COM 0100.002 2024-2026 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Program/Service Details Please keep in mind that character counts include punctuation and spaces. Note: organizations are required to have at least one year of experience with the proposed service/activity OR can demonstrate sufficient expertise. 1. Provide the nonprofit organization's mission statement. The North Hawaii Heritage Foundation is a private non-profit formed to operate the new Honoka'a Heritage Center, which opened in June 2021 as an education and visitor center. Our mission is to collect, research, preserve, celebrate and share the unique history and heritage of the people and cultures of Honoka'a and surroundings. We maintain and build upon the heritage collection first established in 2011 at the University of Hawaii's North Hawaii satellite campus. 2. If this application is for a program/service using a nonprofit organization as a fiscal sponsor, provide the mission statement of the organization carrying out the program/service. 3. In 500 characters, provide a brief narrative about your organization's experience, knowledge, and capacity to carry out the proposed program/service . From our location in a historic 1927-era building in Honoka'a's walkable "downtown," we serve the local community and visitors alike, offering educational exhibits, cultural programming, and access to an extensive community archive, including oral histories, historic photographs and other images, and a library of historical records. We also function as a visitor center, working with local businesses to provide information on area highlights and to promote Honoka'a as a destination. Since our mid-2021 opening (during COVID) we have already welcomed more than 20,000 visitors from all 50 U.S. states (plus DC, Puerto Rico, & Guam) and 41 foreign countries, many of whom report Hamakua ancestral ties. 4. In 1,000 characters, briefly describe the program/service you are seeking grant funds for.' The Honoka'a Heritage Center will host the 2025 Hamakua Sugar Days Festival over 7 selected dates from 7/l/25-6/30/26, in a different format from our inaugural 10-day festival in Oct. 2024 which marked the 30-year anniversary of the "final harvest" & closure of the last local sugar plantation. We hope to continue the festival annually in various formats. The festival celebrates the rich history and lasting legacy of an era and industry that permanently shaped Honoka'a and the surrounding Hamakua region. The 2025 festival will incorporate a diverse lineup of presentations and family -friendly activities which we will develop in collaboration with local community groups and host at different locations in Honoka'a. Our target audience will include local residents of all ages, as well as visitors from across the island, state, and the world. The goals of the 2025 Hamakua Sugar Days Festival are: (1) To acknowledge 31 years since the closing of Hamakua Sugar and raise awareness of the significance of agriculture to the community at large; (2) To recognize surviving plantation workers and provide an opportunity for them and their families to share personal recollections for posterity; (3) To explore the contributions of the indigenous Hawaiians and each of the various ethnic groups who immigrated to work on the plantations, put down roots, and contributed to the unique "local culture" that characterizes Hawaii today; (4) To expand use of the curriculum tools we have developed for sharing the lessons of plantation history in local schools; and (5) To provide an economic boost to the area by attracting visitors from across the state and overseas to come explore Hamakua history as a microcosm of Hawai'i as a whole. North Hawai'i Heritage Foundation - 2025 HAMAKUA SUGAR DAYS FESTIVAL