[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 11100]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                THE 30TH ANNIVERSASRY OF ALU LIKE, INC.

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. ED CASE

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 24, 2005

  Mr. CASE. Mr. Speaker, I take this opportunity to recognize and 
congratulate a remarkable organization, Alu Like, Inc., as it marks its 
30th anniversary of service to my Hawai`i's Native Hawaiian community.
  Alu Like, which means ``striving (working) together,'' was 
established in 1975 to promote social and economic self-sufficiency 
among Native Hawaiians. The organization was given its name by kupuna 
Mary Kawena Pukui, and its motto, ``E alu like mai kakou, e na `oiwi o 
Hawai`i'' (Let us work together natives of Hawai`i), by kupuna Edith 
Kanaka`ole.
  Now with 238 employees located throughout the State of Hawai`i 
(Hawai`i, Kaua`i, Lana`i, Maui, Moloka`i, and O`ahu), it has grown into 
one of Hawai`i's most successful service agencies and has been 
instrumental in improving the quality of life for our Native Hawaiian 
community from early childhood to kupuna (elderly) programs. These 
include a range of services and activities such as economic 
development, business assistance, employment preparation, training, 
library services, and educational and childcare services for families 
with young children, all tailored to the specific often unique, needs 
of Hawai`i's indigenous people. Current services include: Ho`okahua--
Early Childhood; Ho`olokahi--High Risk Reduction; Ho`omanea `Oiwi--
Education and Employment; Ka Ipu Ka`eo--Education and Training; Kulia 
Like--Financial Literacy and Kumu Kahi--Elderly Services.
  Throughout its thirty years, Alu Like has served more than 100,000 
people, and continues to form strong partnerships with other service 
providers. To increase its outreach to our community, Alu Like has also 
worked closely and collaboratively to expand its commitment to 
education and language preservation through its Native Hawaiian Library 
and to community service through its AmeriCorps Project.
  As always, the success of any organization requires strong and 
sustained leadership from its staff and board of directors, and Alu 
Like has benefited greatly from a whole generation of such leaders. 
These include its visionaries--Myron ``Pinky'' Thompson, Alvin Shim, 
James Bacon, Yukio Naito, David Peters, and Winona Ellis Rubin--and 
directors over the years, as well as its Presidents/CEOs, who have 
included: Winona Ellis Rubin, Myron ``Pinky'' Thompson, David Helela, 
Masaru Oshiro, S. Haunani Apoliona, and Tara Lulani Arquette.
  Under the current leadership of Mervina K.M. Cash-Kaeo, President/
CEO, I have every confidence that Alu Like will continue to be a 
leading service organization in its promotion of social and economic 
self-sufficiency for all Native Hawaiians. But today is a time for us 
simply to reflect on the great success of our Alu Like `ohana (family), 
all of whom deserve our praise and commendation for a job truly well 
done.
  Mahalo, and aloha!

                          ____________________