Volunteerism has been nurtured in Hawai'i by community and government agencies statewide. The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) programs have enhanced the organized volunteer and community service programs in the State. CNCS was established in 1993 to engage Americans of all ages and backgrounds in community-based service. It supports a range of national and community service programs, providing opportunities for participants to serve full-time and part-time, with or without pay, as individuals or as part of a team. CNCS programs include AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve America and the National Senior Service Corps. AmeriCorps engages thousands of young Americans on a full or part-time basis to help communities address their toughest challenges while earning support for college, graduate school or job training. Learn and Serve American integrates service into the academic life of over 800,000 students in all fifty states. The National Senior Service Corps utilizes the skills, talents and experiences of nearly 500,000 older Americans to help make communities stronger, safer, healthier and smarter.

The Hawai'i Commission for National and Community Service (referred to as the "Commission" hereafter) was established by Executive Order in 1994 and subsequently re-established statutorily by the legislature in 2002 "to encourage community service and volunteer participation as a means of community and State problem­ solving; to promote and support voluntary citizen involvement in government and private programs throughout the State; to develop a long-term, comprehensive vision and plan for action for community service initiatives in Hawaii; and to serve as the State's liaison to national and state organizations which support its mission.”

The Commission, administratively attached to the University of Hawaii, Office of Student Affairs, involved various governmental agencies with volunteer or service programs and the program directors of the CNCS programs in the development of the original Unified State Plan submitted in March 1998.

The four AmeriCorps national priority areas of Education, Public Safety, Human Needs, and Environment, as well as Homeland Security, continue to be the state's priorities as we plan and issue RFP's for funding and award grants. Education priorities are School Readiness: furthering early childhood development; and School success: aiding the educational achievement of school ­aged youth and adults who lack basic education skills. Public Safety priorities are crime prevention: reducing the incidence of violence; and crime control: improving criminal justice services, law enforcement, and victim services. Human Needs priorities are Health: providing independent living assistance, home- and community-based health care; and Home: rebuilding neighborhoods and helping people who are homeless. Environment priorities are Neighborhood Environment: reducing community environmental hazards; and Natural Environment: conserving, restoring, and sustaining natural habitats.

During the past three years, the Commission has been faced with numerous challenges from its host agency, the State Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Office of Community Service, and has not been able to focus its complete attention on accomplishing the objectives within the Unified State Plan.  Also, as a result of the continuing struggles with the Office of Community Service and the recent transfer to the University of Hawaii, the Commission has been delayed in revising the Unified State Plan and is only now able to submit it to the Corporation.

Vision

The Commission shares the following vision with its other partners in the state:

Recognizing our unique Hawaiian heritage and instilled with the values of many cultures and peoples, we shall uphold as our motto the principles of manuwahi (to give freely), kokua (to support, assist), laulima (cooperation, lit. "many hands" working together), and lokahi (unity, harmony).  We shall support and nurture the development of a firm lifelong committment to service among Hawaii's people from the keiki (children), makua (parents and adults), to the kapuna (grandparents and elderly).  We shall encourage increased participation in community service for the enhancement of the quality of life and diversity of Hawaii's people; to malama (care for) the environment and natural resources; to incorporate `ohana (family) strength and values; to build on and enrich cultural, educational, and economical aspects of our community; and to develop partnerships among grassroots, non-profit, corporate, local, state, national, public and private sectors.  We shall support community driven service initiatives and concurrently unify state and national directives within a framework that effectively facilitates communication and collaboration among all levels of leadership.

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