Gates Millennium Scholarships

The Gates Millennium Scholars Program (GMS), funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, was established in 1999 to provide outstanding, low income African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American*, and Hispanic American students with an opportunity to complete an undergraduate college education in any discipline area of interest.

Nomination materials must be submitted online before Monday, January 11, 2010 11:59 p.m. EST or postmarked on or before January 11, 2010.

**Asian Pacific Islander American include persons having origins from Asia and/or Pacific Islands. Asian includes persons having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent. Pacific Islander includes persons having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. Citizens of the republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau are eligible to be nominated. This is not an all inclusive list.

Apply at this link.

Show #26-- What is leadership?

There has been so much discussion these past few months about the role of leaders in our Pacific Islander community. Our show this week will focus on leadership, specifically, What makes a good leader? What does leadership mean? Is there a different kind of expectation of Pacific Islander leaders as oppose to other leaders in our larger community? What characteristics should a leader posses? How do we measure good leadership? and so much more.

In order for this discussion to be interactive and inclusive, we are asking all our listeners to either call in or email answering one question: "What do you expect from a great leader?" .... This is your opportunity to voice your opinion and help redefine leadership live on the air...I hope you join us tonight!

Pacific Eye Radio Show, live on Utah Free Media
http://www.utahfm.org
Every Thursday evening from 9:00PM-10:30PM [U.S.Mountain Standard Time]

To join the discussion:
Phone: 866-716-1991 (toll free) or local is 801-878-0506
Email: onair@utahfm.org while we are on air
Email: pacificeyeradio@utahfm.org (anytime)
Add us on FB: www.facebook.com/anapesi & www.facebook.com/richardwolfgramm

4 Years Later: Revisiting the Hōkūle'a and what it teaches us about ourselves.

To this day, the single most transformative experience in my life was a day spent on the Hōkūle'a in Hawai’i.

For the uninitiated, the Hōkūle'a is a full scale replica of an ancient Polynesian double-hulled voyaging canoe. On these oceanic caravans, our Moana ancestors navigated and settled the Pacific, using only the celestial bodies and the murmurings of mother nature as guides.

The Hōkūle'a was birthed in 1975, the crowning achievement of the Polynesian Voyaging Society in a time of Hawaiian cultural renaissance. The initial goal of the Hōkūle'a was to redefine scientific theories about Polynesian navigation and settlement of the Pacific Ocean. But the political atmosphere in Hawai'i was blazing hot, and the emergence of the Hōkūle'a was the major strike indigenous Hawaiians needed to reassert their rightful place after years of oppression.

Though the Hōkūle'a is constructed of fiber-glass, resin, plywood and other modern materials, don’t let that be a point of distraction.

What’s more important is what the Hōkūle'a embodies: the audacity of our navigating forefathers to defy the ridiculous odds, to subdue the waves and settle the vast Pacific Ocean, while on the other side of the globe, bigger, and supposedly more advanced ships were still hugging coastlines because they afraid of falling off the earth.

On a dewey Sunday morning in June of 2005, our voyaging group, comprised of fellows from the Pacific-American Foundation leadership training program, embarked on the experience of a lifetime - sailing the Hōkūle'a from Moloka’i to ‘Oahu.

Normal people yearn for celebrity encounters, for vacations is an exotic locale, to win the lottery - I was the weirdo who dreamt of sailing on the Hōkūle'a. As we arrived at the wharf, I looked at her and gushed like an oversexed teenager.

We met our captain, the legendary Nainoa Thompson, a man small in stature who speaks very gently, but, oh, he leads big. Nainoa briefed us on proper protocol on the deck, but most importantly, the core values of voyaging - to be of one mind, to care for our shipmates, to be kind and to nurture our kinship. Clearly, this was not the time and place to be selfish.


And so we sailed.

The smell of the sea took me back to my young years of growing up in Tonga, where my curiosity of all things oceanic led to several near-death encounters, from drownings to heat exposure that resulted in a severe sunburn (my brother and I hijacked a boat and set out for open sea...and fell asleep) and a stare down with a moray eel in low tide (the eel won by sheer intimidation, but I ran faster) - but I still went back for more. The ocean became my life.

