Re-Use Hawaii is tops in Chaminade
nonprofit business plan contest

A business plan entered by Re-Use Hawaii took first place on Thursday, Dec. 13, in Chaminade University's Hogan/American Savings Pank Nonprofit Business Plan Competition. The nonprofit organization, founded in 2006, "deconstucts" houses and other buildings and salvages building materials otherwise headed to the landfill. Some materials are donated re-use by organizations such as the Nankuli Housing Corporation and Habitat for Humanity and a retail warehouse is planned.

Re-Use Hawaii estimates that as much as 65 percent of the building material that might otherwise be simply dumped can be distributed back into use. The group also plans to start a waste reduction consulting program. The first prize comes with a $15,000 cash award.

Second place and $10,000 was awarded to the Cultural Bridge Experience Program, a project conceived by the Papakolea Community Development Corporation to provide a superior life-long learning cultural experience for Japanese visitors by training and educating community guides and hosts and dedicating the proceeds to maintain the Papakolea Community Center and Park and to train new guides and hosts.

The third-place business plan was for a project by Hina Mauka to develop a 500-bed facility to furnish low-risk, non-violent offenders substance-abuse teatment, counseling, vocational rehabilitation, education, family reunification and parenting skills training using the Delancey Street Foundation program that has had success in San Francisco. The award comes with $5,000.

An award for the most compelling business plan went to Hope, Help and Healing Kauai, a residential program to serve women recovering from substance abuse and life trauma. HHHK plans to launch an Empowerment Program to provide case management, substance-abuse treatment, life skills and recovery training and guidance for reintegration into society. It is the only such program on Kauai and will receive 120 hours of free integrated communication services from Loomis ISC, the award sponsor.

Other finalists included North Shore Organic Farm and Training Center, the Child and Family Service Senior Care Personal Assistants, the HAwaii Sociaerty for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Claude F. Duteil Institute for Training, Research and Evaluation. The eight finalists were selected from 38 contest entries and presented their plans orally to a panel of judges on Dec. 4. The award presentations were announced at the Mystical Rose Oratory on the Chaminade University Campus.