Maria Morales is currently wearing two hats at nonprofit Project Dana, whose mission is “to provide compassionate support and services to Hawaiʻi’s kūpuna and their caregivers.”
The incoming executive director is also serving as the Caring for the Caregiver program coordinator, at least until they can hire someone to fill her previous role.
“The position as program coordinator requires a lot of paperwork, but the part I love the most is seeing the impact we’re making on caregivers, who can get respite knowing that we can help take on some of their tasks,” said Morales, who succeeded Cyndi Osajima after she retired in July 2024.
Interim executive director and independent consultant Josh Levinson is training Morales and helping to “revitalize” the organization, she added.
Within the last year, Project Dana has implemented a new data system called Mon Ami, to make finding social and support services for kūpuna easier. “We did have initially invest in this and are continuing to pay for a monthly subscription,” Morales told Aloha State Daily.
She said this online service assists with the backend work, so that volunteers on the ground across various communities can register new volunteers and recipients and match them with services, while also running reports and collecting data. About 50 volunteers are active on Mon Ami so far as the rollout continues across Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island, she noted.
Project Dana’s services include fall prevention, visitation and events, home services, transportation, meal deliveries and grocery shopping. The organization currently employs one part time and four full-time staff members, Morales said.
Project Dana’s Student Practical Education program invites local high school and college students to gain experience shadowing and training under its coordinators, who specialize in public health or social work. Morales joined Project Dana through this program more than 10 years ago, completing her Bachelor of Social Work field placement, and she was later hired on as a field instructor after receiving her master’s. She is now also a certified coach and counselor for caregivers.
“My responsibility was to help with transportation and visiting with kūpuna,” she said. “This personal experience made me more passionate about our mission. I know the work we do makes a big difference not just in one life, but it's nice for the entire family, their church, their caregiver, etc.”
Another aspect of her vision is to ensure kūpuna can age in place with dignity and maintain their independence.
“A quarter of the state’s population 65 years and older, and with the current trends in population growth, the aging population is going to increase,” she said. “And for the younger generation, no matter what industry you go to in the future, you will work with kūpuna. Being able to learn the skills, have the understanding of how to work with kūpuna now is going to be good for your future, as well as improve your own relationships around you.”
As a new leader, Morales says communication and connection will be her focuses this year. Some key partners are Kāhala Nui, the Honolulu Waikīkī 2000 Lions Club, Girl Scouts of Hawaiʻi and the University of Hawaiʻi, among other organizations.
Project Dana’s programs are funded through federal and city and county grants, as well as other private foundations and donors, she said, including the Moʻiliʻili Hongwanji Mission, a Buddhist temple in Honolulu.
According to its website, Project Dana, which means "generosity" in Sanskrit and Pali, was founded at Moʻiliʻili Hongwanji Mission in 1989 by Shimeju Kanazawa and Rose Nakamura, who first hired Morales. Today, it is an "interfaith coalition" that has trained hundreds of volunteers across churches statewide to care for the elderly.
CONTACT
Project Dana
Maria Morales, executive director
Address: Moʻiliʻili Hongwanji Mission902 University Ave., Honolulu
Phone: 808-945-3736
Email: info@projectdana.org
Website: projectdana.org
Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
