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WRITTEN TESTIMONY
Support for the Puakalehua Celebrate ʻOhana Fes?val
Hawaiʻi County Council | Wednesday, August 5, 2026 | 9:00 a.m. | Kona Chambers, West Hawaiʻi Civic Center
MEASURE
Resolution 625-26
INTRODUCED BY
Council Chair Holeka Goro Inaba, Ed.D.
SUBMITTED BY
Kamela Souza
POSITION
SUPPORT
Aloha Chair Inaba, Vice Chair Onishi, and Members of the Hawaiʻi County Council:
On behalf of the Puakalehua Early Learning Consortium (PKL), of which I am a member, I submit this testimony in
strong support of Resolution No. 630-26, which would award $2,500 in Contingency Relief funding to Friends of the
Future, fiscal sponsor of PKL, for our 4th Annual Celebrate ʻOhana Fes?val on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at Queen’s
Market Place in Waikōloa. It is a free, family-centered event that brings together early learning organizations,
community service providers, local businesses, and ʻohana from across West Hawaiʻi.
I’ve been a member of PKL since 2020 (years before they came under the same fiscal sponsor), and have collaborated
on various beneficial projects for families, communities, and the early learning system. Each of the three previous
Celebrate ʻOhana events provided a fantastic experience for attendees, myself and other volunteers, and the
participating schools and community organizations.
Mahalo to Chair Inaba for bringing this funding forward, and mahalo to the full Council for your consideration. I
respectfully urge your support of Resolution 625-26.
Mahalo Nui,
Kamela Souza
Project Director, Hōkūpaʻa
Fiscally sponsored by Friends of the Future
ksouza.hokupaa@gmail.com, 808-345-5846
PKL Celebrate ʻOhana Fes?val — Resolution 625-26 | Page 1