As my shipmates learned how to steer the canoe, I sat in the back and for ten hours, I was in my own place. I silently devoured and savored every motion of the sea. I dipped my hand into the ocean as the waves would drop and rise. The mist salted my lips and my eyes. I was empowered by the knowledge that these were same watery highways traveled long ago by our ancestors. The Hōkūle'a experience fully validated what I always knew about us and our nature as ocean voyaging people.


Voyaging and navigating the vastness of the Pacific wasn’t a haphazard exercise in island hopping, as once was popular theory. It was carefully planned and orchestrated, and required not just consensus of the voyaging party, but also the blessings of mother nature.

Anciently, successful voyages hinged on the values of kinship and nurturing social spaces. These values also transferred to communal life in a village setting and also to the political sphere. Nurturing spaces also extended to the environment, whether on land, on air or on sea. This still rings true today, as Nainoa demonstrated.

Earlier this year, I spoke at an education conference for Polynesian high school students at the University of Utah. I asked, ‘What is the greatest feat accomplished by Polynesians in the history of mankind?” Not one person knew about their ancient seafaring ancestors. As the presentation went on, the students became fascinated and in the end, empowered. Yet, some harbored bitter feelings that this was something they never learned at home.

Just as the Hōkūle'a served as a catalyst for reframing scientific theories about Polynesian navigation, it can also serve another purpose in reframing the dialogue about Polynesians today.

For too long, we’ve been grossly misrepresented in the media, education, politics and crime (you name it) through the lens of a cultural deficit model. It’s the same old tactic ripped from the colonial manual of oppression - erode the culture, erode their identity, their values and they will be rendered powerless. Today, we continue to be portrayed as a savage people with a propensity for violence, with no aspirations, with no intelligence. We must step up and redefine the rules.

One of the things I find disheartening is when one of our own join in this denigrating exercise of marginalizing Polynesian people. It’s even worse when we internalize the cultural deficit model and tell our children that culturally, we have nothing to offer, thus shutting the door on connecting our values to a larger system of universal values that connects humanity.

This needs to stop.

In 2012, the Hōkūle'a will embark on a 36 month world tour to promote sustainability. It’s an ambitious undertaking, but Nainoa, channelling the audacity of our ancestors, is confident it can be done. Likewise, we should channel the same energy to mobilize and speak out against social injustice, to build our communities and promote the cultural values that define who we truly are.

----- Richard

Link to the Hokule'a site

1.5% versus 1% - Hype by the numbers.

To further make my case about "perception is reality," the Salt Lake Tribune and KSL News ran stories today about the sexual misconduct of Utah school teachers.

Both stories cited figures provided by the Utah Professional Practices Advisory Commission and the Utah Board of Education and are not too different from the numbers about Pacific Island gangs mentioned in my previous note.

In Utah, there are nearly 20,000 licensed educators, and between the years of 1992-2009, 313 licenses were revoked, and 208 out of that number, or 66.7% were fired for sexual misconduct.

In other words, 1% of teachers were fired for viewing pornography at work or getting into your children's pants.

I'm not surprised. I've been waiting for this data to come out, considering we see this in the news every week. According the SL Tribune article, two incidences have occurred this month, three happened in September and two in August - and that's just a span of three months. From what I see in the news, the perpetrators of these sex crimes are mostly white. I would wager around a 98-99 percentile.

What I find interesting is this...if you were to read the comments forum of both news outlets, you will see that the same people who call for Pacific Islanders to be shipped back to the islands based on the actions of 1.5% members of our community are the same ones who are downplaying these figures, going as far as accusing the media of over sensationalizing the story.

This is the hypocrisy that permeates Utah and demonstrates the massive power of the majority and how it is used to shape and own public dialogue.

I'm well aware that in terms of crime, I'm comparing apples and oranges. But in terms of numbers, 1% and 1.5% are not that far apart. Yet, the hype surrounding the 1.5% of Polynesians in gangs is significantly disproportional to the public hysteria it has generated - and most of that hype has to do with racism, xenophobia and the fear of the other. Should the 98.5% of us who are law abiding citizens be enslaved to the 1.5% of our population who are not?

Hell no.

