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2022 Nonprofit Business Plan Competition

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Hogan Entrepreneurial Program and American Savings Bank Nonprofit Business Plan Competition finalists

From vocational training to higher education mentorship and homelessness prevention, the services delivered by the winners of the 10th annual Hogan Entrepreneurial Program and American Savings Bank Nonprofit Business Plan Competition are as diverse as the clients they serve.

But what they all share is a commitment to building a better Hawaii for everyone.

And now they have some additional support to do just that.

Chaminade University was proud to host a special ceremony on April 27 at the Clarence T.C. Ching Conference Center to announce the winners of the annual competition—designed to support innovative proposals in the public good and celebrate the contributions that nonprofits make to the community.

In all, the Hogan Entrepreneurial Program and American Savings Bank awarded $35,000 to nine Hawaii nonprofit organizations who participated in the competition this year. The first-place winner, Ho’ākeolapono Trades Academy and Institute, walked away with the $12,000 prize.

“We are so incredibly impressed by all of the Hawaii nonprofits who submitted proposals for the 2022 Nonprofit Business Plan Competition. It is clear they are embracing innovation as they seek to maximize their positive impact and help our communities thrive,” said Chaminade President Lynn Babington, PhD.

“For 10 years, this competition has showcased the ingenuity of Hawaii nonprofits, celebrated entrepreneurs who are driving positive change, and offered critical support to projects that have helped thousands of Hawaii residents overcome challenges and seek out new opportunities.”

Dr. Roy Panzarella, director of the Hogan Entrepreneurial Program, said socially-motivated entrepreneurship is a powerful tool in addressing some of the biggest issues facing Hawaii families.

“The Nonprofit Business Plan Competition is about pushing the envelope, embracing change and rewarding Hawaii organizations and leaders who are meeting community needs in new ways,” he said. “It is also about recognizing that we can accomplish great things when we all work together.”

In addition to all the competition’s finalists, attendees at the event included Hogan Entrepreneurial Program leadership, Dr. Babington and American Savings Bank Senior Vice President and Director of Community Advancement Michelle Bartell.

Hoakeolapono Trades Academy receiving their award

In their application, first-place winner Ho’ākeolapono Trades Academy and Institute laid out an ambitious proposal for delivering cutting-edge vocational training across high-demand trades, with a special focus on problem-solving and lifelong learning. The nonprofit is geared toward career technical secondary students and has already partnered with several public schools to deliver its programs.

They’re also teaming up with the community on construction projects, involving their student participants in hands-on efforts to make renovations to classrooms and install staircases and ramps. Looking ahead, they’re working to build a training hub on Hawaii Island and they want to launch a “refurbishing thrift shop” that will feature high-need household items restored by students.

“Ho’ākeolapono Trades Academy and Institute was designed to increase employment and advancement opportunities by providing participants with crucial building and construction knowledge and multidisciplinary, 21st-century trade skills,” the nonprofit wrote, in its business plan.

Alii Mentoring receiving their award

The second-place prize of $10,000 went to A’ALI’I Mentoring, a nonprofit that was formed to help students from underrepresented populations to navigate, persist and succeed in higher education. The organization offers one-on-one mentoring, scholarships, career development, community service activities and monthly group workshops on topics ranging from finances to communication.

“Transitioning from high school to post-secondary education remains a daunting challenge for many students,” the nonprofit said. “The support of a mentor, who can serve as a guide as well as a listener, can be an effective intervention in addressing low persistence rates of post-secondary education.”

Family Promise Hawaii receiving their award at the Nonprofit Business Plan Competition

The third-place winner was Family Promise of Hawaii, which provides services to homeless and low-income families. The nonprofit received $5,000 to help support its ‘Ohana Navigation Center, an innovative space seen as a hub for services, a gathering place, and a resource for supplies.

The center will even serve as a shelter space to temporarily house families.

“The project’s proposed design will include a child-friendly campus where families can access various supportive services created with input from Family Promise beneficiaries, staff and community partners,” the nonprofit said. They hope to serve 290 families a year at the center.

Aina Momona receiving their award at the Nonprofit Business Plan Competition

The fourth-place award of $3,000 went to nonprofit Hui Aloha ʻĀina Momona’s Ku’i’ai Accelerator project to provide quality wood to families and organizations so they can make taro pounding boards that will become heirlooms for future generations. The organization offers educational programs focused on food sustainability, local agricultural and indigenous farming and lifestyle practices.

