Ka Pa‘alana staff share insights and experiences with Mililani Middle School students March 16, 2012

On Wednesday, March 14, 2012, Lehua Rowland (Ka Pa‘alana Preschool Teacher) and Jaquanna Hernandez (Ka Pa‘alana Preschool Teacher’s Assistant) presented on behalf of Partners in Development Foundation’s Ka Pa‘alana at Mililani Middle School’s 8th grade Service Learning assembly. The two shared about their experiences being homeless and how they bettered themselves, in part, through the services they received at Ka Pa‘alana.

Over the past three years, Ka Pa‘alana has been the fortunate recipient of funds raised during the school’s annual walk-a-thon and countless volunteer hours from over five hundred (500) 8th grade students who have come out to our preschool sites and performed a variety of volunteer work.

The annual walk-a-thon started out as a community service project by Mililani Middle School to raise funds for the victims of Hurricane Katrina but has become a movement of sorts, spurring students to examine the problems facing the community around them and find ways to better the lives of others.

In past years, the students chose homelessness as one of the most prevalent problems in Hawai‘i, designating Partners in Development Foundation, specifically Ka Pa‘alana, to be the beneficiary of the funds raised during the walk-a-thon. Presentations, such as the one held on Wednesday, provide opportunities for students to learn about the work that these organizations are doing in the community and designate which organization will receive funds from this year’s walk-a-thon.

Partners in Development Foundation would like to extend a big mahalo to the administration, faculty, students, and families of Mililani Middle School for their generosity. It is only through partnerships such as these that we are able to continue serving families and communities in need.