HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0130.001 2022-2024 P/Council
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n2� l -7 laid 9: 24Resolution 68-23, Councilman Holeka Inaba
Written Testimony
Aloha,
My name is Ilene Cohen Harrington. I am the president and founder of the Kona Aloha
Singers (KAS). I founded KAS in 2018 because in Kailua-Kona we had nowhere to go to
sing contemporary popular songs except to a karaoke bar.
I believed there should be a safe, alcohol and drug free environment for high school
students and adults to express themselves through song, so I went on a journey to find a
director and piano accompanist to start the chorus which took me several months to
accomplish. At that time, I didn't realize how much it would cost to have a director,
assistant director, and accompanist plus everything else involved in running a successful
chorus.
Other costs include purchasing sheet music, hiring musicians for our concerts, renting
the concert venue and sound system, marketing our concerts, recruiting new singers,
concert attire, risers for our singers both for our concerts and smaller events, and an
amplification system for our director so she doesn't have to yell to be heard at our
weekly rehearsals and sectional rehearsals, plus other additional expenses.
All these items add up to quite a large expense to keep the chorus active. We keep the
fees to join our chorus low enough so most anyone can join and offer scholarships to
those who cannot afford to join. However, that money does not even put a dent in the
cost to keep the chorus running.
Decades of research has shown that singing offers so many health benefits including
stress relief, memory enhancement and a sense of belonging and connection. Kailua-
Kona needs more community activities, and the Kona Aloha Singers is the perfect home
for people who love to sing songs they have heard on the radio or other music outlets.
We currently have 34 singers and our December event attracted over 300 people in the
audience. With your support, we will be able to continue offering our unique concept to
the West Hawaii community.
Mahalo,
Ilene Cohen Harrington
President/Founder
Kona Aloha Singers `
Comm. No. ` )O.1
Ref. To: cil L��
Ref. Date AR - 8 2023