On Nov. 15, the Ku‘ikahi Mediation Center, in participation with the Hawaii County Bar Association, is hosting its 10th annual recognition dinner in Hilo to help fund the nonprofit human services agency.
Ku‘ikahi will present its Peacemaker Award to Mark E. Recktenwald, chief justice of the state Supreme Court.
“The CJ is nationally recognized for his leadership and commitment to increasing equal access to justice,” said Judge Andrew Wilson, Ku‘ikahi’s board president. “On Hawaii Island, that includes the Hilo Self-Help Center and our Foreclosure Mediation Program.”
In addition, attorney Addison M. Bowman is being honored by the HCBA for his many years of service. Bowman is a professor of law emeritus at the University of Hawaii-Manoa’s William S. Richardson School of Law and an appellate mediator for the state Supreme Court.
Newton John Chu, Esq., will emcee the gala event, which features silent and live auctions and door prizes. Items up for bid include rounds of golf, adventure tours, entrance to local attractions, overnight hotel stays, gift cards to restaurants and retail stores, artwork, gift baskets, flower arrangements and more.
No-host cocktails will be served at 5 p.m., with dinner at 6. The buffet will feature three entrees — prime rib, furikake salmon and shrimp scampi over fettuccine — as well as salad, side dishes and dessert.
This fundraiser provides a significant portion of the funds that Ku‘ikahi needs to provide free and low-cost dispute resolution services to the East Hawaii community.
More than half of Ku‘ikahi’s clients are at or below the poverty level, meaning they are unable to pay even modest fees for their mediation sessions.
“Our mission is to empower people to come together — to talk and to listen, to explore options, and to find their own best solutions,” Wilson said. “To achieve this mission, we offer mediation, facilitation and training to strengthen the ability of diverse individuals and groups to resolve interpersonal conflicts and community issues.”
Tickets for the annual dinner are $85 per person, of which $40 is tax-deductible, and are available from the Ku‘ikahi’s board of directors and Ku‘ikahi’s office in the Hilo Lagoon Centre, 101 Aupuni St., Suite PH 1014 B-2.
For reservations, contact Ku‘ikahi Executive Director Julie Mitchell at 935-7844, ext. 5, or email julie@hawaiimediation.org.
