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[{"type":"text","text":"Playing a prank on the office..."}]

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<title>Daily Smile: Wednesday, April 1, 2026</title>

Playing a prank on the office...

Daily Smile: Wednesday, April 1, 2026

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Aloha Spirit

Real Estate

It was a warm Saturday in Waimānalo with blue skies hung above the rich green Koʻolau mountain range. The whirring sounds of machinery and clanging of tools filled the air around the subdivision off Kakaʻina Street, where homes awarded to beneficiaries of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) are still being built.

The Ho Family has walked through the process of homeownership with nonprofit affiliate 

. The multi-generational home with two bedrooms, one bath, will soon be move-in ready, according to the project’s independent contractor, Mike.

He adds that while the severe storms in March set them back, they are close to finishing.

 were on site that day focused on exterior painting and interior finishes. Each home build requires about 250 volunteers overall, with the timeline spanning between three to six months.

Vernon Akina, a carpenter who helps oversee Honolulu Habitat’s critical home repair program and volunteers on home builds, underwent the same process on his family’s home just down the road. He and his mom, who is the DHHL lessee, moved into a four-bedroom house in August of 2024 with mortgage assistance from Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Akina said. The build was completed within three months.

“It’s too expensive to buy a house in Hawai’i,” he told Aloha State Daily. “When we went to Hawaiian Homes in 2019, I had always wanted a house in Waimānalo. And when we got it, I thought we struck gold.”

Originally from Hālawa Valley on Molokaʻi, Vernon says he volunteers because “I’m retired and need something to do.”

He adds: “Through my own house build, the challenging part was not to work too quickly. I met good people. Honolulu Habitat really helped with the paperwork, funding, permits and inspection.”

Neighbors Mokihana and Ben supplied lunch to the crew.

Former director of operations Nerine Asbel was also on-site volunteering.

“It feels good to give back to where I served before,” she said. “I still believe in the mission. … Not everybody has the time, tools or resources to build and own a home in Hawaiʻi, but this program provides guidance and gives first-time homebuyers a safe place to call home.”

Executive Director Melissa Bruhl started in the role on Feb. 11.

Born in Rhode Island, Bruhl and her husband moved to Oʻahu in 2003 and live in Kailua.  She earned her bachelor's degree in finance from Boston College and spent more than two decades in global infrastructure and telecommunications. Prior to joining Honolulu Habitat, she served as chief commercial officer of RTI Cables responsible for the company’s strategic growth and partnerships.

“I love the intimacy of the nonprofit sector,” said Bruhl, who was first introduced to Honolulu Habitat as a volunteer. “I think everyone’s really invested versus just coming to work. The team [of four office employees in total] is fantastic, and I’m getting to know them, see their strengths and see them shine. We’re small but we’re mighty.”

Bruhl noted that amid the transition, she’s been “doing a lot of listening.”

“I really want to learn and observe. I told the team I’m not coming in to make a bunch of changes, but what I do hope to bring is more efficiency and effectiveness. As a leader, I want to help them do their jobs better, and I want them to feel valued.”

When asked what the nonprofit’s biggest needs are right now, she said, financial and in-kind donations in addition to volunteers both for workdays and its board of directors.

“We’re looking for key volunteer board members with legal backgrounds and/or fundraising, grant writing and development skills,” she said. “On the home build side, we’re also looking to hire specialized trades workers and supervisors to complete more projects in a year.”

Funds donated to Honolulu Habitat will contribute to more affordable housing projects on Oʻahu, apart from the area served by 

. There are other Habitat for Humanity affiliates that serve on 

Honolulu Habitat said DHHL’s federal NAHASDA funds — specifically the Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant — helped aid the two ongoing builds in Waimānalo. It reported 

$7.52 million in total assets for fiscal year 2024, 

Since 1988, Honolulu Habitat has served more than 450 individuals across Oʻahu through new home construction and critical home repairs.

