Native Hawaiian keiki make up nearly 50 percent of Hawaiʻi’s 1,330 foster care children.
Kamehameha Schools 2001 alumnus Kaimana LeBlanc was a foster child from ages 5 through 18. Thanks to two loving foster families he found direction in life and today is a husband, father, business owner, and community volunteer. He also aspires to be a foster parent.
“Foster parents aren’t there to replace the child’s real parents,” says LeBlanc. “They are there to help the child succeed in the time they are with the foster family. My foster families have made a huge impact in my life and because of their example I now know what I want in my life today.”
Native Hawaiian foster parents needed
Hui Ho‘omalu – a statewide initiative aimed at recruiting, training and supporting resource families – is currently seeking Native Hawaiian families to become resource caregivers for Hawaiian children in foster care.
“Our goal is meet the child’s needs,” says Stephanie Helbush, community relations manager of the Partner in Development Foundation, which oversees the initiative.
“The idea of placing a child that is identified through his or her connection to the Native Hawaiian culture will help the child feel more comfortable.”
LeBlanc felt very comfortable under the care of his foster families and is grateful that they taught him Hawaiian cultural traditions including Polynesian seafaring, fishing and diving. They also instilled in him the true meaning of ‘ohana.
“Being part of a family means giving unconditional love, encouragement, and support to one another, regardless of the situation or circumstance,” he said.
While growing up in foster care, LeBlanc also gained a giving heart. In addition to running his business – Odds and Ends Handyman Service – he takes time to share his story with the community as part of the Heart Talk Speakers Bureau. The group, made up of foster parents and former foster children, inspires others to help Hawaiʻi’s keiki.
“The saying, ‘It takes a village to raise a child,’ rings true for children in foster care,” says Helbush. “Get involved with the kids as a coach, mentor or volunteer. The community needs people to be aware that this problem exists and that some children don’t have a trustworthy role model to look up to.”
To learn more on how you can become a resource caregiver through the Partners in Development Foundation’s Hui Ho‘omalu initiative, please call (808) 441-1117, toll free: (888) 879-8970 or visit the foundation’s website.
The Partners in Development Foundation is a Kamehameha Schools early education collaborator that impacts keiki and families through its free Tūtū and Me traveling preschool program. The foundation’s Ka Pa‘alana program is also one of 10 partners at the KS’ new Early Learning Complex in Mā‘ili which serves families on the Wai‘anae Coast. The foundation partners with Catholic Charities Hawaii and Family Programs Hawaii to deliver foster support services.
Hui Ho‘omalu is currently seeking Native Hawaiian families to become resource caregivers for Hawaiian children in foster care.
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