ALU LIKE, Inc. HISTORY SHORT SUMMARY
It took vision, passion and courage to bring an idea of a Native Hawaiian service organization into reality. In 1973, Myron (Pinky) Thompson, Alvin Shim, James Bacon, Yukio Naito, David Peters and Winona Ellis Rubin dreamed of creating a Hawaiian service agency to address the social and economic needs of the Hawaiian community. Their dream became a reality in 1975 when ALU LIKE, Inc. was officially incorporated and granted its IRS tax-exempt status.
Our Founders’ envisioned Hawai‘i, as a special island home, healthy, safe, productive and guided by the shared values of all its’ people. They also recognized that Hawai‘i’s future, and the future of all Hawaiians, hinged on our ability to work together in the spirit of mutual promise and hope.
In 1976, ALU LIKE, Inc. received a $125,000 grant from the Administration for Native Americans to begin the work of helping Hawaiians achieve their potential. Thirty years later, ALU LIKE, Inc. has grown into a statewide million-dollar service organization. This growth is attributed to the many hands that have worked together to help ALU LIKE, Inc. serve our Hawaiian Community.
To serve our Hawaiian Community, kupuna gave ALU LIKE, Inc. six (6) values to help us remain steadfast in our mission; Mālama, Kuleana, Pono, Ho`omau, Laulima, and Ho`okina.
ALU LIKE, Inc. HISTORY LONG SUMMARY
In 1973, Myron (Pinky) Thompson, Alvin Shim, James Bacon, Yukio Naito, David Peters, and Winona Ellis Rubin began the process of creating a Hawaiian service organization. Their discussions resulted in the formation of a little known non-profit organization called N.O.W. (New Opportunities Working).
Tūtū Mary Kawena Puku‘i later renamed the organization ALU LIKE, which means “striving together.” Kūpuna wahine Edith Kanaka‘ole, in recognition of the challenging work to be done and the tugging, pushing and pulling that would need to take place to accomplish our goals, gave us our motto, E alu like mai kākou, e nā ‘ōiwi o Hawai‘i (Let us work together, natives of Hawai‘i), to help us meet the challenges ahead.
In our first year of operation, the community confronted our staff with questions such as: Different groups have surveyed us for many years with no feedback and no follow up after the initial collection of information, what makes you so different? We‘ve never heard of you before this year? Why should we trust you? Will you follow up with action, or will you disappear like all the others?
Staff could only assure our people that we would not disappear and ask them to be patient and trust that we would follow up on their expressed needs. ALU LIKE, Inc.’s staff rose to the challenge. Our services and programs provided immediate tangible results that honored the trust and patience that the community gave us. Sound results are still the measure we apply to all of our efforts on behalf of individuals and families.
ALU LIKE, Inc. has grown from an organization with a budget of $125 thousand, one O‘ahu office and neighbor island staff operating out of their homes and cars to a $20 million and 20 site organization. For more than 30 years ALU LIKE, Inc. has provided successful results to more than 100,000 individuals across the State of Hawai‘i. We are different, and we will not disappear.
The staff and Board at ALU LIKE, Inc. continue to work together with our community to remain relevant and on the cutting edge in the delivery of our services. We invite you to join us on our journey of
“E Holomua” and to work together to achieve a better tomorrow for our people.