Why don't we see white folks running around planning summits and having conferences about the 1% of school teachers who have sex with our kids? They should - our children will meet more teachers in their lifetime than they will gangsters. But this is the power the majority wields - the power to dilute instead of being equally outraged about the sexual abuse of our school children, not to mention the power to make some of our own people internalize the manufactured hype surrounding this 1.5% and use it against us.

--Richard

Perception is Reality.

I’m convinced that the gang war in a Utah-Pacific Island context is really a battle fought in the arena of public perception and how it is sold to the public hinges on the rewards that will come to the party who is peddling the goods.

Consider the recent Pacific Islander Summit on Criminal Justice, sponsored by the Utah Department of Community and Culture's Office of Ethnic Affairs, held on Thursday, October 22 at the State Capitol Rotunda.

I wasn’t there (I wasn’t invited), but reliable sources who were there cited a figure thrown out to attendees - out of the 26,000 Pacific Islanders living in Utah (2000 census) - 400 belong to a gang.

Had I been there, this would be about the time I would choke on my Lanikai garlic chicken, compose my self quickly and yell out:

“You mean to tell me that all this pageantry and BS in this beautiful historic building with marble walls and murals of people pulling handcarts, is due to the actions of 1.5% of our Pacific Island population? ONE. POINT. EFFING. FIVE?!!!!”

Then I would run to the food table, refill my plate and make a mad dash for the door before the Gang Task Force Unit arrest me for wearing RED (not because I'm a 'Blood' but because I love my Utes), and flashing the shaka sign (which conveys Aloha spirit but often gets misinterpreted as “Hey, drive by at noon!”).

As ridiculous as it sounds, it’s even more ridiculous that we as a Utah-Pacific Island population don’t rise up to challenge such a screwy, skewed interpretation of a statistic.

The saying goes “Perception is reality.”

This rings true in Utah, especially in examining how perceptions and realities about Polynesian gangs have been defined from a law enforcement perspective - and how that translates to public perception.

Unfortunately, the majority of Utahns are already sold on the manufactured hype centered around this number 1.5%, because the media, instead of fact checking and serving in their roles as watch dogs, peddle talking points dictated to them by law enforcement agencies. This only reinforces existing stereotypes and misconceptions that we as a people are inherently violent and culturally have nothing to offer. (Don’t believe me? Check the comments section of our local media)

If 1.5% of our population is affiliated with gangs, then what the hell are the other 98.5% doing? Co-conspiring? Recruiting? Using Google Maps to plan out the next drive by? Looking for the best gun bargains on Craigslist? Ironing the color coordinated gang attire for our gangster kids? Firing up the camcorder so we can capture our adorable kids kill each other and then upload it to YouTube?

The disproportionate hype manufactured around this measly 1.5% figure make it look like we are all gangbangers.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that we don’t have gangs in our population. That cannot be denied.

But to invite to the summit renown tohunga and motivational speaker Herewini Jones, who brings a new and fresh approach the gang discussion - that is, rehabilitating inmates by using a cultural and holistic approach - only to have his message negated by the typical talk-down, one sided, cultural deficit dialogue of law enforcement, is not only inexcusable, but proves why law enforcement haven’t had much success in building a consensus with the Pacific island community.

Personally, I’m never one to pass up a good conspiracy theory - you should see my impressive collection of tin foil hats. Come closer and I’ll whisper this to you…..(Methinks that all hype about gangs is just sexy, titillating pillow talk used in the political and law enforcement arena to secure money from Uncle Sam. Economies are built around this, people. Hello.)

Law enforcement and politicians don't have a genuine interest in solving this problem and they aren't shy about this either. I recall at the Kearns high meeting after the Esteban Saidi shooting, Sheriff Winder specifically stated that they are not the solution to the gang problem.

Funny thing is, law enforcement agencies will happily bend over for federal grant money earmarked for gang prevention while politicians work the other end for votes.

But nothing is worse than our own Pacific Islanders in positions of leadership or in law enforcement who adopt this cultural deficit model and brow beat us into submission about our cultural inferiority at many of these gang conferences.

From this day forward, I call on Pacific Islanders everywhere to REJECT THE CULTURAL DEFICIT MODEL. (Bumper stickers and t-shirts coming soon!)

