Beauty of the First District's 2009 Congressional Art Contest All entries to this year's Congressional Art Competition are now on display in Pearl City, Hawaii at Pearlridge Center-Uptown. Winners will be announced on Saturday when Neil presides over an awards ceremony at Pearlridge. One of the student entries appears below: it's a photo of the sink at the end of a day's work in an art class! One of the judges noted how it's always special to see an artist capture incredible beauty, or art, from a most unlikely location. Below, left is a wide shot of the piece; below right is a close up.
Helping immigrants become naturalized citizens Neil and his staff joined community and professional groups to organize an annual Citizenship Fair to provide free help to legal immigrants who want to become naturalized U.S. citizens. One of the fair's primary functions is to help assess an immigrant's ability to become a citizen and to start them on the process which involves completion of a lengthy application. This often involves poring through documents to ensure that an immigrant's legal records are in order. Volunteers from Neil's office, the Hawaii Immigrant Justice Center (the only legal services nonprofit in Hawaii that defends and advances the human rights of immigrants), Volunteer Legal Services Hawaii, William S. Richardson School of Law – Immigration Law Clinic, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association – Hawaii Chapter organized and ran the event at Honolulu Community College on April 18, 2009. Nearly 50 immigrants received help during appointments that typically lasted one hour per person. The date is observed nationally as “Citizenship Day” when groups across the country help eligible permanent residents become naturalized citizens. See news reports about the fair in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and KHNL News 8 in Hawaii. Below: Neil listens to one of the fair's clients talk about his hope to become a naturalized U.S. citizen. Two volunteers help a client (wearing white t-shirt) look through his paperwork to complete a citizenship application. Neil poses with the staff of the Hawaii Immigration Justice Center during the fair. (Photos/Randy Obata)
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Day of astronomy, business, and education (4/15/09) Neil was busy today in Hilo, Hawaii where he visited the Imiloa Astronomy Center at the University of Hawaii at Hilo on his first stop of the morning. The center's associate director, Ka'iu Kimura led Neil through a tour of the facility which reflects the Hawaiian voyages of discovery and the exploration of astronomy.
Then it was off to join Professor Todd Belt and some of his students at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. Neil was the guest lecturer for the day in Professor Belt's class, "The Presidency and Congress." Great topic, considering the fact that the President is Hawaii-born, and Neil knew the President's mother and father when they were all students at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Neil also got to know the President as a young boy growing up in Hawaii.
Later in the afternoon, Neil addressed a business luncheon hosted by the Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce at the Hawaii Innovation Center then recorded a half-hour radio interview with Sherry Bracken, Public Affairs Director of Mahalo Broadcasting Radio Stations. Sherry hosts the program, "Island Issues," which will be heard on Sunday, April 19, 2009 on KOA Country 107.7 FM and LAVA 105.3 FM. The program may also be heared online on LAVA 105.3 FM starting at 8 A.M. Sunday (Hawaiian Standard Time/2 P.M. Eastern). Below,clockwise: Hawaii Chamber of Commerce members greet Neil. His Hilo visit included a tour of Imiloa Astronomy Center with Associate Director Ka'iu Kimura and a meetingwith directors of Aha Punana Leo, a nonprofit serving the Native Hawaiian language community. At the chamber luncheon with (left to right) Barbara Hastings, Kurt Corin, and Judi Steinman. (Photos/Amy Asselbaye).
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GEAR UP for college A $3.2 million dollar federal grant is making it possible for some Hawaii schools to begin GEAR UP programs to help low-income students prepare for post-secondary education. As a strong supporter of the program, Neil, below, was invited to address students, parents, and educators involved in the start up of the program at Waipahu Intermediate School in Waipahu, Hawaii. Neil excited the crowd, as he told the students and parents that the program would change their lives. GEAR UP provides six-year grants to states and partnerships to provide services at high-poverty middle and high schools. GEAR UP grantees serve an entire cohort of students beginning no later than the seventh grade and follow the cohort through high school. GEAR UP funds are also used to provide college scholarships to low-income students, which is why GEAR UP stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs.
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Sustaining our culture, our planet The 52nd Hawaii State Science & Engineering Fair in Honolulu, April 6-8, showcased 383 projects involving 509 students from 75 schools from across the state. The subject areas of the projects were as diverse as the students participating, but they all shared a common goal, and that was to find innovative ways to improve our quality of life in sustainable ways. One high school junior, Nolan Kamitaki, has spent years developing a system to protect Hawaii and the world from a pandemic. Megan Kurohara and Kelson Lau attend different high schools in Hilo but have teamed up to invent a wireless system that transfers energy. Lower left: Kelson Lau, left, and Megan Kurohara discuss their project with Neil. Lower right: Neil conducts an interview with Megan for his television program.
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Discussing Native Hawaiian health issues Neil, below, met with representatives from Papa Ola Lokahi in his Washington,D.C. office, which is an organization working to improve the health status and well-being of Native Hawaiians and others. The group maintains strategic actions aimed at improving the physical, mental and spiritual health of Native Hawaiians and their ‘ohana (families) and empowering them to determine their own destinies. Papa Ola Lôkahi is a clearinghouse for data and timely information associated with the health status of Native Hawaiians. It collects, compiles and freely shares these resources with Hawaiians, their families and those who serve them.
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Silver medalist visits Veteran Honolulu runner Ron Pate, below left, and his wife, Susan Block, below right, visited Neil after Ron captured a Silver Medal in the 3000 meter run at the USA Masters Indoor Track and Field Championships in Landover, Maryland.
