Aloha Spirit
It’s all about giving back.
ASD’s Aloha Spirit beat covers the kama‘āina who are making a positive difference in people’s lives. This is where volunteers are heroes and non-profit leaders are Hawai‘i’s navigators. We also cover Hawai‘i’s diverse faith community, and the religions which so deeply tie the Islands together.
News
Community Voices: Help Hawai‘i farmers recover
An anonymous donor secured by Aloha State Daily will match dollar-for-dollar, up to $100,000, donations made to the Hawai‘i Farmers Union Foundation's Hawai‘i Flood Response Fund.
Christian ZuckermanApril 08, 2026
Juneteenth, Father’s Day, and more: what to do on Oʻahu this weekend
Ready to make plans for Juneteenth and Father’s Day? From live music at a botanical garden to free entry at a local museum and a movie screening that stars an actor who calls Kakaʻako home, there are lots of events happening on Oʻahu this weekend. Make your plans now for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Katie HellandJune 17, 2026
Tickets still on sale for Goodwill Goes Glam!
Sip, shop and watch a fashion show produced by Valerie Joseph at the 15th annual Goodwill Goes Glam! — Goodwill Hawaiʻi’s signature fundraiser set for July 16 to 18 at the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall. All proceeds stay in the Islands to help bolster the nonprofit’s workforce development programs.
Kelsey Kukaua MedeirosJune 17, 2026
Waimānalo Country Farms is open for its summer season
The farm’s sunflower fields usually open during mid-May, but this season started later due to the Kona Low storms in March. Waimānalo Country Farms will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. until the beginning of July.
Kelli Shiroma BraiottaJune 17, 2026
Mana Up saw record applicants for Cohort 11
There were 258 applicants for the business accelerator's newest cohort — 11 were selected from across the Islands. Aloha State Daily caught up with Mana Up co-founder Meli James to learn more about Mana Up's work, impact and entrepreneurship in Hawai‘i.
Stephanie SalmonsJune 16, 2026
UPDATE: Hawaiʻi contestant gets golden buzzer on ʻAmerica’s Got Talent’
This Army sergeant got his musical break when he recorded himself singing in a car. Now, Oʻahu resident Isaac Atkins is reflecting on the “America’s Got Talent” auditions that recently took him to California.
Katie HellandJune 16, 2026
Waimānalo entrepreneur organizes curated monthly pop-up markets
This month’s Puʻuhonua Mākeke — which is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 20, at Puʻuhonua O Waimānalo — will feature 24 local vendors, raffles and prizes, lei and pāpale making workshops, and its signature free eggs and bread for the first 100 ʻohana. Organizer Lehua Kanahele-Santos, who owns Kanahele Roots and Pohinahina Kinis, talks about the heart behind the mākeke and her businesses, and what’s in store next.
Kelsey Kukaua MedeirosJune 16, 2026
Waikīkī Business Improvement District, Improvement Association to align management
The move aims to streamline operations, reduce overhead and enhance efficiency and goes into effect July 1.
Stephanie SalmonsJune 13, 2026
Molokaʻi or Molokai, and why? ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi speakers, community share manaʻo
Aloha State Daily revisits the Molokaʻi or Molokai debate over the spelling and pronunciation of the place name — with or without an ʻokina — initially for our own house style guide used across the website. Here’s what we learned from community members statewide.
Kelsey Kukaua MedeirosJune 13, 2026
Nonprofit aims to scale programs to serve more ʻohana
Family Promise of Hawaiʻi Executive Director Ryan Catalani discusses findings from the most recent Point in Time Count and how the organization serving families on Oʻahu and Maui plans to be part of the solution to end homelessness.
Kelsey Kukaua MedeirosJune 12, 2026
Dancer in diaspora brings art home to Oʻahu
Wehiwehi is an artist residency program that is bringing six Kanaka Maoli artists from Hawaiʻi and the Mainland together to collaborate on hula, mele, modern dance, theater and more. These artists will share their work in showcases at Shangri La and the Bishop Museum in June. Kealoha Ferreira is one of the artists living in the diaspora, who will return to Oʻahu this month to participate in the program.
Katie HellandJune 12, 2026
Pan-Pacific Festival returns to Waikīkī
Bishop Shuji Komagata reflects on Hawaiʻi Matsuri Taiko’s mores than 30 years of performances at the Pan-Pacific Festival, a three-day event happening on Oʻahu this weekend.
Katie HellandJune 11, 2026