Next time they plan a summit, we should assert that there must be a cultural/holistic component as part of rehabilitation or we don't support it at all. We've been to so many of these conferences, summits, whatever you call it, and what do we have to show for it?

*crickets chirping*

We should also demand for measurable data to gauge the effectiveness of such conferences.

And to the 98.5% of Pacific Islanders in Utah who are not in gangs, who silently navigate through life as productive, law abiding citizens - go on with your lives. Don’t believe the manufactured hype. Continue to be good parents. Continue to raise your children - those beautiful, academic achievers, the eagle scouts - you know, the good kids that we never hear about in the media because it doesn’t sell.

And if they fall to the wayside, we know what to do. We reconnect them to the cultural values that make us Polynesian - respect for life, sharing/cooperation and fulfillment of our responsibilities to one another and our aiga/kainga, reciprocate and building/maintain relationships, humility, mutual love and caring for one another.

As for that 1.5% figure? Meh. Unless your bank refinanced your mortgage and gave you a 1.5% fixed rate for 20 years, there’s really no reason to get exited over such a small number.

-- Richard

Reflections on the Pacific Islander Leadership Summit on Criminal Justice

Review of the Pacific Islander Leadership Summit on Criminal Justice

I spent about 3 hours today at the Pacific Islander Leadership Summit on Criminal Justice and I wanted to share some of my reflections about what I observed tonight. I guess we should start with what I felt was very productive about the summit…

Great Food
The food was catered by Lanikai Grill and I loved it!

Great Turnout
It was wonderful to see so many Pacific Islander church leaders, community based leaders, educators, politicians, law enforcement officers, etc. there tonight. It was a strong statement about the fact that people recognize the gang issue as a problem and are looking for ways to collaborate and work together to make a difference.

Keynote presentation
The keynote speaker was an elder from the Maori community who has done extensive work on indigenous cultural interventions in NZ among the Maori population and specifically with prisoners and those in the criminal justice system. It was great to acknowledge the wisdom that elders in our community hold while also deconstructing the popular myth that assimilation to mainstream America is the only avenue for success.

okay now on to what I found extremely problematic about the summit. I begin by recognizing the hard work that was put into this summit. As someone who has worked on a variety of different events, I appreciate and understand the time and hard work it takes to put on an event like this and so my critique is not going to focus on the logistical side of organizing an event, but rather on the idea and insight (or lack of insight) that guides an event such as this.

First of all, whenever those who are organizing the event get up and say “we don’t want you to be offended” or” we are not here to say you are bad people or bad parents BUT…” (I am paraphrasing some of what was said tonight) means that you are going to be offended and they are going to indirectly allude to the ideas that are associated with what they just said they weren’t going to talk about. Lets be real, the only reason why we say things like that in the beginning is to absolve ourselves from being held accountable for the things that we say because we want those who are listening to forgive us by acknowledging that our comments were well intentioned. I understand well intentions, I work with well intentioned people everyday who tell me that the Pacific Islander culture does not value education… yeah, it was well intentioned, but the impact of your well intentioned comment, does not justify the fact that your comment is false, racists, and full of prejudice.

I give that example only to point out, that the summit was filled with many good intentioned presentations, but it doesn’t change the fact that their presentations were extremely problematic. The presentation from law enforcement focused on how to identify gangsters, gang signs, how they dress, their tattoos, how they look, how to identify them in pictures and in real life, etc, etc. In their defense, they were doing exactly what is expected of law enforcement; I mean they aren’t really the people I look to when I think about rehabilitation, intervention or prevention. We all know that law enforcement as an institution is not interested in rehabilitation, they are all about surveillance, their solution to everything is lock them up! This is why it was so problematic for me to watch this presentation, not because I was shocked by the pictures, but rather because, here we are in a room with Pacific Islander leaders (who probably have more insight about what’s happening on the ground), and instead of discussing rehabilitation we want them to take on the role of law enforcement officers and racially profile their own children and community members. Now, I know that wasn’t the intention, but when there is no context fully given for this presentation, and all we see is pictures and the looming idea that “every brown person is potentially a gangster” one leaves thinking that surveillance and imprisonment is the only answer to this issue.