In past competitions, judges chose eight finalists to compete for the top prize. Because of the amount of excellent business plans submitted, nine finalists were chosen this year.

The Five other nonprofit finalists also received $1,000 awards:

Spring Festival of Honors

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Chaminade’s School of Business and Communication held a special awards ceremony and dinner recently to honor students and student groups who are embracing a “business for good” philosophy.

School of Business and Communication Festival of Honors 2022

The first annual Spring Festival of Honors on April 13 included a formal celebration dinner and recognition for students who are demonstrating exemplary scholarship and service to the community.

“I am incredibly proud of what all our undergraduate and graduate students have been able to accomplish over the past year,” said Dr. Bill Rhey, dean of the School of Business and Communication. “They are not only excelling in the classroom, but they are also going above and beyond in their efforts to showcase how business—and business leaders—can be a powerful force for good in Hawaii.”

The honors ceremony included video clips of students explaining the stellar work they were doing.

Among those honored was Cara Gutierrez, who is majoring in Communication with a minor in Environmental Studies and has become a passionate student leader for sustainability. In addition to creating a Campus Sustainability Council Club, Gutierrez is vice president of Chaminade’s Surfrider Club and serves as a resource recovery specialist at nonprofit Windward Zero Waste School Hui.

Oliver Carson, who is studying business and a senior in the Hogan Entrepreneurial Program, was also recognized. Carson owns Better Place Brands, which offers a line of private-label coffee brands that help fund animal rescue organizations in Hawaii and around the country. In 2021, his companies were able to donate $10,000 in cash and in-kind merchandise to the nonprofit organizations he’s teamed up with.

And several student groups were also honored for their work, including the winners of the school’s business plan competition in the Fall. Amber Kuitunen, Kelsie Inoue, Michael Cruz, Christopher Diego and Joshua Byrd launched Washed Ashore 808 with $250 in start-up money. And their product—jewelry made from microplastics reclaimed from Hawaii beaches—was an instant hit on campus.

The company was so popular that they decided to keep it going.

School of Business and Communication Festival of Honors 2022

Inoue said the team’s business plan was born out of a drive to help tackle a real problem: Plastics washing up on the beach. “We thought about how these microplastics could be repurposed in a way that would bring awareness to keeping our beaches clean and the impact we make,” she said.

For their customers, she said, the necklaces are a “reminder of the difference we can make.”

Rhey added that all the student teams in the business plan competition deserve a hearty congratulations for their strong showing. Other groups launched impressive “micro-businesses” that sold sweet snacks, beach clean-up bags and t-shirts with a positive message.

“When students work together to maximize their positive impact, their peers, our university and the community benefits,” Rhey said. “I want to thank all our students for the work they put in this year, and I cannot wait to see what is ahead for them—and for our School—in the upcoming academic year.”

Spring Festival of Honors Awardees

Individual Awardees:

  • Ayu Suzuki: Outstanding International Student
  • Cara Gutierrez: Commitment to sustainability by composting, recycling, and starting a sustainability club on campus
  • Cara Gutierrez: Work in the Sugilanon video series
  • Jacqueline Martinez: Work in the Sugilanon video series
  • Albert Respicio: Work in the Sugilanon video series
  • Caitlyn-Marie Elisaga: Commitment to Hawaiian values and participation in Merrie Monarch
  • Oliver Carson: Entrepreneurial spirit and innovation in creating “Better Place Brands” private coffee label
  • Amber Kuitunen: Service-learning as a School of Business and Communication Ambassador
  • Kelsie Inoue: Work as a School of Business and Communication Ambassador
  • Mackenzie Meiners: Volunteer work on the upcoming Sugilanon video series

Group Awardees:

