By Janna Hoshide, Healthcare Association of Hawaii When we walk into the new ʻAulama I Ke Ola Health Learning Lab at Waiʻanae High School, we see more than a classroom. We see a hospital bay, a long-term room, a clinic exam room, real medical equipment, and a Waiʻanae High School senior named Kaomi Chase practicing how […]
What Will It Take for Young People to Thrive in Koʻolau Oʻahu?
By Alex Harris, President, Harold K.L. Castle Foundation What will it take for young people to live, work and thrive in Koʻolau Oʻahu? As students head back to school, this question weighs heavily on me. Our foundation’s Windward Workforce Analysis puts hard numbers behind what many of us have long suspected: roughly 80% of Windward residents commute […]
Reflecting on a Legacy and Looking Ahead by James McIntosh
It is with deep gratitude and humility that I begin my new role as Chair of the Board of the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation. Across six decades, the Foundation has partnered with remarkable organizations and community leaders working to improve the lives of people across Hawaiʻi. To help steward an institution with such a rich history […]
Reflections from HKLCF Fellow, Krysta Reese
My first interaction with philanthropy started at the YMCA of Honolulu as a volunteer for its Annual Support Campaign to raise money for program scholarships. Later through the YMCA Teen Program, I was able to engage in the Youth Participatory Action Research Grant (YPAR). YPAR guided our team through the entire life cycle of a grant. We identified issues […]
The Hawaiʻi Youth Apprenticeship Network (HYAN)
The pageantry of Hawaii’s high school graduation season–better than anywhere else in the country–is upon us. For many, this is a culminating moment to celebrate the accomplishments of young people and their ‘ohana. But once all the lei are given out and the graduations parties end, what comes next for nearly 12,000 public school graduates? […]




