Category: Tutu's House

Shine On: The Peace Poles of Hawai'i Island Ke Ola Magazine / Ianuali - Pepeluali

1/12/2021

The Rotary Club of Kona Sunrise installed a peace pole at the Innovations Charter School. Photo courtesy of Rotary Club of Kona Sunrise.

Dark times call for light. This is the spirit behind the Peace Pole Project, a movement that is planting beacons for peace across the planet. Since its founding, the Peace Poles Project has spread worldwide with the first poles outside of Japan planted beginning in 1983. More than 200,000 peace poles have been planted in over 200 countries, many in sites of historic and ongoing strife. With the support of The Peace Pole Project promoted by The World Peace Prayer Society, as well as other groups such as Rotary Clubs, the movement continues to grow.
Seeking Peace
The planting of peace poles emerged from the spiritual journey of Japanese philosopher and author, Masahisa Goi. His spiritual path emerged from the dark hours of post-World War II; he realized in the course of his healing work, that people needed help healing their emotional side as well as the physical. To that end, he sought a simple practice that could be done by anyone.
After completing a course of rigorous spiritual training, Masahisa Goi founded Byakko Shinko Kai, an international grassroots organization that transcends cultural, religious, and political boundaries with the vision of promoting world peace through the prayer: “May Peace Prevail Upon Earth,” the first Peace Pole with that message, was planted in 1955 in Hiroshima.

Hilo Rotary Club members hosted an Open World delegation from Russia and together they planted a peace pole in Kuhio Kalaniana'ole Park. Photo courtesy of Charlene Iboshi.

Putting Hawai‘i Island Peace Poles on the Map
On Hawai‘i Island, a committee made up of five East Hawai‘i Rotary Clubs is shining a light on peace through several projects including peace poles. The vision of the Rotary Clubs’ Peace Committee “is not just avoiding conflict, but lifting the community and creating the opportunity for everyone to move forward,” said committee coordinator and Rotary Club of South Hilo member, Charlene Obashi.
   Five years ago, the committee, which is made up of members from Rotary Clubs of Hilo, South Hilo, Hilo Bay, Pāhoa, and Volcano, began their initial efforts with addressing homelessness. The first step was to give voice to the needs of the homeless in East Hawai‘i. This led to several projects such as working with Hope Services and other organizations to provide food, paint shelters, and plant food trees. “The idea of peace poles bubbled up out of our Peace Committee,” said Charlene.
   Their peace work added an international element when, in the fall of 2019, an Open World (OW) delegation visited Hawai‘i from Russia as part of the Peace Committee’s “Let’s Work it Out” series. Along with visiting energy research labs and sharing knowledge, the OW delegation and Rotary Club members planted a peace pole at Kuhio Kalaniana‘ole Park in Keaukaha.
Since beginning their program, the Peace Committee discovered many peace poles already planted on the island, some in need of refurbishment, and all in need of location and placement on a map, which became an ongoing committee project.
No journey away from home is complete for Bob Juettner, committee member and member of Rotary Club of Hilo Bay, unless he can verify another peace pole or two. Bob has faithfully been placing peace poles on the map with GPS coordinates that the committee hopes to use to create an app. When we spoke, Bob was off to West Hawai‘i on the trail of two new poles installed there; he also shared that a new peace pole was in the works for Kohala.
   “We have a dream that people will take a trip around the island and visit the peace poles and make a journey, internally as well as externally,” explained Tim Hansen, special programs director at the Hilo Prosecutor’s Office and Rotary Club of Hilo Bay member.

As part of the STARS program developed by the Hilo Prosecutor's Office, a peace garden and peace pole was installed. Photo courtesy of Tim Hansen.

