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 Message from the president:Support for Kauai |
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| Early Childhood Education Early Head Start/Head Start Child Abuse & Neglect Prevention & Treatment CPS Visitation Centers Hana Like Home Visitor Program Lanai Integrated Services Respite Program Domestic Violence Prevention & Treatment Family Peace Center Maui Family Peace Program Family Visitation Centers Maui Family Visitation Center Kauai Family Visitation Center Ohia- Domestic Violence Shelter Puuhonua Mental Health Support Intensive Support Services Program Kauai Multi Systemic Therapy Program Maui Multi Systemic Therapy Program Community Building & Economic Development Community Teen Program Economic Development Center Family Centers Board of Directors: Lui Faleafine, Jr., Chair Cappy Fasi, Vice-Chair Ron Teves, Secretary Lowell Kalapa, Treasurer Phillip Deaver Carolann Guy Frank Haines Jamie Hartnett Kevin H. Imanaka Muthusami Kumaran, PhD Wendy Willers Lagareta Olin Kealoha Lagon Eileen Lota David Shibata Allene Suemori Kimberly Yatomi Ruthann Quitiquit, President & CEO Haaheo Mansfield, Vice President of Programs Kathy Tirrell, Vice President of Operations Norma Spierings, Faces of PACT Editor |
In 2005, we launched two PACT programs on Kauai – MST and the Family Visitation Center. Shortly after opening our doors we were faced with one of the harsh realities of operating a not-for-profit organization – an unexpected drop in funding. We were faced with a very difficult decision – should we pack up and leave, disappointing the people we were serving on Kauai, and lose the wonderful team of PACT staffers that we had so carefully put together? Or take the chance that we’d be able to find a solution? Thankful for the aloha shown by the people of Kauai, we made the decision to stay and temporarily fund the program from our reserves, hoping it would give us enough time to find the support for this much-needed program. I’m happy to report that our dedication to Kauai paid off! The Kauai Family Court came to our rescue and is now funding the Family Visitation Center. Our Visitation program remains in full swing, and both our Regional Director Richard Whitman and Aimee Leong will discuss about the program in more detail later on in the newsletter. Following the successful partnering on Kauai, the First Circuit Court on Oahu stepped up and provided the funding for our Family Visitation programs on Oahu and Maui. We are grateful for the support from the Fifth District Court and their recognition of the importance of our services. On a special note I would like to welcome Noelle Granato to our executive management team. Noelle succeeds Sara Izen, who has been our Division Director of Prevention for four and a half (4 1/2) years. While we are sad to see Sara leave – as you’ll read later in this newsletter, Sara has brought a lot to PACT – we are happy to have such a competent replacement in Noelle. Noelle comes to us from our very own Early Head Start/Head Start program where she has been the Program Director for six years. Noelle has been appointed Vice–President for the Region IX Head Start Association and is a Fellow of the Children’s Defense Fund Emerging Leaders Program. Her extensive background in Early Childhood Education will add depth to our executive team! In the meantime we wish Sara well in her hard-earned retirement! Mahalo Nui Loa, Ruthann Quitiquit President & CEO |
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| Legacy of Sara | |||
Anyone who knows Sara will acknowledge her hard work and dedication in the field of social services. Sara first came to PACT in 1992, after being with the Department of Health. After over 14 years at Parents And Children Together, Sara leaves behind a legacy of contributions to the organization. Following are just a few of the highlights: • While Program Director for Hana Like, Sara initiated Hui Makuakane, the first program dedicated to supporting fathers within the Healthy Start Network. • Sara was the spirit and energy behind the development of the Hawaii Coalition for Dads in 1998. Sara’s efforts were recognized by the Coalition in 1993 when she received an Outstanding Agency Advocate for Fathers Award. • Sara implemented the expansion of the Hana Like program when the Healthy Start program came under the Felix Consent Decree. The expansion included tripling the staff and adding Child Development and Family Specialists — allowing the program to better address the needs of the complex families served. • Sara transformed the decision-making processes in the Hana Like Home Visitor Program by creating working committees. • Sara became a certified Crisis Prevention and Intervention Trainer (CPI) and worked with the Intensive Support Services program to develop and conduct De-escalation training workshops. These workshops have been integrated into PACT’s regularly scheduled staff development program. • Sara participated in a unique Early Head Start team called Special Quest, a program sponsored by the Hilton Hotels with the goal of including children with significant disabilities into Early Head Start classrooms. We’re going to miss you, Sara! Your contributions have been immense, but most of all we’ll miss your wisdom, enthusiasm, clear headedness, ability to lead, and your laughter! |
