hawai\u02bbi\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On August 8th<\/sup>, beneath the glow of the full moon over L\u0113\u02bbahi (Diamond Head), Partners in Development Foundation (PIDF) welcomed over one hundred supporters to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel for its annual fundraising gala, Ulu Hana: Pewa Awards<\/a>. The evening was filled with laughter, joy, and aloha, celebrating endurance, leadership, and deep-rooted community care.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Auction<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"PIDF<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Young<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cPewa,\u201d\u00a0a traditional Hawaiian wood joinery symbolizing strength through unity, is the guiding symbol of the annual event.\u00a0This year, PIDF\u00a0honored\u00a0two extraordinary women dedicated to youth mentorship, recognizing\u00a0Carla Houser of RYSE and Kumu Michelle\u00a0Pieper of H\u0101nai Kai\u0101ulu\u00a0as living\u00a0pewa<\/em>, mending the fractures of adversity and\u00a0reawakening the dreams of Hawai\u02bbi\u2019s youth. From serving houseless teens\u00a0and young adults\u00a0to reconnecting West O\u02bbahu youth intentionally with \u02bb\u0101ina and sustainability, these women\u00a0and their\u00a0initiatives\u00a0exemplify what it means to\u00a0create thriving connected communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dr. Shawn Kana’iaupuni leading the evening’s panel discussion with (left to right): Adelina “Lina” Crowell, Gail Omoto, and Armond Jason Kahawai<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The evening also showcased the heart of PIDF\u2019s mission. A powerful panel discussion, led by PIDF\u2019s President and CEO, Shawn Kana\u02bbiaupuni, featured voices from across PIDF\u2019s programs: Adelina Crowell (N\u0101 Pono No N\u0101 \u02bbOhana Project Coordinator and former participant), Gail Omoto (Founding Member of T\u016bt\u016b and Me Traveling Preschool and current participant), and Armond Jason Kahawai (KA\u02bbA Project Director and long-time Ka Pa\u02bbalana staff). Their heartfelt testimonies offered guests a firsthand look at the lasting impact of PIDF\u2019s work to inspire and equip Hawai\u02bbi\u2019s families for success through timeless Native Hawaiian values.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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(Left to right) Dr. Michael Chun, Carla Houser, and Dr. Shawn Kana’iaupuni excited to celebrate at the 2025 Ulu Hana: Pewa Awards<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Dr.
(Left to right) Dr. Michael Chun, Kumu Michelle Pieper, and Dr. Shawn Kana’iaupuni after an eventful night of celebration and aloha.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

As the awards were presented and stories shared, guests responded with overwhelming generosity. From spirited auction bidding to countless acts of k\u014dkua throughout the night. Together, our partners, donors, and community members helped ensure that PIDF can continue to provide critical programs for Hawai\u02bbi\u2019s keiki, \u2018\u014dpio, and \u02bbohana. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mahalo to our sponsors, donors, and volunteers who made this year\u2019s Ulu Hana: Pewa Awards such a remarkable success. With your support. The legacy of care and aloha continues to grow. <\/p>\n\n\n

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For more information about PIDF\u2019s Ulu Hana: Pewa Awards, please visit https:\/\/pidf.org\/ulu-hana\/<\/a>  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nominations for our 2026 Ulu Hana: Pewa Awards are now open! To nominate a community hero you admire, submit a form here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On August 8th, beneath the glow of the full moon over L\u0113\u02bbahi (Diamond Head), Partners in Development Foundation (PIDF) welcomed over one hundred supporters to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel for its annual…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":73,"featured_media":19917,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19915","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pidf.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19915","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pidf.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pidf.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pidf.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/73"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pidf.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19915"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/pidf.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19915\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19941,"href":"https:\/\/pidf.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19915\/revisions\/19941"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pidf.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pidf.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pidf.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pidf.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}