In my opinion, it was a great disservice to Mr. Jones’s presentation on cultural intervention, prevention and rehabilitation to have it followed up with a presentation that focuses on surveillance and imprisonment…and then not allow anytime for further discussion of the issue. I say this to make the point that even at a Pacific Islander leadership summit, we see how our indigenous knowledge is continually pushed into the peripheries while centering and valuing western thought and epistemologies. The truth is that the majority of Pacific Islander kids who are involved in gangs were born and/or raised in the United States, they are products of the American environment, when are we going to discuss the impact that has on their behavior, their choices and the way they view themselves and the world? We talk about how culturally based knowledge and models are the solutions, yet we have a Pacific Islander summit and give the majority of the time to law enforcement and politicians. It makes no sense!!!!!

I am grateful that our communities were able to come together but deeply saddened that we missed an amazing opportunity to share critical ideas with those who work in our communities day in and day out-- about what their different organizations are doing and how we can work toward creating some kind of culturally relevant model that would fit a Utah context.

I know that it was mentioned over and over again that this is only the first meeting, but come on now, how many first meetings are we going to have before we actually move to meeting #2? Having said that, if there is a master strategy and plan behind this that I am totally missing… then please enlighten me and accept my apologies!

--'Anapesi

Disclaimer: When I say “law enforcement” I am referring to the institution, not the individuals. I know that our Pacific Islander law enforcement officers do the best they can and I am deeply grateful, but there are so few of them, that it would be completely unfair and impossible to make them shoulder all the responsibilities in addressing these issues just because they work for that institution.

Show #25 - The "Summit"

Tonight's episode - we dispatch our top spy - Agent 'Devil with a Halo' a.k.a 'Anapesi Ka'ili - to infiltrate the "Summit on Capitol Hill" and give us a live report on the the first Pacific Islander Leadership Summit on Criminal Justice (say that 10 times fast) sponsored by the State Office of Pacific Island Affairs.

The question at hand: do we Polynesians have a "gang problem" as framed in this article? Or are we harming our community by giving in to popular misconceptions that we Polynesians are inherently violent? Should we be challenging these perceptions and does creating a "summit" only validate what the majority already think of Polynesians?

Our spy will report live from Capitol Hill and put us in contact with the people responsible for this waste of taxpayer's money errr, I mean this leadership summit to explain its mission and whether this is an effective route in dealing with Polynesian gangs.

Our contact info:
Live on Utah Free Media
Every Thursday evening
9:00 PM to 10:30 PM
U.S. Mountain Standard Time

To join the discussion
Toll Free: 866-716-1991
Local calls: 801-878-0506
onair@utahfm.org
pacificeyeradio@utahfm.org

Join our Facebook group Pacific Eye Radio Show

Show #24 - The "This goes out to my SRW Peeps" Show

It's been quite an eventful two weeks since the day the tragic tsunami has hit our islands. Our Pacific Island community mobilized in a way we've never seen before, as people came together in the spirit of cooperation and genuine love to assist. It was truly a beautiful experience! This show will be dedicated to all the beautiful people who volunteered, who helped in big and small ways! The sorters, the packers, the cooks, the forklift driver (LOL) the students, the community folks, the donors.......so many people to name....we love and appreciate you all!

Oh, for 'Anapesi fans, I regret to inform you she won't be in tonight. In order to secure our 300 cases of water from local faikava clubs, she had to make some compromises which resulted in a illness and more information will be forthcoming next week, so let's all wish her a speedy recovery so she can return to the air and tell us all about it!

I'll talk about current news in the Pacific, including current developments with aid relief in Samoa, the hunger strike in Tonga with the head of the Tongan National Women's Congress in a bid to remove PM Fred Sevele from office. Plus music and you phone calls....

Our contact info:
Live on Utah Free Media
Every Thursday evening
9:00 PM to 10:30 PM
U.S. Mountain Standard Time

To join the discussion
Toll Free: 866-716-1991
Local calls: 801-878-0506
onair@utahfm.org
pacificeyeradio@utahfm.org

Add us on FB:
'Anapesi: www.facebook.com/anapesi
Richard: www.facebook.com/richardwolfgramm

Relief Aid for Niuatoputapu in Utah

We've received the official okay from Mr. Sione Taumoefolau, Secretary General of the Tongan Red Cross, to coordinate relief efforts for the victims of Niuatoputapu. We are also grateful to Honorable Alaileula Tuku'aho, patron of the Tongan Red Cross, who has also pledged logistic support in making sure the donated items get to Niuatoputapu without difficulty.