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| Holiday Cheer | ||||
THANKSGIVING AT THE HARD ROCK CAFÉ: PACT volunteers — including our very own Board Members Wendy Lagareta, Lowell Kalapa, and Jamie Hartnett, joined together with David Gneckow (General Manager of Hard Rock Café) and his Hard Rock Café staffers, to serve more than 200 meals to consumers from our programs. Everybody had a wonderful time and rocked the afternoon away. Hard Rock Café made sure that every child received a gift to take home — their very own Hard Rock Café bear! It was truly an event to be thankful for! One of our families made such an impression on the restaurant management that they were invited to the Hard Rock Café on Christmas Eve as the restaurant’s special guests! According to David Gneckow, Stacy and her five children were not only sincerely appreciative at the Thanksgiving event, but took the time to send a special thank you from each of the children to the staff afterward. The Hard Rock Café management made the effort to find out what was on each of Stacy’s children’s “wish list” for Santa, and bought gifts for all the kids in their ‘adopted family’: “Casey likes nail polish,” mom said, “E.J. likes cars, especially blue ones; Lacey likes anything to do with Winnie the Pooh; Jazzy likes stickers; and baby would love anything small…” The Hard Rock Café hosted a wonderful dinner for the family and provided a surprise visitor from the North Pole! The children received individual gifts and mom got $100 dollars in spending money. |
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BARNES AND NOBLE BOOK DRIVE:
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| Parents And Children Together was once again the beneficiary of Barnes and Noble’s Annual Holiday Book Drive. PACT received close to 300 new books — bringing in more books for our various libraries and providing gifts to our consumers. The books were distributed to children in our Early Head Start/Head Start, Hana Like, and Ohia Shelter programs this past holiday season, making the holidays a happier time for many. |
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| HANA LIKE: HMAA once again agreed to help several of our families at Hana Like. This year they assisted 15 families by purchasing "Dream Items"–such as, much-needed furniture, clothing, books, computers, even appliance items – depending on the individual family’s need. It was truly a dream come true for our families. OHIA SHELTER: Sandy Kurosaki and her Ohana once again “adopted” the Ohia Shelter families for Christmas. Sandy hosted a Christmas day lunch at the shelter and brought presents for the women and their children. Twenty-one (21) consumers joined together for a family celebration. Sandy’s “Aloha” is becoming an Ohia Shelter tradition, and something the shelter families eagerly anticipate. Thank you, Sandy, for your kindness and support! PACT: First Insurance Company donated a Christmas tree to the Kuhio Park Terrace office of Parents And Children Together, and supplied us with boxes of goodies for the shelter families (gifts, toiletries, and other non-perishable goods). They also donated gifts to various EHS/HS classrooms, such as plush animals, children’s toys, and other playthings. First Insurance brought a smile to many faces and helped to make a Very Merry Christmas for a lot of KPT kids! |
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The Prince Kuhio Hotel MAC 24-7 restaurant provided a catered lunch for the Teen Program’s Holiday Party. This marks the first time the Prince Kuhio has singled out PACT for this honor. Over 70 teens enjoyed the wonderful food. Christmas gifts were provided by the Hawaii Association of Broadcasters, thanks to our very own Board Member, Jamie Hartnett. Backpacks, toy cars, CD players, boogie boards, books -- you name it, it was all there. It would be hard to imagine more exciting gifts for the teens. A giant Christmas tree—over 15 feet tall -- was donated by Chris Santa-Croce. It was too big to be housed in the teen center, so we moved it to the gym where we had our Holiday celebration for all. Watanabe Ing and Komeiji hosted their semi-annual appreciation luncheon for deserving PACT teens. This year more than 45 teens made the list — based on a minimum 2.5 grade point average and their attendance in sports and after school programs. At the request of Watanabe Ing and Komeiji, we provided them with a ‘wish list’ of gifts for each teen. In addition, a special achievement certificate was presented to each child. This is the third year that Watanabe Ing and Komeiji have hosted this special event, and the special recognition means a lot to the teens and their families. |
