Celebrating our March Makana Pono Awardee
Posted on April 4, 2023
Makana Pono: Employee Giving Program
Rovena J.
RN
Organization: Mana Mele Project - Mana Maoli
L – R: Mark I. (Employee and Community Engagement), Erik Y. (Mana Mele Project/Mana Maoli), Jen E. (CEO of Islands Hospice), Rovena J. (Makana Pono Awardee), Jad B. (System Integration), Kaitlin H. (Team Blessings), Schanelle L. (Team Mabuhay Nani), Ihilani G. (Mana Mele Project/Mana Maoli), Alyssa M. (Team Mabuhay Nani), Kevin D. (Team Ekahi), Agnes V. (Team Anela)
Mana Mele serves thousands of charter and immersion school students across 20 partner schools on Oahu, Hawaii Island and Kauai.
Rovena has worked with Islands Hospice for eight years as a registered nurse, providing care and education to our patients and their families on Oahu. As the March Makana Pono awardee, Rovena directed her $5,000 award to a music program that helps Hawaiian charter schools.
Founded by the nonprofit organization Mana Maoli, the Mana Mele Project is a music and multimedia academy, state-of-the-art mobile studio and mentorship program that connects youth with local musicians, engineers, and other music business professionals.
Mana Mele serves thousands of charter and immersion school students across 20 partner schools on Oahu, Hawaii Island and Kauai. More than 200 of Hawaii’s favorite and most respected artists including Jack Johnson, Anuhea, and Kimié Miner have donated their time and talent to teaching youth their ABCs (academics, business, and culture) through music, engineering, video, and communications.
Not only does the program provide youth with off-campus internship opportunities, but its mobile studio also operates as a classroom on wheels where students learn the basics of audio and video production. On their own campus, students can record kupuna archives, traditional mele (song) and oli (chant), and create instructional videos, public service announcements and more.
As the parent of children who attended a charter school, Rovena chose the Mana Mele Project because of its positive impact on Hawaii’s children.
To support the Mana Mele Project or to learn more, please visit www.manamele.org.
Founded by the nonprofit organization Mana Maoli, the Mana Mele Project is a music and multimedia academy, state-of-the-art mobile studio and mentorship program that connects youth with local musicians, engineers, and other music business professionals.
Mana Mele serves thousands of charter and immersion school students across 20 partner schools on Oahu, Hawaii Island and Kauai. More than 200 of Hawaii’s favorite and most respected artists including Jack Johnson, Anuhea, and Kimié Miner have donated their time and talent to teaching youth their ABCs (academics, business, and culture) through music, engineering, video, and communications.
Not only does the program provide youth with off-campus internship opportunities, but its mobile studio also operates as a classroom on wheels where students learn the basics of audio and video production. On their own campus, students can record kupuna archives, traditional mele (song) and oli (chant), and create instructional videos, public service announcements and more.
As the parent of children who attended a charter school, Rovena chose the Mana Mele Project because of its positive impact on Hawaii’s children.
To support the Mana Mele Project or to learn more, please visit www.manamele.org.