In FY2025, more than 20 million people "gained the potential to improve their housing conditions" via Habitat for Humanity International Inc.," 

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Honolulu Habitat Melissa Bruhl

Work is underway at the Keliinui ‘ohana's future home, where the multi-generational family will get to move into by the end of August. Aloha State Daily lent a hand over the weekend with Honolulu Habitat for Humanity. We share more about the nonprofit's mission for more affordable housing, as well as the many hands involved to pull this off.

Honolulu Habitat 001

Volunteers add final touches to family home in Waimānalo

<title>Honolulu Habitat for Humanity builds affordable homes in Waimānalo</title>

Meet the nonprofit affiliate’s new Executive Director Melissa Bruhl, who has lived on Oʻahu for more than two decades holding various leadership roles in the private sector, along with her team comprised of staff, contractors and volunteers.

Honolulu Habitat for Humanity builds affordable homes in Waimānalo

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

Hawai‘i History

A few minutes before noon, several museum goers were walking through the ʻEwa Gallery at Capitol Modern on Wednesday, Nov. 5, and looked suddenly surprised. Behind the art installation they were observing, four dancers dressed in white were seated in silent meditation.

, which will have performers taking over the museum’s galleries, courtyard and lobby this Friday, Nov. 7, as part of a free First Friday event called A Night at the Museum with Iona. On Saturday, Nov. 8, the same performers will participate in 

, a gala that brings in more than 25 percent of the dance companyʻs annual budget, according to its website. The events are sold out. But, A Night at the Museum will allow walk-ups, as space permits, Cheryl Flaharty,

This year, the dance company is celebrating 35 years of performances in the community. The museum takeover and the gala include 30 dancers and 88 costumes, she said.

“It's almost the same show each night,” she said. “We have a couple of additional pieces for the gala.”

The shows are bringing back some pieces from earlier in the dance company’s existence.  

“It's like a retrospective,” Flaharty

said via a phone call after the rehearsal ended. “Some of these pieces haven't been performed for years.”

Some dancers who were part of productions more than 30 years ago have returned to be part of performances this week.

“It's been great bringing all these generations together to celebrate the company's legacy, and how much work we've done over the years here in Hawaiʻi,” she added.

Iona Contemporary Dance Theatre, which was formerly known as Iona Pear, started in 1990, according to its website. It is inspired by butoh, a Japanese dance form that involves meditation and improvisation and is highly visual, she said.

“I often joke, and I say dancers come out of the womb dancing,” she said. “We're destined to be dancers, because it's not an easy job. It's not an easy career, an easy life, an easy lifestyle. We're all extremely dedicated to the art form. Any dancer you meet, they have a passion for dance.”

Flaharty knew she wanted to be a choreographer as a student at Admiral Arthur W. Radford High School. She started with ballet, tap and jazz classes. She was also part of the school’s drill team, she said. Flaharty thought she would be a jazz dancer and enrolled at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa where she took a contemporary dance class from 

“And that changed my world,” she said. “I became a modern dancer. After that, I danced in Betty's company for about three years before I moved to New York. And then when I was in New York, I met Poppo [Shiraishi], my butoh teacher, and then I got introduced to butoh. And now I've merged my contemporary dance training with my butoh [training], and I created something very unique to Iona.”

The dance group does the kind of performances where they 

 themselves — with audience participation — and have 

brought to life Pele, Mother Nature, genocide and more

, often while wearing elaborate headpieces.

“I would just say it's so important, especially in this day and age to support the arts,” Flaharty

said. “They add so much to our community, to our lifestyle, our enjoyment of life. Without the arts, life is not as beautiful.

And the arts are struggling, so I just want to say it's really important to support the arts.”

Iona

<title>Inside: A Night at the Museum with Iona</title>

Cheryl Flaharty, the founder and artistic director of Iona Contemporary Dance Theatre, takes Aloha State Daily behind-the-scenes of its upcoming free First Friday event at the Capitol Modern. Flaharty wanted to be a jazz dancer before she took a life-changing contemporary dance class at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

Daily Smile: Wednesday, April 1, 2026

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Daily Smile: Wednesday, April 1, 2026

Authors

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