Three Months of Awe

I am so excited to be a part of this edition of the EPIC Newsletter. It has been three months since I took on the role as Executive Director and I have been humbled by what I have experienced and witnessed in this short time.

This month, we are honored talk story with Marilyn Toribio Cocchia the Youth Circle Manager. Marilyn shared what inspired her to be a part of EPIC.

Celebrating Reunification Month for two families from Maui County. One family from Maui Island and the other from Moloka’i.

We are pleased to announce that the Board of Directors has selected Delia Parker Ulima as our next Executive Director.

The board worked hard to ensure that the values, culture, and mission of EPIC will always be nurtured in our organization.

The EPIC ‘Ohana Board of Directors is excited to welcome Delia Parker Ulima as Executive Director, Kuhikuhina Nui, of EPIC ‘Ohana. Delia has the heart, vision, and skills to carry forward our mission “to strengthen ‘ohana and enhance the welfare of children and youth through transformative processes that are respectful, collaborative, and solution-oriented.”

Aloha Pumehana Kākou!

I am deeply humbled and honored to take on the kūlana and kuleana as EPIC 'Ohana’s Executive Director. It has been my privilege to be a part of EPIC 'Ohana for nearly 15 years with the HI H.O.P.E.S. Initiative. I believe I was divinely led to this work and am grateful to Arlynna Livingston, and EPIC 'Ohana Board of Directors, for taking a chance, then and now, on this Kalihi girl, and for both Arlynna and Laurie Tochiki’s mentorship, aloha and visionary leadership through the years.

As you can see by the 2023 “numbers” EPIC ‘Ohana was quite busy in 2023. A large decline in the number of children taken into care was a big shift for child welfare in 2023. CWS has worked hard to prevent removals and provide other services to families to stabilize them. Our efforts have also shifted a bit to reach out to families early in CWS involvement.

‘Ohana Finding (nationally referred to as “Family Finding”) is a process designed to identify, locate and engage family members of children and youth who are in foster care.

Launched in 2018, the Youth Partner Program (YP), has grown to nine Youth Partners serving youth on all islands. YP's are young adults between 18-27 with lived experience in systems (foster care, mental health, juvenile justice) who are passionate about supporting young people and helping them navigate the systems. Recently, we asked youth partners to share their thoughts on the program. We hope you enjoy reading their insights and stories as much as we did.

People who participate in the Nā Kama work bring a wide variety of experiences and perspectives. One may be a cultural practitioner. One may be a person whose experiences include homelessness or substance abuse and children placed into foster care. One may be a leader in a state agency or a nonprofit agency. One may be a frontline worker who works every day with families or young people.

Our hearts go out to our ‘ohana on Maui. The concept of being “trauma informed” seems more important than ever as we deal with tragedy at home, and in the world. Over the last two years, we have been blessed to partner with the Pū'ā Foundation as they work to build a peer support network and workforce and to find ways, based on Hawaiian culture and values, to build a trauma effective and beloved community.

Every year a family is honored for successfully reunifying with their children. This year June 2023 we celebrated the Keleleiki-Francisco family.

EPIC ‘Ohana is celebrating its 25th year as a nonprofit organization in 2023. We are so very grateful for each and every one of you. We have been able to raise up the voices of families and young people in ‘Ohana Conferences, Youth Circles, Wraparound meetings, convenings like Nā Kama a Hāloa because of your support.

Join us in welcoming our new Program Development Manager, Lise Vaughan-Sekona. Lise has a passion for justice and service. After learning of the transformative work at EPIC 'Ohana has been doing in and for our community, she became interested in being a part of the organization

Helping children to have stability, security, and love is at the heart of what motivates Lisa Jacobs to do her invaluable work, as founder and president of Better Way Divorce, also known as Pono Divorce. The desire to help others has always been an integral part of Lisa; a seed planted in her by her social worker mother.

A positive working relationship between parents and resource caregivers is pivotal to the well-being of the keiki. This event in Hilo celebrated the importance of shared parenting, bringing families together in aloha for one another and our keiki.

Kim Nabarro is a Parent Partner within the Family Wrap Hawaii department

After graduating from college with an honors degree in creative writing Karen Worthington wasn’t sure what she was going to do next. She wanted to go to grad school, but was torn between social work and law.

Since our last newsletter EPIC `Ohana has been busy with some very exciting projects and programs. In the next few paragraphs I will share some of the highlights.

Ashley Torres and Oscar Gomez-Hernandez were surprised to be selected as this year’s honorees for Hawaii’s National Reunification Month celebration.