5 leaders of local nonprofits honored at awards ceremony

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COURTESY PHOTOS

Left to right: William Akutagawa Jr., Christine Richardson, Paul Singer, John Leong, and Julianna Rapu Leong

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The Hawaii Community Foundation handed out its annual Hookele Awards on Thursday night to five nonprofit leaders who also received $10,000 for “professional development and personal renewal.”

William Akutagawa Jr., executive director of Na Puuwai; Christine Richardson, executive director of North Kohala Community Resource Center; and Paul Singer, head of school at Assets School, each were awarded $10,000.

John Leong, CEO and co-founder of Kupu, and Julianna Rapu Leong, secretary of the board of directors and co-founder of Kupu, shared a fourth $10,000 award.

“All were recognized for their contributions and commitment to their organizations and strengthening the community,” according to a news release from the Hawaii Community Foundation.

The foundation has given the Hookele Awards since 2002, handing out $600,000 to 63 nonprofit leaders, “the majority of which remain in the nonprofit and public sectors,” the news release said.

“As we celebrate our 100th anniversary for HCF and the 15th anniversary for the Hookele Award, we are honored to recognize these hardworking and inspiring individuals for their years of service in our community,” said Kelvin Taketa, CEO of the Hawaii Community Foundation. “While working in the nonprofit sector can be incredibly rewarding, it is also very demanding, which experiences high rates of burnout and turnover. By investing in our nonprofit leaders, we hope to bring about lasting change and build stronger communities in Hawaii.”

Na Puuwai is a Native Hawaiian health care system working on Molokai and Lanai.

North Kohala Community Resource Center helps community groups in North Kohala on the Big Island get funding for their projects.

Assets School, founded in 1969, educates gifted and/or dyslexic students.

Kupu does youth programs that “focus on conservation, renewable energy, agriculture and sustainability,” the release said.

The Hookele Awards are funded in part by the San Francisco-based Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation.

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CORRECTION: Kelvin Taketa is the CEO of the Hawaii Community Foundation. An earlier version of this story and a story on page B2 said he was president and CEO.