Niuatoputapu lost 9 lives to the tsunami, but over a thousand people were displaced, including many women and children.

Local and foreign relief efforts have fulfilled some of the general needs of the people of Niuatoputapu, but they are still in need of some items. Taumoefolau has identified the following items as the most needed items at this time:

Bottled Water
Tents & Tarps
Hygiene Kits (soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, feminine hygiene products, etc)
School materials (pens, pencils, crayons, paper pad, etc.)

We are working together in partnership with our friends of the Samoa Relief Wave group.We will start accepting your items this Thursday, October 8, 2009 at the following location:

Taylorsville City Hall (click on link to view directions & map)
5320 South 2600 West
Taylorsville, Utah

If you have any questions, please contact Richard at rwolfgramm@gmail.com or 'Anapesi at anapesi@gmail.com.

TSUNAMI RELIEF EFFORTS FOR THE ISLANDS

[The white ribbon-- represents the purity of our solidarity and love as Pacific/Oceanic people who have always been and will always be connected by the Ocean! [Thanks to Elisaia Tofilau-Ma'ilo for the design]

Below is a comprehensive list of relief efforts currently underway in Pacific Island communities in the United States. If you don't see your event or organization listed, please let us know and we'll be glad to add it.

IN-KIND DONATIONS [goods, blankets, foods, clothing, etc.]

~ARIZONA~
Tsunami Relief Efforts
[Phoenix, AZ]
Contact Malu Tullefano
602.718.4820
malutullefano@yahoo.com

~CALIFORNIA~
[Carson City, CA.]
SLA Church
Donate food/H2O/clothes etc. to the Tsunami Disaster Relief Drive everyday for the whole month of October from 8am to 9pm. Located @ SLA Church 1249 E. Carson st. Carson, CA 90745. They will be sending 5 containers to aid the people of Samoa.

[Oceanside, CA]
Oceanside Samoan Tsunami Relief Fund 2009
Go to any Bank Of America Branch
Account #1459363048

[San Bruno, CA]
FOOD DRIVE FOR NIUATOPUTAPU
Drop off goods @ 715 Mills Ave, San Bruno CA 94066:

[San Francisco, CA.]

SAMOAN SOLUTIONS DONATION DRIVE CONTINUES!
We will continue to collect items to be sent back home to both Samoa & American Samoa for relief. This next shipment our target focus will be on Clean Up & Rebuild items as well as items that are needed for Shelters & displaced families. I have attached our flyer with an updated list of specific needs. In addition, we are asking for VOLUNTEERS to assist with collecting, sorting & preparing items for shiping on Friday: 10/9/09 530pm-930pm & on Saturday: 10/10/09 from 9am-2pm. We will be meeting at the Boys & Girls club of South San Francisco on West Orange Ave: see flyer for address.

Fa'afetai Tele Lava!
Samoan Solutions would like to thank everyone that donated items towards our first shipment as well as those that volunteered to help collect, sort & package all of the donations! We were able to send out 141 boxes of the following items:
First Aid, Hygiene & Children Comfort Kits
Bulk medical supplies
Clothing & Shoes*Adult, Teen, Todler, & Infant
Canned & Dry foods
Cases of Water
Household items
Toys & Stuffed animals
School Supplies
Blankets & Linen

And much more! All of the boxes were split up to be sent to both Samoa & American Samoa. They were sent via SF Enterprise (free of charge!) and are expected to arrive in approx. 2 weeks. Not as fast as we would like but a blessing none the less! Once the shipment arrives, the boxes will be handed over to the Red Cross & they will distribute to all those in need.

It is truly a blessing to be apart of the Bay Area community! We received donations from our Poly Brothers & Sisters and a large ammount of donations from others of different ethnicities! We put out the call & the BAY AREA mos. def. responded! We love you all! We are so happy that all these items are making their way to our home islands to help our families in need!

