We launched a capital campaign to purchase land and build a preschool, a meeting and training center, office space for our administrative offices along with an outdoor "classroom" that will include a taro patch, aquaculture system, 'imu, lei garden, medicinal plant garden and outdoor meeting area (halau) in 2006.

This project was the outcome of four years of planning and the input from hundreds of community members. We were blessed to receive a 2.0 million dollar grant from the Hawai'i State Legislature for land acquisition. Governor Lingle appropriated the $2.0 million in December and we closed on 3 acres in Kalihi Valley in December 2006!

We also received a $200,000 grant from the federal government's Administration of Native American funding stream to create the outdoor classroom of native plants in October of 2006. This project is in full swing with 4 planting dates scheduled for the end of June and beginning of July 2007.

We are still looking for support to build our preschool, meeting facilities, offices and to pay the balance of the land acquisition ($700,000). If you would like to donate, we would love to have your support!

The intended beneficiaries are:

• Families with children ages prenatal-5 (with priority given to at-risk families)

• Children whose parents are participants in any of our programs

• Low to moderate income students K-12th

• Children (0-5) of incarcerated parents, their caregivers and the parents when they are released from prison

• Charter schools, Higher Education cultural and education programs

• Teachers and principals of Hawai'i schools who are in restructuring.

Anticipated outcomes include

• Families will receive parenting skills that will help them help their children in school

• Children will be more equipped for school and ready to learn before they enter Kindergarten so that less remedial efforts will be necessary

• Students who need remedial assistance will have a place to participate in alternative education experiences proven effective with students who are challenged in the classroom

• Teachers will have a practical outdoor classroom to learn alternate ways of teaching in order to be more effective teachers of children who are low to moderate income and have a harder time succeeding in school

• Charter schools who have don't have the same kinds of classroom facilities as other Hawai'i schools will have access to an outdoor cultural classroom