Kokua Council broadens
its missionThe advocacy group originally
focused on seniors' needs
The Kokua Council, formed 32 years ago to advocate for seniors, has expanded its mission to help people of all ages.
"We realized some issues are intergenerational," said Council President Ruth Ellen Lindenberg. "Other groups are focused on aging, which left us to look at people hurting the worst."
When to meet
Kokua Council meetings with guest speakers are held at 11:30 a.m. the fourth Monday of each month at Harris Methodist Church, Nuuanu Avenue and Vineyard Boulevard.Lunch is available for a small fee. For more information, to join or to receive the council newsletter, call the Rev. Sam Cox at 261-1934.
The council reorganized to advocate for those least able to speak for themselves, no matter their age.
Caregiving, for example, cuts across generations, said gerontologist Tony Lenzer, council first vice president.
"Grandparenting involves children and grandchildren," he said.
Lenzer headed a committee with consultant Linda Colburn that completed a strategic plan in December to guide the council for the next two years. The Hawaii Community Foundation provided $19,000 for the project.
"We spent over a year trying to figure out our mission and develop actions that would lead to our goal," Lenzer said.
"Advocacy is the guts of what we do," he added.
Laura Manis, council second vice president, said when she asks members why they join the Kokua Council, they say: "You're the watchdog of the community. We're trying to help."
"Our advocacy includes training for people to be advocates," Manis said.
Council members represent years of professional experience, expertise and advocacy in the community. Many members are affiliated with other groups.
"We have all these resources, retirees and community needs" that come together in a "win-win situation," said the Rev. Sam Cox, retired United Methodist minister who directed Hale Kipa, a shelter for teenagers, for 22 years.
"In the early days, we were the only ones (advocating)," Cox said.
Lindenberg, 91, and Manis, 80, were involved for years in AARP's state legislative committee. They shifted to Kokua Council seven or eight years ago when AARP decided to focus on national positions.
Lyn Moku, 56, manager of the Hawaii Division for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, is among younger council members.
She joined three years ago to obtain support for MS advocacy issues.
"To make changes for our people, we need to work together," she said. "These people (in the Kokua Council) are really experts in the legislative process, pulling people together. ... They helped me understand the whole process of advocacy."
Lindenberg is especially concerned now about the fallout from welfare reforms, with single parents required to work and go to school without adequate support.
"They need a ladder to climb up," she said.
The council is working to reapply for $6,000 left from its foundation grant to plan a state student council in the summer and a mock legislature in the fall to represent community interests.
The council has 116 members and is looking for more. Young people are particularly needed "to pull us in new directions," Lindenberg said.