Aunty Lucille shares a nurturing approach to community building

The nonprofit Ku‘ikahi Mediation Center will host a free talk titled “Kakou, All of Us Together,” a nurturing approach to community building, with speaker Lucille V. Chung from noon-1 p.m. Thursday in the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney, 655 Kilauea Ave., Hilo.

Defined as “we are in this together” and “all of us,” kakou is a word of inclusion and strength as a group. The talk will review proven practices that help build a spirit of community, strive to include everyone and encourage all to participate.

“Highly recognized for her dedication to our island community and her tremendous impact on many lives, Aunty Lucille is gracious enough to share her wisdom and talk story with us,” said Gail Takaki, Ku‘ikahi program coordinator.

Chung, lovingly known as Aunty Lucille, has worked and volunteered in community building most of her adult life. Born in Laupahoehoe and raised in a large and nurturing ohana, Aunty Lucille was a police operations clerk in Laupahoehoe, where she helped organize and lead the North Hilo Community Council, and a community building facilitator with Queen Lili‘uokalani Children’s Center. She also leads two businesses with her family.

Ku‘ikahi’s “Finding Solutions, Growing Peace” Brown Bag Lunch Series is free and open to the public. Talks are the third Thursday of every month. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own lunch and enjoy an informal and educational talk-story session.

This lunch-and-learn series is made possible in part with funding from the Atherton Family Foundation.

For more information, contact Takaki at 935-7844, ext. 9, email gail@hawaiimediation.org or visit www.hawaiimediaiton.org.