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Boysie Burdett
Kōkua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services

Every day, he brings up the energy of the 'aina-based advocates, some through partnerships with other organizations. He is always driving an impressive pace for malama 'aina with his action and keeping the team mindful of the many blessings all around them with his grounding words. His humble and grateful approach to loving land and people are a manifestation of ancestral values. As part of an organization-wide initiative to care for our community, Uncle Boysie's positive outlook is an emblem of our valley―grateful, connected, eager to help, holding us all in love.

Kōkua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services (KKV) is a community health center and federally qualified health center that serves the ahupua’a of Kalihi on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.

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Jillian Okamoto
Catholic Charities Hawaii

In addition to her responsibilities as Division Administrator for the Housing Assistance & Referral Program, Jillian led the CCH program for the State rent relief with very little notice and a short turnaround time. Moreover, in the midst of this launch, she taught herself new software and then turned around and trained over 200 specialists in a short period of time. She works weekends and nights, to make sure all the details are carried out, ensuring over $35 million in rent subsidy and 12,000 applications are processed, all while overseeing two transitional shelters and five housing programs.

Catholic Charities Hawaii provides a wide range of social services with dignity, compassion, social justice, and a commitment to excellence.

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Jared Medeiros
Lāna‘i Community Health Center

In March, when the COVID pandemic started, senior leadership was grounded and not able to travel due to age putting the team in the high-risk category. Jared was, and continues to be, the ‘boots on the ground.’ He represents LCHC at meetings, and is a reliable, known ‘face’ for the community. He has identified best practices, implementing changes needed to keep LCHC staff and patients safe and calm. He employed safety practices as if COVID were present on the island…from day 1. Which meant that LCHC was well prepared for when COVID hit the shores of Lanai.

Lāna‘i Community Health Center provides health services to the community of Lanai that enrich and empower lives to help build healthy families in a supportive environment.

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Donna Sallas
Waikīkī Community Center

Donna Sallas has been committed to our kūpuna, keiki and community for more than a decade, and since COVID-19 has continued going above and beyond for our fellow community members in need. As the Waikīkī Community Center Facilities Manager, Donna has been on site all day, every day during the pandemic, even while some of the other staff worked remotely, to ensure smooth operations for the six other nonprofit organizations on the facility, including Waikiki Health. Donna has always jumped in to do whatever was needed to help, without regard to whether it was “part of her job.” She has thrown herself into meeting many other needs since COVID-19.

Waikīkī Community Center is a non-profit organization focused on caring for our keiki, kūpuna, and community as `ohana.

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Terri Raidmae
Hale Mahaolu

Terri Raidmae has gamely and professionally led the Hale Mahaolu Meals Program to accommodate for a tremendous increase in demand for home delivered meals to help feed senior citizens in pandemic conditions where other safe alternatives have simply not been available. Terri and her staff have not had a day off since the pandemic began. They have been serving over 20,000 meals per month for most of 2020, and they have done it all with a smile and a spirit of aloha that makes us proud.

Hale Mahaolu provides rental housing, related facilities, and supportive services specially designed to meet the physical, social, and psychological needs of Maui County residents.

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Ringo Betti
Helping Hands Hawai'i

Ringo is a steady force that the Community Clearinghouse team counts on to make decisions and adjustments to their warehouse operations that will improve the experience for the individuals Helping Hands Hawai'i serves and the donors who support the program. He is a leader in his own quiet way, never complains, is very customer-service oriented and highly dependable to get the job done. Although COVID-19 closed the Community Clearinghouse to visitors from April-September, Ringo’s work to help our consumers and staff never stopped. He worked on projects to keep consumers safe once we were able to reopen and also to improve on-site safety.

Helping Hands Hawai'i aims to develop community self-sufficiency and resilience by providing guidance, household goods and opportunities for empowerment and connection.