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| “Little House of Joy” | ||||
 The keiki in our Early Head Start Program now have their very own “House”. Each day as they go outside for their play-time, they get to visit their own playhouse, which was donated by Mayor Mufi Hanneman and Lei Nakamura and Pearl Spencer from the City & County of Honolulu, Youth Build Project.The playhouse has become very special to the children who wait diligently for their turn to walk up the front porch and then… JUMP up and down, waving hello through the windows! This activity goes on for a few minutes and then it’s the next group’s turn… Oh, the pleasure of being young and imaginative! When was the last time you jumped up and down, purely for the sake of joy? Thank you Mayor for the “Little House of Joy.” |
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| Starlight & Slippahs | |||
 On behalf of all of us at Parents And Children Together (PACT), the Starlight & Slippahs Planning Committee, and the families we serve, we would like to say “thank you” to all of you that helped make Starlight & Slippahs 2006 possible.Our Starlight & Slippahs event on December 5th was an incredible success —due in no small part to you and your contribution. More than 250 guests enjoyed the wonderful food, entertainment, auction, and a starry night on the lawn of the beautiful Royal Hawaiian Hotel. Starlight & Slippahs outdid itself once again, with over $62,000 raised to benefit our 13 Programs island-wide. To all of you, thank you, once again! Your hard work and generosity helped make this event a memorable evening! |
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| Starlight & Slippahs Benefactors of PACT | |||
| Senator Daniel K. Akaka Tom Allen Lorraine Alo Michael & Vennie Augusta Malcolm Bowekaty Don Brown Song Choi Peggy Chun Phillip Deaver Concetta DiLeo Kanani Duan Jackie Erickson Lui Faleafine Cappy Fasi Scott Foster Cathy Foy-Mahi Pam Freed Michael Freed Jocelyn Gonzalo Carolann Guy Robert Hail Frank Haines Mel Harada Jamie Hartnett Chuck Hill Ralph S. Ikeda Sara & Al Izen Elissa Josephsohn Kanani Kaauwai-Duan Bill Kaiwa Lowell Kalapa Donovan Kealoha Kent Keith Leilani Kellett Annie & Gregory Kemp Kent Kerr Michael Kitamura Maurice Kondo Muthusami Kumuran, PhD Sandy & Joel Kurosaki Wendy Lagareta |
Olin Lagon Melissa Lamerson Linda Lee Justin Levinson Linda Lewis Eileen Lota Ann Lujan Melissa Lyman Margaret Malone Haaheo Mansfield Ginger Miller Ann Miller Louis Montoya Arnold Morgado Miles & Pat Nakanishi Cynthia Nash Charles Nakoa Dana Nottage Joann Nunley Luke Oda Muffy Ohlmeyer Becky O'Reilly Nancy Pace Ruthann Quitiquit Florence Richards Sue Roach Ute Sandoval Jeffrey Schwartz David Shibata Marvin Silva Norma Spierings Allene Suemori Jan Sullivan Laura Thompson Kathy Tirrell Vicki Wallach John Webster John Whalen R.E. White Robert & Diane Witt |
Aloha Petroleum, Ltd. American Savings Bank Army Community Theatre Auntie Pasto's Ballet Hawaii Beach Glass Bingo Bluwater Grill CDS International Certified Management, Inc. Chino's Ltd. Chipln.com Clear Channel Communications Communications Pacific Compadres Bar & Grill Creative Holidays Curtis Wilson Cost Gallery Divine Maintenance Dixie Grill Dole Food Company Hawaii Durant Media 5 Elle Magazine Electronic Business Machines Enterprise Rent-A-Car First Hawaiian Bank Four Season's Resort Lana'i at Manele Bay Francis H. I'i Brown Golf Courses Garduque Architects, LLC Gentry Pacific Ltd. Grand Wailea Resort Hotel& Spa Guava Patch Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology Hawaii Prince Hotel Waikiki Hawaii Medical Service Association Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park Hilo Hatties Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa Hollywood Theatres |
Honolulu Zoo Society ING Life Insurance & Annuity Co. Island Air JJC Hawaii, LLC Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. Kela Associates Ko Olina Resort Kona Brewing Company Let's Eat Hawaii Makalei Golf Club Miki's Imports Mosaic Treasures Hawaii Native Books & Beautiful Things Ocean Club Paradise Beverages Pau Spam, Inc. Peter Vincent & Associates LLC Philip K. White & Associates Polynesian Cultural Center Queen's Health System Queen's Medical Center - Family Treatment Center Romano's Macaroni Grill Royal Hawaiian Hotel See's Candies Sam Hirota Inc Shanghai Bistro Starbucks Coffee Hawaii T.M. Hogan, Inc. The Honolulu Advertiser The Contemporary Museum The Marsha nadalin Salon The meng Dynasty The Pegge Hopper Gallery Three Brothers Inc. Tom Petrus & Miller, LLLC University Health Alliance University of Hawaii, Office of Intercollegiate Athletics Urban Real Estate |
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Keliie Harris, GM of Compadres Bar & Grill at Ward Centre, presents Ruthann Quitiquit President & CEO of PACT, and Cheryl Johnson Teen Program Director, with a check for $1,000 to support teen program activities. |
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