ABOUT
US
The
Hispanic Center of Hawaii is
the only Hispanic agency of its kind in Hawaii, created in 1998 by
four outstanding community leaders,
Nancy Ortiz, Jose Villa, Martha Sanchez & Mary Lou Brown. The Hispanic Center of Hawaii continues to serve the community as a Non-Profit
agency, committed to connecting those that need help with those
who provide help, in their own language.
With
the U.S. Census Report 2002, confirming what Hispanics in Hawaii
already knew to be true, that Hispanics in Hawaii numbered well over
100,000
(not counting our military personnel who reside here as well) and
that there were no resources in place to serve this community.
From
this need to serve, was born the idea and now several years later,
we are still helping our Hispanics, and our communities.
The
Hispanic Center of Hawaii, a Nonprofit 501 (c) (3) agency, provides
the most frequently requested community services. With its one-stop-shopping
format it serves a wide range of individuals, groups and private/public
sector agencies who can now easily obtain the information and resources
they need.
Hispanic Center of Hawaii
PO Box 6346
Kaneohe, Hawaii 96744-9173
Phone: 808-285-0072
Fax: 808-247-7850
Email: info@centrohispanohawaii.com
OUR
MISSION
TO SERVE
We provide practical, necessary and quality community services to improve the
living conditions of Hispanics in Hawaii.
TO
EDUCATE
We promote Hispanic culture and traditions, while understanding and appreciating
our adopted home, and the society that welcomed us.
TO
ADVOCATE
We serve as the voice for the community in matters where advocacy ensures fair
and equitable treatment. We facilitate communication with comparable organizations
on the Mainland and around the globe.
FUNDRAISING EVENTS
The Hispanic Center of Hawaii
has two major fundraising events each year: The Hispanic Heritage Festival & Health Fair held at Kapiolani Park in Honolulu, Hawaii and The Annual Puerto Rican Cultural & Salsa Festival aka Summer Salsa in Paradise. Visit our Art and Culture page to learn more about these events.
We continue these fundraisers every year in an effort to provide Hispanics in our community a place they can call upon for a variety of services, resources and referrals. Our dream is to be able to create a larger Hispanic Center that provides all services; Health, Education, Performing Arts and more. This year we hope to award a Scholarship to a Hispanic student furthing his/her education.
HISPANICS: MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN HAWAII SINCE 1794
Contrary to popular and most assuredly incorrect belief, Hispanics are not recent arrivals to the islands. In fact, Hispanics were among the first non-Hawaiian residents of Hawaii.
Don Francisco De Paula Marin, a former Spanish seaman, became a resident of Honolulu in 1794. He served King Kamehameha I as physician, interpreter (he learned the Hawaiian language), business manager, and horticulturist (according to "The Rise and Fall of the Hawaiian Kingdom," he planted the first pineapple in Hawaii on January 2nd, 1813.
The
Hawaiian word for cowboy is paniolo. In 1830 two hundred Mexican
Cowboys were imported from California to teach the Hawaiians the
art of cattle ranching. The vaqueros wore brightly-colored kerchiefs
they called pañuelos ("pan-you-el-os"). It sounded
like "pan-ni-o-los" to the early Hawaiians (this is not
unusual when you consider the first school for commoners in the kingdom
was started circa 1823; and there was no written Hawaiian language
until 1826).
One hundred and sixty-five years later, the legacy left by those early vaqueros has become an integral part of Hawaiian culture.
Source: Extracted from Hawaiian Hispanic News
Tómeme a la versión española
