HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0099.021 2020-2022 * r
Testimony in Strong Support of the Ad Hoc Committee Recommendations for Nonprofit
Grant Organizations for FY 2021-2022
Hawaii County Council Human Services and Social Services Committee
Submitted by Kupu CEO John Leong, hearing date May 4, 2021
Aloha e Chair Susan L. K. Lee Loy and Honorable Committee Members,
My name is John Leong, and I am the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Kupu, a
youth-focused conservation nonprofit. On behalf of Kupu, I am pleased to testify in strong
support of the Ad Hoc Committee Recommendations for Nonprofit Grant Organizations
for FY 2021-2022.As proposed, this recommendation would award $2,500,000 to numerous
nonprofits to support their programs and services to the communities of Hawaii Island. Kupu is
honored to be one of the nonprofits recommended for funding as part of this measure. If
awarded, this funding will support Kupu's efforts to launch the second phase of the Hawaii
Island Kupu `Aina Corps, a program that was highly successful in supporting displaced workers
and struggling natural resource managers and farmers on Hawaii Island during the Covid-19
downturn in 2020.
Kupu was established in 2007, in the early stages of the Great Recession. Today we are a
statewide organization,developing youth and young adults through hands-on service training in
conservation and natural resource management professions. Since 2007 we have trained close to
5,000 youth in conservation, sustainability, and environmental education. Young adults served by
Kupu have provided more than 3 million service hours during this time,which included planting
over 1 million native plants and removing over 100,000 acres of invasive species. This has
created a cumulative $155+million in impact for Hawaii with a 1:3 cost to benefit ratio. We
believe more investment in the green economy- as this bill provides -would enable similar
economic benefits to our state, create jobs in related fields, and help diversify our economy. For
the majority of our history we have worked on Hawaii Islands and served its youth, and
currently have staff based on-island as we expand our impact here.
In the early stages of the pandemic, Kupu saw the economic devastation happening in Hawaii
and wondered what more we could do to help. We created a new program -- in concept--that
would help unemployed and underemployed people of all ages work in the green economy
during the pandemic. This program, called the Kupu `Aina Corps, received funding and
partnership from DBEDT thanks to the foresight of the legislature and the support of Governor
Ige, as provided by Act 9 (SLH 2020). With this program Kupu helped over 350 displaced
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workers and recent graduates connect with work,training, and the dignity of helping themselves
and their communities.
Hawaii Island was one of the best represented counties in this program, with nearly one in four
participants in the statewide program being based in Hawaii County with Hawaii County
employers.As our entire State continues to struggle with unemployment(still among the highest
in the nation)Kupu thinks it is critical that efforts give special attention to Hawaii Island,which
has historically had among the highest unemployment of any county in Hawaii. We believe that
there is tremendous potential for job growth in natural resource management and other green
professions, as well as other means of responding to and mitigating climate change. With this in
mind,we have been working to re-launch the Kupu `Aina Corps on Hawaii Island, with a
special focus on responding to urgent needs while also helping entrepreneurs and workers build
up the green sector. We are ready and able to continue to support entrepreneurs and
underemployed workers in their communities, and we have a recent track record showing what
we can accomplish.
Thank you again for including Kupu among the many nonprofit organizations recommended for
funding.
Sincerely,
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John Leong, CEO
Kupu