  • Angela Faye Navor, Jade Unabia, and Tommianne Brockert: Developing a business plan and executing it as part of the fall Business Competition
  • Ashley Yoshikawa, Peyton Oshiro, Michael Rose and Tyrone Rixey: IACBE Student Competition
  • Washed Ashore 808 (Amber Kuitunen, Kelsie Inoue, Michael Cruz, Christopher Diego and Joshua Byrd): Developing a business plan and executing it as part of the fall Business Competition
  • Alyana Nicole D. Alfaro and Kelsie Inoue: Working as a team to develop a 53-page strategic case analysis of Netflix in preparation for the Peregrine exam
  • Hubert Anton, Eri Leong and Emma Sherrell: Developing and pitching a Marketing Plan for the Hawaii Red Cross
  • Aubree Campbell, Dominique Marshall, and Mariana Wheeler: Developing and pitching a Marketing Plan for the Hawaii Red Cross
  • Brooklyn Pea, Kelsey Joy Sablan, and Kylie Pagud: Developing and pitching a Marketing Plan for the Hawaii Red Cross
  • Shandy Cullen and Laakea Gonzalves: Developing and pitching a Marketing Plan for the Hawaii Red Cross

Celebrating Student Research at Na Liko Na’auao 2022

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Participants of the 2022 Na Liko Na'auao Symposium

Interpretation of Multidimensional Chromatographic Outputs by Non-Specialists.

Decolonizing Methodologies in Research.

Native Hawaiian Traditional Medicine and its Effects on Inflammation of WISH cells.

Those titles are a mouthful. They also represent just a handful of the hefty research topics undergraduate and graduate scholars at Chaminade discussed at this year’s Na Liko Na’auao Symposium, an annual event dedicated to showcasing student scholarship across disciplines.

Na Liko Na’auao is in its 20th year at Chaminade and gives its student participants an opportunity to showcase their academic and creative work. After going virtual for the last two years, the event on April 8 was held in person at the Clarence T.C. Ching Conference Center.

And in another twist, students got the chance to discuss their research posters and give oral presentations. Participants also came from across fields, including Psychology, Environmental + Interior Design, Data Science, Biology and Nursing—to name a few. Topics explored by students ranged from research into forensic science and body decomposition to the use of statistical models to detect malicious internet traffic.

Amber Noguchi, the director of Chaminade’s Undergraduate Research and Pre-Professional Programs, said expanding participation at the symposium to graduate students was a natural step given the numerous master’s degrees offered at the university on top of three doctoral programs.

Student presents her research poster at Na Liko Na'auao Symposium

In her opening remarks, Noguchi also gave special recognition to the founders of the event: the late Henry Gomes, who was director for Native Hawaiian Partnerships at Chaminade, and Patti Lee-Robinson, former director of Health Professions Advising and Undergraduate Research.

“They had a vision to create a venue to celebrate student scholarship,” Noguchi said.

Also at the event, President Lynn Babington announced the recipient of the 2022 President Sue Wesselkamper Award, which recognizes a student at Chaminade who has demonstrated both outstanding scholarship and extensive service to the community and to the university.

As Babington explained to attendees, Wesselkamper was named Chaminade University’s eighth president in 1995 and was the first woman to head a four-year university in the islands. The award in her name was endowed by Mr. and Mrs. Henry Clark, and recipients are nominated by faculty members.

This year’s awardee: Nainoa Gaspar-Takahashi, a junior at Chaminade who is majoring in Nursing.

Nainoa Gaspar-Takahashi and Dr. Lynn Babington

Gaspar-Takahashi has a strong record of academic scholarship, including research into the integration of Native Hawaiian and Marianist values in student success. In 2020, he co-wrote an article that was published in the Asian Pacific Islander Nursing Journal. He is also a member of the Student Nurses Association and is a peer leader in the Kokua Kakou nursing enrichment program.

His central goal is to make a positive difference in the community, especially in the Native Hawaiian population, and so he is pursuing a career in nursing and hopes to serve in an intensive care unit or emergency room. He also wants to eventually seek a master’s degree in Nursing and continue research projects aimed at improving the healthcare system in Hawaii and the quality of care provided to all patients.

Dr. Edna Magpantay-Monroe, a professor of Nursing who nominated Gaspar-Takahashi for the prestigious honor, applauded his “impeccable work ethic” and said he is a joy to collaborate with.

Celebrating Our Founders and Heritage Awardees

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As part of Founders’ Week celebrations, three extraordinary members of the Chaminade University ‘ohana were recognized with Heritage Awards for their tireless work to put Marianist values into action.