Peace Poles around the Island
   Positive ideas, like sparks, can light fires. In 2018, when Al Jubitz, co-founder of the Rotarian Action Group for Peace, came to Hawai‘i Island to share some of the work being done nationally, he sparked island Rotarians into action.
Since that time, West Hawai‘i Rotary Club members have planted peace poles at several locations including Innovations Charter School. “The kids are a good way to start,” said Nestorio Domingo, Rotary Club of Kona Sunrise member and past president. In addition, the club has also planted peace poles at the Old Kona Airport Park, the West Hawai‘i Civic Center, and Pālamanui Community College
Probably one of the oldest peace poles on the island resides at Paleaku Peace Garden. A group from Japan brought a peace pole to the island, seeking a home here. Their journey brought them to the Paleaku Peace Garden in Captain Cook where it was planted overlooking the Kona coast, amongst the many other symbols of peace from a myriad of cultures and faiths.
   Peace poles have been planted for many different reasons as a symbol of awareness, a meditational focus for healing, to honor a loved one, or commemorate an event. In Pāhoa, now in the process of recovery from the 2018 volcanic eruptions, a peace pole, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Pāhoa Sunset, was planted at the newly opened Puna Kai Shopping Center and displays the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in eight languages.
   “The peace pole stands as a reminder to think peace,” said Deborah Nichols, Rotary Club of Pāhoa Sunset president. “The Rotary Club picked Puna Kai Shopping Center because it represents a new beginning for our little town,” she added.
   If you have occasion to visit the Prosecutor’s Office in Hilo, in the midst of daily human drama, you will find STARS Peace Garden planted with a peace pole, a memorial to the victims of homicide and their families.
“When we established the garden in Hilo, we knew we wanted a peace pole. We wanted peace to prevail in our community and also in our hearts. The presence of the peace pole in the garden helps people who visit to center and focus. It’s not only to remember our loved ones who were killed, but it’s also for the community and the person who did that harm. It’s an individual journey, a community journey and a world journey,” reflected Tim.
   The peace pole at Tutu’s House in Waimea was planted in September 1995, the 50th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. Sophie Oki, then the director, invited Tyrone Rheinhart, who was in Hawai‘i with a delegation of 47 Japanese visitors, to plant a peace pole.
The pole was replanted when Tutu’s House moved to their current location and the recipients of Medtronicʻs “Live On. Give On.” award (sponsored by Earl Bakken) created a garden around it. The following year when the award recipients came, the cap was taken off the top of the Peace Pole and they wrote messages of peace to be sealed inside.

Rotary Club members from Volcano and Hilo gathered to install a peace pole at the Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. Photo courtesy of Charlene Iboshi.

Volcano Art Center: Community Hub
Paul Field, president of Rotary Club of Volcano was contacted by Charlene about planting a peace pole. “The Volcano Art Center is the hub of the community so we decided to install it there. Mike Nelson and the art center jumped right in. We had a little ceremony with 10 people. We have a plaque under the pole that explains it,” said Paul.
During the ceremony, artist Julie Williams shared her story. “Last year when I went to Hiroshima and saw the peace pole there, I thought it would be so great to have one at the Volcano Art Center [VAC] and then Paul told me that the Rotary Club would like to donate one,” explained Julie.
But the VAC isn’t going to stop there. “This pole has inspired another project at the art center called the Positive Post Project. We are reaching out to six artists and other service clubs to do smaller posts that will have artwork and a positive statement and will be planted along the edge of the forest,” she added.

Members of the Hilo Rotary clubs and the Russian delegation installing a peace pole in Kalaniana'ole Park, adjacent to Lili'uokalani Gardens. Photo courtesy of Charlene Iboshi.

Lili‘uokalani Garden: A Community Treasure
Another peace pole was discovered in Rakuen, an area behind Suisan that is part of Lili‘uokalani Gardens. Landscape architect Kazuo Nakamura developed a waterfall that flowed into a pond that could be viewed from the Nihon Cultural Center, now the Hilo Bay Café.
“At some point between the Nihon Cultural Center and Hilo Bay Café, the peace pole was installed. But the pathway and the pond and the grounds surrounding it have become overgrown and the pole text has been painted over. There's an effort to restore that area around the peace pole as well as the peace pole itself. It’s a real community treasure. You just put the word out that something needs to be done and people show up. The Rotary Clubs came out like gangbusters,” said K.T. Canon-Eger, founder and president of Friends of Lili‘uokalani Garden.
The aloha spirit of Hawai‘i Island has rich resources for peace and so it’s no surprise at the number of peace poles here. Peace begins in the heart of the individual and is about making connections and creating communities that foster beauty and become beacons of peace amidst the chaos of our modern world.

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Tutu's House: Celebrating 25 years of Community, Health and Wellness Ke Ola Magazine Nov / Dec 2019

11/11/2019

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Earl Bakken: A celebration of a life well lived. Photo courtesy of FOF.

