Meeting to describe homeless initiatives
Programs to tackle homelessness in Hawaii will be detailed during a luncheon session today sponsored by the Kokua Council.
The session will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Miyama Main Hall at Harris United Methodist Church, 20 S. Vineyard Blvd.
The speakers are Lori Tsuhako, administrator of the Homeless Programs Office with the state Department of Human Services; Jun Yang, executive director of the city Office of Housing; Jerry Coffee, clinical director at the Institute for Human Services; and Jenny Lee, staff attorney with the Hawai‘i Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice.
They will be introduced by Larry Geller, president of the Kokua Council, an advocacy group that seeks to empower citizens to shape the future of the community.
Administrator chosen employee of year
A Hawaii school administrator who developed teacher effectiveness training used as a model statewide has won the Department of Education’s Employee of the Year award.
The department says Donna Therrien’s program started in the 2012-2013 school year, when she took initiative to provide the training for teachers in 16 schools.
The training offers strategies to help teachers boost student achievement.
Six members of the Kaala Food Services Team won team of the year. The team serves food to about 450 students, 75 staff and students in Head Start. About 85 percent of Kaala students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. Department officials say the team has been introducing the students to new, healthful foods the past three years.
The awards were given Friday at the state Capitol.
Ag boosts Kauai, economist says
A prominent economist says Kauai can look forward to continued growth and an improving economy in 2014, thanks in large part to coffee and seed companies.
Jack Suyderhoud, a professor of business economics at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, addressed about 400 people Thursday at the 39th annual First Hawaiian Bank Economic Outlook Forum at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa.
The Garden Island reported that land for crops on Kauai dropped to 22,000 acres in 2007 from more than 50,000 acres in 1987. During that period the number of farmworkers dropped to 1,300 from more than 2,000.
"These declines would have been even greater without the rise of coffee, seed corn and other diversified ag ventures," Suyderhoud said. Kauai Coffee has 3,100 acres planted with 4 million trees, making it the largest coffee company in Hawaii.
"Tourism will continue to grow," he added.
Soetoro-Ng given Aloha Peace Prize
Maya Soetoro-Ng, an assistant professor of education at the University of Hawaii and President Barack Obama’s half sister, has been awarded the inaugural Aloha Peace Prize from the Big Island Chapter of the United Nations Association.
The chapter created the award to recognize individuals — not just in Hawaii, but around the world — who promote peace and represent the idea of aloha, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reports.
Sara Burgess, the chapter’s event coordinator, recalled meeting Soetoro-Ng and being impressed with her positive attitude and work promoting peace education and community building in schools.
Soetoro-Ng said she is "very flattered" at the prize, awarded Sept. 14.
