Equality HI envisions a thriving and empowered Culture that proactively engages in creating an inclusive and diverse Queer community through Aloha, Leadership, Resources, Services and Education.
Equality HI Awarded Second Grant for Puna Strong
Pahoa, Hawai‘i - Equality HI, a grassroots 501c3 nonprofit serving the LGBTQ+ community on Hawai‘i Island, was just awarded $25,000 in grant funding from the Hawai’i Community Foundation as part of the Puna Strong grants program; to pilot a new program: Mentorship to Resiliency Program. Now in its second year, the Puna Strong grant program remains focused on disaster readiness and building community resilience for the Puna communities impacted by the 2018 Kīlauea eruption on the Island of Hawai‘i through investment in nonprofit organizations and partnerships leading community-driven projects.
“We are honored to continue our partnership with Hawai‘i the County of Hawai‘i and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. We are even more excited to assist in the empowerment of Puna residents toward resiliency through our Mentorship to Resiliency Program,” said Ray Saludares, Board President of Equality HI. “This project furthers our mission to build a thriving and empowered culture that proactively engages in creating an inclusive and diverse queer community through Aloha, Leadership, Resources, Services, and Education.”
Equality HI acknowledges that LGBTQ+ identity development is a lifelong process. The uniqueness of most LGBTQ+ individuals from other oppressed and/or marginalized populations is that they are not always raised in families or community that reflect their sexual/gender identities. Therefore, mentorship and friendships among “chosen families'' of other LGBTQs is often critical to identity and community development.
Equality HI understands that as LGBTQ+ individuals meet life’s transitions and milestones (coming out, transitioning, relationships, or aging), they are often faced with exploring how to integrate their identity into various new phases in life. It’s also a time in one’s life that can be accompanied by feelings of isolation and loneliness. The mentoring relationship provides a safe place for these feelings to be explored. Through the Equality HI Mentorship to Resiliency Program, LGBTQ+ individuals can receive assistance and encouragement to develop positive and authentic LGBTQ+ identities.
Equality HI Mentorship to Resiliency Program will be hiring a Program Coordinator and recruiting participants to be mentors and mentees. Visit www.equalityhi.org for more information as it becomes available.