   Nowhere is the aloha spirit of the Waimea and Hawai‘i Island communities more evident than at Tutu’s House. Dropping by on any given day, one can find a constant flow of activities where community members are making connections, building relationships, sharing new skills, and seeking health and wellness information.
Tutu’s House has thrived for the last 25 years as the result of the heart/mind connections of a community of people who believe in the power of love. Based on Hawaiian values, Tutu’s House is a place of wisdom, knowledge, and acceptance.
Tutu’s House was primarily the brainchild of Earl Bakken, who was encouraging North Hawai‘i Community Hospital to include a resource center in the hospital. Originally slated to be a part of the NHCH, by the time the hospital finally opened in 1996, Tutu’s House had been in operation for two years and had outgrown any purview or space that might have been available at the hospital.
   Tutu’s House is a blend of western, complementary, and cultural approaches to health and wellness. At the time of its inception, Earl was on the board of the Friends of the Future (FOF) and had a special focus of health and wellness. The inventor of the implantable pacemaker, Earl was steeped in medical science but saw the importance of relationship beyond technology.
“His idea was a combination of tech and love. He noticed that it [the pacemaker] worked better depending on who installed it. High tech and high touch need to go together,” said Richard Spiegel, who gave Tutu’s House its name. “We were all looking at how to manifest that and make it useful for individuals and the community,” he added.
   Working within FOF, Earl and a handful of like-minded community members laid the philosophical foundation of a place where people could come for non-judgmental acceptance and the wisdom that only a tutu (grandmother) could provide.

Tutu's House participants can sample movement activities such as chair yoga. Although Zettelyss Amora has moved away from Hawai'i, she returns frequently and leads other activities. Photo courtesy of FOF

Program Leaders
   A gem with many different facets, Tutu’s House has been the beneficiary of a series of dedicated program leaders. When it opened in 1994, long-time community members Noni Kuhns, program leader, and Linda Kalawa, ‘ohana facilitator, were at the helm.
   Having led cancer retreats using alternative therapies, Noni came to the attention of Earl, who enlisted her help to get the then-unnamed resource center underway.
   “When people saw their [Noni and Linda’s] faces, they really had a connection to them in the sense that if they were part of it, it must be a good place. They gave it its initial form, what it was meant to be, based on the importance of relationship and connection,” explained Susan Maddox, FOF executive team leader.
During the first seven years, the Tutu’s House calendar provided a range of classes to promote healthy living including vibrational healing, meditation, listening partnerships, sleep wellness, and biofeedback. These were enhanced by creative offerings such as hula and ‘ukulele.
In 2001, the next program leader, Dana Moody, came to Tutu’s House. Originally a photojournalist, Dana approached Tutu’s House with an offer of a slide presentation of the around-the-world journey she took with her sister, Peggy, who also offered a series of communications classes.
In the six years Dana was there, she guided Tutu’s House through two moves from the original tiny space in Parker Ranch enter to a larger space there, and finally to their current location in the rear building of the Kamuela Business Center.
Dana continued to explore the intersection of medical fields and alternative approaches to health and wellness, adding yoga and women’s groups to Tutu’s House, including a women’s cancer support group. During her tenure, she also traveled to Washington DC to share the Tutu’s House story at a health and wellness conference.
The current program leader, Lorraine Urbic came to Tutu’s House from a life of community service through the foster care system. Tutu’s House provided space for her to recruit and train foster parents and gave her a longtime appreciation of the programs available.
“I was always intrigued by Tutu's House but with working and raising children, I couldnʻt come. What Iʻve tried to do during my 12 years here is to expand the program to have things scheduled after-hours and on weekends so that people who are 40-hours-a-week people can enjoy what can happen here,” explained Lorraine.

The Tuesday morning 'ukulele group gathers weekly to share music, laughter and lunch. Photo by Jan Wizinowich

Running for more than 10 years, Gretchen Geisler has led the knitting group with creativity and fellowship, here with January Heron. Photo courtesy of FOF

Offerings
During those initial years, Tutu’s House, “continued to expand that definition of health and wellness. It took on a life of its own and it wasnʻt by design. There wasnʻt that notion that weʻre going to do this, this, and this, and we were going to work towards specific outcomes. It was allowed to unfold in the way it worked in the community and the way it was effective for folks,” reflected Susan.
Along with funding resources, Earl was a conduit through which Tutu’s House could be connected to the world community and such pioneers of mind/body medicine as Dr. Oz and Harvard professor Dr. Herbert Benson, to name just a couple.
With a philosophy based on community connections and relationships, Tutu’s House has provided the space and support for community programs that are multifaceted and continue to broaden the concepts of health and wellness.
“Every person who came into Tutuʻs House was a gift to me and my goal was finding out what that gift was. Either a story they shared or an experience and a learning lesson,” remembers Joan Campbell, Health Maps leader.
The quilters’ group meets on a regular basis and has expanded to the dyeing of fabrics. FOF Resource Development Leader Michelle Medeiros asks: “What does a creative endeavor have to do with health? The longevity of a person can be predicted based on the number of social interactions that person has on a daily basis. Also, the quilting and knitting groups check up on each other, and the quilting group even created a driving schedule for a member that had to go to Hilo for chemo.”
Space is open to anyone who has a passion for something that they want to share; credentials are not necessary. One of the most successful programs has been the writers’ group, began by the late John Holland. “He showed up week after week and sat in that room and wrote. Eventually one or two people came and now it’s grown in number and to professional levels of publishing and readings,” said Lorraine.
The Tuesday morning ‘ukulele group is another longtime offering. Began by Aunty Elaine Loo and carried on by Aunty Margie Spencer, it continues, now led by a group member. Participants make joyful music, and share laughter and lunch.