Dr. Elizabeth Park, Celine Mesiona-Perez and Stacey Higa pose for a photo after receiving their Heritage Awards

Dr. Elizabeth Park, director of Early Childhood and Montessori programs and the Castle Teacher Resource Activity Center, was the recipient of the Chaminade Award in recognition of her work to embrace the Catholic intellectual tradition and seek out ways to promote social justice and peace.

The Marianist Award was presented to Chaminade Communications Manager Stacey Higa, who was recognized for her strong commitment to the Marianist value of family spirit and for her work to build a collaborative community centered around openness, hospitality, graciousness and faith.

And finally, Celine Mesiona-Perez was named the recipient of the Founders’ Award, presented to a student who demonstrates generosity and respect for others, serves as an exemplary role model for the community, and is engaged in service to others, especially those who are disadvantaged.

The honorees were recognized at a special ceremony on April 6 following the Founders’ Day Mass at Mystical Rose Oratory. The event was the culmination of a series of gatherings meant to celebrate not only the founders of the Marianist family—including the university’s namesake—but the characteristics of a Marianist education and the values and mission that are central to Chaminade’s identity.

Other events included a lei draping ceremony and prayer service, an exhibition of works from the Marianists & the Arts series of workshops, and International Extravaganza—a hugely popular showcase of cultural performances put on by student clubs that coincided with Father Chaminade’s birthday.

Dr. Elizabeth Park with her Chaminade Award certificate with Dr. Babington posing for a photo

The Rector’s Office presents the Heritage Awards, which are meant to celebrate the special contributions of a faculty member, support staff member and student who embody Marianist values.

Those who nominated Park for the Chaminade Award highlighted her collaborative spirit, tireless commitment to drive positive change, and her belief in her students and in the university’s mission.

“Dr. Park has been, and continues to be, a valued member of the Chaminade faculty and an exceptionally motivated and caring professor,” wrote Dr. Dale Fryxell, dean of the School of Education and Behavioral Sciences, in nominating her for the award. “The impact that Dr. Park is making at Chaminade, in her profession, in the community and internationally can clearly be seen.”

Park said she was humbled and honored when she learned she would be receiving the award.

She added that Marianist values resonate with her and with the work she does to bolster early education opportunities. “To educate in the family spirit and for service, justice and peace is to be mindful and work as a community,” she said, adding that Marianist values like peace education and educating for adaptation and change are woven into the Early Childhood Education curriculum. “We respect and support each other but also stand up for each other in the face of injustice.”

Park also said that at Chaminade she has learned to “grow and embrace my calling in life.”

Stacey Higa with her Marianist Award certificate with Dr. Babington posing for a photo

Marianist Award nominations for Higa came in from across the university—from Chaminade administrators, fellow support staff and faculty members. Lisa Furuta, vice president of University Communications and Marketing (UCM), wrote that Higa is always up for a challenge in service to Chaminade’s mission and its Marianist values and embraces a collaborative spirit to get things done.

“There are those who run away from a fire and those who run into the flames. Stacey would invariably do the latter if given the choice. However, it is her magnetic and ‘one team’ personality that draws others into the charge with her,” Furuta wrote, adding Higa is “indispensable” to her colleagues.

Furuta also wrote if your day is off to a slow start or if you are feeling down, “your best prescription would be to visit Stacey for a dose of positivity and optimism. Stacey has created a palpable feeling of warmth and enduring faith here on campus … and makes others feel instantly welcome.”

Higa said she was moved by the recognition. She added as a member of the Communications and Marketing Department, she is not only proud to belong to such a special community but “see firsthand all the amazing work and community impacts that our faculty, staff, students and alumni do every day.”

“I get to see our Marianist values alive,” she said. “I am so excited and honored to be part of this community where values and the family spirit are important. This award isn’t just a reflection of me, but also my colleagues in UCM because we truly work as a team and try to be good collaborators and partners with other university departments.”

Celine Mesiona-Perez with her Founders' Award certificate with Dr. Babington posing for a photo

Mesiona-Perez, who received the Founders’ Award, is pursuing a Forensic Science degree with a Chemistry minor. She is also very active on campus, including in Campus Ministry, student government and several clubs. Faculty members and staff who nominated Mesiona-Perez said she is not only a positive role model to her fellow students but to everyone in the Chaminade community.

