Kalaupapa Nonprofit Receives Award

Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa News Release

Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa was presented with a preservation award by Historic Hawaii Foundation last month for their efforts in designating January as Kalaupapa Month annually in Hawaii.

“Kalaupapa Month will be a way to bring the people of Kalaupapa back into their own history and to make sure their legacy lives on,” wrote Kiersten Faulkner, Executive Director of HHF in informing Ka ‘Ohana of the honor. “We congratulate Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa on their exemplary preservation efforts.”

It was the seventh preservation award bestowed upon by Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa by HHF in the past 10 years. Ka ‘Ohana was among the organizations and individuals across Hawaii that were singled out at the annual awards banquet hosted by HHF in Honolulu last month.

Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa is a nonprofit organization that was started in 2003 by residents of Kalaupapa,  family members, descendants and friends. Ka ‘Ohana conceived the idea of Kalaupapa Month as an opportunity to remember the people of Kalaupapa and focus on the history. Ka ‘Ohana chose January as Kalaupapa Month because of the number of significant dates that occured in January throughout the history of the settlement.

Leaders of Ka ‘Ohana proposed Kalaupapa Month to the State Legislature last year. Lawmakers unanimously passed the bill that was signed into law by Gov. David Ige. This past January was the first Kalaupapa Month, featuring media interviews with Kalaupapa descendants, webinars about the people of Kalaupapa and essays about the events associated with the various dates.

Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa recognized organizations and individuals who provided key support in establishing Kalaupapa Month: the Noa Webster Aluli Foundation, the Damien-Marianne Catholic Conference, the Sisters of St. Francis, graphics designer Tamara Lester and historian Anwei Law.

Ka ‘Ohana hopes that ways to observe Kalaupapa Month will expand in January 2023, with more teachers including different chapters of the history of Kalaupapa in their classrooms and more churches paying homage to the people of Kalaupapa, especially on Kalaupapa Sunday — designated by the Hawaii Conference of the United Church of Christ as the fourth Sunday of January. Most of all, Ka ‘Ohana hopes that families will come together to remember their Kalaupapa ancestors and learn more about their lives.

In early December, a link about upcoming Kalaupapa Month events and observations will be posted on the website of Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa: kalaupapaohana.org.