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Minette Lew-McCabe
American Red Cross, Hawaii State Chapter

Minette works every day to create and grow partnerships between the Red Cross and local organizations to fuel their lifesaving mission. She spends hours behind her desk, researching, writing, connecting with people. But the tables turned in October, when she got a call from her supervisor: "The California wildfire response effort really needs volunteers. Can you be ready to go in two days?" And so Minette felt the drive to contribute in a new way: in person, on-the-ground, doing meal delivery for fire survivors in Redding, CA. Mahalo Minette, for your sacrifice and that of your family!

The American Red Cross of Hawaii provides awareness, preparation and direct relief support during emergencies and disasters.

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LaVerne Tolmie
HOPE Services Hawai'i

Compassionate leadership is not a spectator sport, and LaVerne exhibits an unwavering commitment to serving our neighbors experiencing homelessness while centering and respecting their humanity. From leading fundraising efforts to volunteering with our Street Medicine team, LaVerne’s bravery, tenacity, and humility serve as a model and inspiration in our community. Her steadfast commitment to action inspires the many groups she belongs to, to take on more meaningful projects, encourages deeper levels of commitment, and strengthens our capacity to respond to our community’s needs.

HOPE Services Hawai'i is the largest homeless services provider on Hawaii Island and is working to make homelessness on Hawaii Island rare, brief, and nonrecurring.

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Kaloku Kahalepo
Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement

Along with holding on to her Executive Assistant responsibilities, Kaloku has also accepted the kuleana of managing CNHA’s Pop Up Mākeke (PUM) and has been the glue of PUM keeping it all together. CNHA birthed PUM in response to the impact the pandemic has had on local businesses during these unprecedented times and her commitment is unmatched. Kaloku continuously goes above and beyond by working late nights and weekends; providing oversight and direction to ensure PUM is successful. Kaloku is an effective contributor to CNHA’s success and her hard work is much appreciated!

The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement provides access to capital, financial education, and individualized financial counseling services with a focus on low and moderate-income families.

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Lee Remigio
Hawaii Foodbank Kaua'i

Like many others around the State of Hawaii, Lee Remigio found himself in the middle of a global pandemic and his employer had placed him on furlough. Concerned of what the future held for his family, he decided to take a chance by permanently leaving his job on Oahu and finding employment with the Hawaii Foodbank Kaua'i. Taking on a leadership role of Operations Supervisor at the Hawaii Foodbank Kauai, Lee found himself at the forefront of hunger relief on an island with increasing unemployment and a deteriorating economy. This new job required a “can do” attitude, a quick learning curve, and commitment to the mission of the food bank. Lee quickly rose to the challenge and proved himself the right person for the job.

The Hawaii Foodbank Kauai provides food assistance to the community of Kauai, including the low income, elderly, children, homeless, unemployed, and those experiencing temporary food emergencies.

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Rona Kahoonei
Hawaiian Community Assets

Rona Kahoonei has served as Office Manager with Hawaiian Community Assets for the last 16 years. In this role, she has managed the organization’s back-end operations which has allowed their team to provide free financial education and housing counseling to more than 16,000 Hawaii residents during her time on staff. Since April 2020, Rona has played a critical role in disbursing $12 million in grants and loans that have helped 1,729 of our Hawaii households impacted by COVID stay in their homes.

Hawaiian Community Assets builds the capacity of low- and moderate-income communities to achieve and sustain economic self-sufficiency with a particular focus on Native Hawaiians.

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Edimar Daguio
YMCA Honolulu

Heroes are often the unseen and selfless servants in any organization. Edimar Daguio is such a hero! Edimar consistently goes beyond his job responsibilities to help with the food distribution to Kupuna and to Keiki in our community. He always seeks to serve with an irrepressible smile and a willing heart. Whether setting up logistics or handing out bags of produce, or staying late to help, he gives his whole self, always!

The YMCA of Honolulu serves more than 100,000 individuals each year through its Youth Development, Healthy Living, and Social Responsibility programs and services.