“Her presence in the classroom environment is always underpinned by honest, genuine interactions,” Dr. Katelynn Perrault, an associate professor of Forensic Sciences and Chemistry, wrote to the Heritage Awards Committee. “She is concerned with being a voice for those who do not always have the ability to represent their own. It is a pleasure to have someone in our program with admirable qualities like this.”

Mesiona-Perez said she has found a “home away from home” at Chaminade and was floored by the special recognition. “The family that I have found here is made up of countless individuals who endlessly influence, equip and inspire me to be the best leader that I can be,” she said.

At Chaminade, Mesiona-Perez added, she has been able to pursue her love for STEM, strengthen her Christian faith, and deepen her passion for servant leadership. “In everything that I do, I desire to share the love that I have so gracefully received my Heavenly Father unto them,” she said, adding that she wants “others to feel at home, accepted, with a sense of belonging” at Chaminade—just as she is.

Founders’ Week Recap Video

Walking the Walk: Creating a Sustainable Hawaii

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Cara Gutierrez pouring old food onto composting pile

Cara Gutierrez doesn’t just want to learn about leaders in the green movement. She wants to be one.

The senior at Chaminade, who is majoring in Communication with a minor in Environmental Studies, is passionate about helping build a more sustainable Hawaii and has gotten involved in a number of projects on and off campus designed to do just that—from food waste audits to composting.

“I’m just trying to make an impact,” Gutierrez said.

And along the way, she’s hoping to inspire others to do the same.

Gutierrez, who transferred to Chaminade from St. Mary’s College in California as a sophomore, has created a Campus Sustainability Council Club at the university in addition to serving as vice president of the Surfrider Club and a resource recovery specialist at Windward Zero Waste School Hui.

She said her community service efforts grew out of an Environmental Ethics course at Chaminade, where she learned just how important a single person can be in making a positive difference. “I really felt called to help and did different types of volunteering. I wanted to do my part,” she said.

Sustainability Council Club a the beach picking up trash

So she started in her own backyard—by looking at sustainability at Chaminade.

In addition to launching her new club, she also conducted a food waste audit at the university to determine how much is thrown away that could instead be redirected to productive composting. That work led her to connect with the agricultural director at Saint Louis School for an innovative zero-waste project now underway and he in turn connected her with the Windward Zero Waste School Hui.

Gutierrez said she when she first reached out to the hui, which works with five public schools to turn their food waste into composted nutrient-rich soil, the director warned her the work wasn’t glamorous. She would be gathering food waste into huge compost piles, the hui told her, turning and watering them as worms break up the organic materials, and then selling that rich compost to the community.

“She told me, ‘This is really hard work. You’ll have dirt everywhere,’” Gutierrez said.

After working for a day, Gutierrez was hooked. “I said, ‘OK, sign me up!’”

If her volunteering and work with the hui wasn’t enough, Gutierrez is also an intern focused on sustainability projects at Chaminade’s new CIFAL Honolulu Centre, part of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. She said through CIFAL and her sustainability club, she’s planning an educational Earth Day event and a gathering on Oahu’s North Shore to promote agriculture.

With all the hats she wears, Guteirrez doesn’t have much downtime.

Cara Guiterrez winding a lever on the Golden Rule Peace Boat

But that’s OK. What she has instead, she said, is a community that believes in her—and her mission.

“Climate change is so important and our generation has a responsibility to act. I’m only here for a limited number of years and I want to leave the lightest footprint possible but also have an impact on younger generations,” she said. “Everything I do is for the people who came before and after me.”

She added that her CIFAL Honolulu internship has also helped her zoom out and think about the value of sustainability policy and climate change work at the international level. “In the future, I would be really interested in working toward those bigger goals to make a greater positive difference,” she said.

For now, though, she’s focused on her grassroots work—and on graduation just around the corner. She said she plans to pursue a graduate degree, but will first take a year off to travel. “I’ve learned so much in Hawaii,” she said. “Now I want to go to different communities to learn even more.”

Welcoming the Diaconate Formation 2022 Cohort

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Diaconate formation 2022 cohort with faculty and staff

On a quiet Saturday in March, a group of people from all walks of life gathered at Chaminade’s Mystical Rose Oratory to begin a five-year journey of academic, spiritual and pastoral formation aimed at preparing them for life as a deacon—or a deacon’s wife—in the Catholic Church.