Maureen Garry shares approaches to Build a Better Brain twice a month. Photo courtesy of FOF

Nested Programs
Health maps and Earl’s Garage were additional dimensions of the program offerings of Tutu’s House, expanding the range of people served.

Health Maps
   Seeing the need for health education and information sources, Earl also guided an adjunct program called Health Maps in 1996 and hired public health specialist, Joan Campbell, to assist. The internet was really starting to grow and to make a dizzying amount of medical information available.
   “They would have a diagnosis where they were being challenged by their health and they wanted to learn more. Iʻd go online and help them find information about it,” explained Joan.
   This was balanced out by the wisdom of Hawaiian health practices. One early mainstay was la‘au lapa‘au practitioner, Henry “Papa” Auwae. Papa offered many presentations on traditional Hawaiian healing, which blends spirituality with tangible plant medicines. “One of my favorite times was when Papa Henry Auwae would come in. He shared so much about Hawai‘i and healing,” said Joan.
Although Health Maps focused on science, it was embedded in the Tutu’s House philosophy of love and connection. “Opening up and talking to people about your life, and sharing and taking the time to do that was super important, and part of the healing process. That was foundational for me,” remembers Joan.

Earl’s Garage
Earl’s Garage is a program that was near and dear to Earl Bakken’s heart. Began in 1999 with help from Parker Ranch, it is a re-creation of sorts of the garage where, with only a few basic tools, Earl’s tinkering led to the invention of the implantable pacemaker.
Originally developed by Michelle Medeiros, who had arrived at Tutu’s House in 1998 as a volunteer and six months later was on staff, Earl’s Garage provides a place where kids can follow their curiosity, invent, and explore their world. Twenty years later, it’s still going strong. “It’s what Tutu’s House is all about. The sharing of our own gifts and passions. It helps kids recognize the gift of curiosity and how to develop it,” recalls Michelle.

The Future
   For the last 25 years, Tutu’s House has touched the lives of many people and will continue to do so. What Tutu’s House will look like in the next 25 years will be guided by the reflections and inspirations of community members. “Because weʻre celebrating the 25th anniversary, I want to meet with people to ask them about their vision. Iʻd like to serve more people and have more variety. We are always changing because we have new participants,” said Michelle.
While the world and our tiny community is constantly changing, Tutu’s House will continue to provide the conditions for positive growth, where Waimea residents and beyond can sink roots and strengthen each other.

For more information: tutushouse.org

Bernie Ohia, 'ohana facilitator, discusses the latest newsletter with Michelle Medeiros, FOF resource development leader. Photo by Jan Wizinowich

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Community voices: North Hawaiʽi non-profits / Special to North Hawaii News / October 2015

8/13/2016

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NKCRC's office and welcome center.

Like a voyaging canoe, our island’s spirit fosters lokahi (unity) and it is this spirit that has created the broad network of non-profit organizations (NPO) in North Hawaiʽi. Currently 166 strong, NPOs cover a wide range of projects geared towards creating thriving healthy communities by providing programs to connect with and perpetuate indigenous culture; that enrich educational experiences; and promote the health and wellness of both people and the environment.
The relationship between the NPOs of North Hawaiʽi and the communities they serve can be likened to that of a skilled gardener to a thriving garden. The aware gardener lets the garden speak and then responds by creating the necessary conditions for growth. This is at the heart of NPO umbrella organizations such as the Kohala Center, Friends of the Future (FOF) and North Kohala Community Resource Center (NKCRC). “We don't tell the community what it needs. The community comes to us and tells us what they think they need,” says Christina Richardson, NKCRC’s executive director.

