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.

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

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

Award-winning food and travel series stops in Hawaiʻi

Chef Mark “Gooch” Noguchi, co-founder of nonprofit Chef Hui; pro surfer Nathan Florence; and Haleʻiwa-based musician Jack Johnson, who also runs the Kōkua Learning Farm through Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation; among others, showcased Hawaiʻi cuisine, culture and community on Huckberry’s series, “DIRT,” hosted by Josh Rosen. The episode, which culminates with a meal at the North Shore learning farm, dropped on May 28 and has garnered thousands of views already.

Kelsey Kukaua MedeirosJune 11, 2026

Retired veteran promoted to executive role at U.S. Vets Barber’s Point

Tamah-Lani Noh recently stepped into the role of executive director at U.S. Vets Barber’s Point, a branch of a nationwide nonprofit that serves veterans in need of housing, workforce development and case management, and more. Noh shares what drives her approach to leadership and her vision to create a homelessness prevention hub.

Kelsey Kukaua MedeirosJune 10, 2026

Community Voices: What preserving Papahānaumokuākea means below the surface

Marine debris from lost or discarded commercial fishing nets to plastic and other waste carried to the ocean by streams, rivers and lakes, does not simply disappear at sea. Much of the debris collected in the massive Great Pacific Garbage Patch north of Hawaiʻi eventually converges on our shores — especially in Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary. Despite relatively little of this waste originating in Hawaiʻi, our local community continues bearing the responsibility of ongoing cleanup efforts to protect one of the most sacred and ecologically significant places on Earth.

Philamer FelicitasJune 09, 2026

Hawaiʻi 4-H livestock events teach youth real-life skills

Local youth from across the state have started showcasing their business and leadership skills after months of caring for steers and heifers, goats, pigs, poultry, and more, while learning how to sell them to buyers. Representatives for The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience share with Aloha State Daily more about how Hawaiʻi 4-H livestock programs are preparing students for work, as well as what to expect at the free community events this summer.

Kelsey Kukaua MedeirosJune 08, 2026

26 free activities for keiki in summer 2026

Wondering what to do on Oʻahu with the keiki this summer? Aloha State Daily pulled together this list of upcoming activities such as free movies at the beach, access to multiple museums and live music.

Katie HellandJune 06, 2026

Mālama ʻāina every Saturday morning with Kuilei Cliffs

Nonprofit Kuilei Cliffs meets weekly at its namesake located on the makai slope of Lēʻahi, or Diamond Head, in Honolulu. From 8 to 11 a.m. on Saturdays, volunteers work to remove invasive species, and overgrown grasses and tree branches, for current and future generations to enjoy more green space and ocean views.

Kelsey Kukaua MedeirosJune 05, 2026