Nearly 40 people attended the diaconate candidate orientation, including 22 program participants.

Dr. Dustyn Ragasa, director of the Master of Pastoral Theology program at Chaminade and an assistant professor of Religious Studies, said the newest diaconate cohort includes 10 couples and two single men. They are members of the military and law enforcement, teachers and professors, health care professionals, and business owners. “Each one brings along with them a wealth of practical experience that enables them to do theology in their own unique ways,” Ragasa said.

“Some candidates come to us with previous theological training and others are learning the fundamentals of disciplined theological inquiry. Some are lifelong Catholics and others are recent converts to the faith. This mosaic of perspectives enriches the learning experience as a whole.”

The March 12 orientation was the first held at the Mystical Rose Oratory—what Ragasa said underscores the strong partnership between the Diocese of Honolulu and Chaminade. Participants in the Diocese of Honolulu’s permanent diaconate formation program can opt to also pursue a graduate certificate, Master of Pastoral Theology or Religious Studies bachelor’s degree at Chaminade. Three women and six diaconate candidates across cohorts are currently pursuing a Master of Pastoral Theology at the University. Ragasa stressed that the degree also welcomes laymen and laywomen.

The role of deacon is an “ancient” one in Catholicism, Ragasa said, and described in the Bible.

Both married and single men can serve as deacons, and married men participate in the diaconate formation program with their wives. After being ordained, deacons serve their communities and the Church in many ways, Ragasa said. “Theirs is the responsibility to proclaim the gospel and to preach,” he said. “They also have the capacity to baptize, to distribute holy communion, to perform marriages, to officiate over funerals, to lead prayer and to take on leadership roles in their communities.”

But unlike priests and bishops, deacons hold “day jobs” in a long list of fields—from education to healthcare to engineering to social service. What unites them, Ragasa said, is simple: “It is expected that deacons will uplift and care for those around them regardless of the work they undertake.”

Diaconate formation 2022 cohort with faculty and staff

Participants complete the diaconate formation program in cohorts, dedicating three years to intellectual and academic growth and two years to intense spiritual reflection and pastoral work. Along the way, they’re mentored by those who completed the program and are now ministering in parishes.

Deacon Michael Weaver, MPT ‘14, a lecturer of Historical and Political Studies at Chaminade, attended the orientation with his wife to speak to participants and said a central element of the formation program is to help a candidate determine if becoming a deacon is their calling.

“Through both personal prayer and competent spiritual direction, together with academic and professional formation, each person discerns if such a vocation is truly present for him,” he said. “The core effect, I think, is to discover who you really are as a person and a believer. You develop confidence that manifests itself in a willingness to preach the Gospel and represent the Church in the world.”

The seeds for the strong partnership between Chaminade and the diaconate program were planted more than a decade ago, Ragasa said, and the Diocese of Honolulu has since garnered national attention for its commitment to a high quality of theological and academic preparation for its candidates.

“Honolulu is one of the very few dioceses that boasts this level of partnership with its local university,” Ragasa added. “Having local professors who understand our cultures, who sit in the pews enables them to address the specific educational needs of men and women ministering in our unique island context.”

The group of candidates that met on campus in March is part of cohort 11, and their academic preparation program officially began in April. Ragasa said the orientation was designed to both help candidates feel comfortable at Chaminade and familiarize them with resources at the University.

Bro. Edward Brink, vice president for mission and rector at the University, welcomed candidates and their wives to campus with an opening prayer and explained the rich history of Marianists in Hawaii. His talk touched on key hallmarks of Marianist education—including a mission to serve others—and encouraged cohort members to take an active part in campus life and the Chaminade family.

Participants also got a tour of the Sullivan Family Library and its vast collection.

Dr. Cheryl Edelson, dean of the School of Humanities, Arts and Design, also welcomed the program candidates at the orientation and spoke about the importance of the humanities in the Catholic intellectual tradition. She also invited cohort members to participate in school programming.

Fr. Martin Solma, Chaminade chaplain, closed the day with a touching closing rite for candidates and their wives. Ragasa said the commissioning liturgy—meant to prepare program candidates for the significant journey ahead—was the highlight of the day and a “fitting way to recognize the beginning of formation, with prayer and reflection.”