Friends of the Future is located above Tutu's House

The Island Difference
Mainland communities with a broader tax base fill many of the needs that are answered by North Hawaiʽi NPOs. “We fulfill a lot of service roles that on the mainland or other parts of the world would be fulfilled by either municipal governments, health departments or parks and recreation. Non-profits take on a lot of functions here that would ordinarily be provided by a different structure,” says Susan Maddox, FOF’s executive director.
       Primary to how NPOs of North Hawaiʽi operate is acknowledging community intelligence. The FOF began in 1991, inspired by its founder Kenneth Francis Brown, great grandson of John Papa I’i, advisor to King Kamehameha IV. For Brown, community health had a broad definition and was based in ancient Hawaiian knowledge systems and practices.
       “Kenneth Brown felt that the community can best determine what they need for health and wellness. The foundation of FOF came about from a series of conversations [Brown had] over the years to see what kinds of ideas might bubble up about community health,” says Maddox.
       Tutu’s House is FOF’s longest running program and has served as an educational, health and wellness resource since 1994. Other programs include the areas of cultural preservation through oral histories with Hui Kuapa; conservation and agriculture with the Waipiʽo Valley Community Circle; and education with the Hawaiʽi Island Leadership Series, Earl’s Garage and Baby Steps.

Matt Hamabata with staff members Cortney Okumura, Stella Caban and Nancy Redfeather at their new campus on Kohala Mountain. (PHOTO COURTESY OF THE KOHALA CENTER)

The Kohala Center, which began in 2000, was based on a community health survey that asked: What would make us a happier, healthier community? “Public health folks went out to the community in and around Waimea and despite all the dreadful problems we struggle with (diabetes, drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence), people didn't ask for more social services, they asked for social change,” says Matt Hamabata, recently retired director of the Kohala Center. “We didn't need money. It just needed a change of perspective. It's about valuing ourselves as local people,” he adds.
The Kohala Center now has eight areas of support including educational programs such as the Malaʽai Culinary Garden and Hawaii Island School Garden Network; agriculture with the Beginning Farmer Rancher Development Program and Hawaii Public Seed Initiative; and conservation with the Kohala Watershed Partnership and the Kahaluʽu Bay Education Center.

NKCRC Executive Director Christina Richardson with Office Manager Juanita Rivera and Associate Director Megan Solis. (PHOTO COURTESY OF NKCRC)

Hui: Come Together, Make Connections
Many hard working people, infused with the spirit of Aloha, have come together to create the umbrella organizations that facilitate the plethora of NPOs in North Hawaii. The North Kohala Community Resource Center was born from the vision of an umbrella organization that would serve all aspects of North Kohala community life, that Bob Martin shared with a group of concerned residents whose “hearts were in the community”. The NKCRC now has an array of programs under their umbrella that includes agriculture, conservation, education and cultural preservation.
“We have helped put music, art and yoga in the public schools. We've got some great equine programs that we do including Lio Lapaʽau and the Kohala Equine Education Center. They're all about preserving the paniolo culture, making sure the kids can learn to ride and to understand how important horses are in our history, our story,” says Richardson.

Friends of the Future’s Executive Director Susan Maddox

North Hawaiʽi NPOs also advocate for communities by creating bridges between community voices and broader social contexts. “One of the things that is so exciting to me about The Kohala Center is that all of our staff, our board, recognize community intelligence and tap into it, foster it and connect it with the best institutions on this island, in the state and nationally,” says Hamabata.
But it’s not just about seeking grant monies. Beyond finding funding, it’s seeing points of connection that tap into community expertise and knowledge that make North Hawaiʽi NPOs effective beyond all expectations. “Non-profits tend to work together and network, creating something larger than any one (NPO) could individually. And in the FOF’s case, a number of programs that have come through have found interesting connections between themselves that wouldn't have necessarily happened if each of those programs were its own independent 501 c3,” Maddox says.

     North Hawaiʽi NPOs have attracted notice outside the island community. “I have funders on Oʽahu now who come to talk to me about going to other small typical communities like this in the state and teach them how to create a non-profit,” says Richardson.
      On the world stage, Kohala Center’s new Executive Director Kamana Beamer has entered the international arena. “He's just created a research agreement with the food and agriculture organization of the U.N. and has already been to Rome and Bogota,” says Hamabata.
        It seems that the ancestral spirit of the land has spoken through the island communities, and the North Hawaii NPOs have listened and responded. “The Hawaiians have always thrived at the intersection of human and natural systems. So if we put those two things together, the island planet and this fantastic knowledge system about how to live well in kinship with nature, we can become a model for the world,” Hamabata concludes.

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Shine On: The Peace Poles of Hawai'i Island Ke Ola Magazine / Ianuali - Pepeluali

Tutu's House: Celebrating 25 years of Community, Health and Wellness Ke Ola Magazine Nov / Dec 2019

Community voices: North Hawaiʽi non-profits / Special to North Hawaii News / October 2015

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