Please continue to keep our home islands in your prayers & until next time, Ia manuia!

~Soifua,
Epi Tialavea
Samoan Solutions
samoan_solutions@yahoo.com



Organizations collecting donations today to send to the Samoan islands:
SF Enterprises
2525 Mandela Parkway
Oakland
Phone: 510-251-2773

Samoan Community Development Center
2055 Sunnydale Ave.
San Francisco
Phone: 415-841-1086

John Wesley Methodist Samoan Church
15 Espee Avenue
Richmond
Phone: 510-776-906

Assembly of God, Samoan Community of San Jose
1270 Lucretia Ave.
San Jose
Phone: 408-292-1695 or
408-314-6577

Emanuelu First Samoan Free Methodist Church
520 Grant Ave.
San Lorenzo
510-284-7576
M-F 10am-4pm
Sat 9am-4pm

COLORADO
[Colorado Springs, CO]
"Hope for Samoa" Benefit Concert
Set for October 24, 2009.
Admission is FREE!!!
All donations and proceeds will go to the efforts of the tsunami relief in Samoa and American Samoa. For further details on how you can help, call Aito at (719)244.6473.

~HAWAII~
[Honolulu, HI]
Tsunami Relief Donation Drive
Donations being accepted at the American Samoa Office of Honolulu 1427 Dilingham Blvd Suite 210, Honolulu, Hawaii 96817. Please drop off canned goods, bags of rice and bottled water at the office!

Samoa Relief Efforts
You can donate canned goods, rice bags, bottled water and other non-perishable food to the office at 1427 Dillingham Blvd. Suite 210. It is located above Boulevard Saimin.

American Samoa and Samoa Tsunami Relief Fund
People can make donations at any Bank of Hawaii branch.
Bank of Hawaii Assistance:
Affected families can apply for $500 donations from BoH.
American Red Cross: Disaster Relief Fund (for American Samoa)
Hawaii State Chapter
4155 Diamond Head Road
Honolulu, HI 96816

American Red Cross
P.O. Box 37243 Washington, D.C., 20013
American Red Cross: International Response Fund For Samoa (formerly Western Samoa)
Hawaii State Chapter
4155 Diamond Head Road
Honolulu, HI 96816

[Kapolei, HI]
Kapolei Police Station
1100 Kamokila Boulevard
Kapolei HI 96707
When coming into the Police Station please see officer at the front desk.

Please donate clothes, blankets, canned goods, rice bags, bottled water and other non-perishable food.
Contact person: Fumi Muraoka 808-388-6855

~TEXAS~
[Arlington, Texas]
First Samoan United Christian Church - Arlington
2300 East Park Rd
Arlington, TX 76010
M-F 9:00am - 5:00pm
Sat 8:00am - 6pm
Rev. Perenise Taito
871.793.4345
Andrew Sataraka
682.55.8057

Hugh Smith Recreational Center
1815 New York Avenue
Arlington, Texas 76010
M-Sat 9:00am - 5:00pm
817.275.1351?

[Killeen, TX]
Samoa-I-Texas
We are having a fundraiser on Saturday, October 10th at the Samoa i Texas Fellowship Center in Killeen. There will be a car wash and food sales. All proceeds will go directly to the American Red Cross/ American Samoa - Samoa Tsunami Relief Fund. If you would like to donate items to be sold during the car wash/plate sale, please email us at samoaitexas@yahoo.com, samoaitexas@gmail.com or call (254)547-7272 or (254)449-0838. The fundraiser is from 8am-1pm. Please come out and support this effort. Make checks payable to the American Red Cross. http://samoaitexas.tripod.com/

~UTAH~
[Salt Lake City, UT]
Samoa Relief Wave
Phone: 801-718-8638
Phone: 801-661-1515
Contact: Lita Sagato
Website: www.samoareliefwave.org

South Pacific Relief Meeting
"ATTENTION COUPON MOMMIES, KOUPON KUEENS & EVERYONE the South Pacific needs our help!!!
Contact Ula Reid immediately!"
What: Informational Meeting
Start Time: Tuesday, October 6 at 6:00pm
End Time: Tuesday, October 6 at 9:00pm
Where: Please call Ula for details 801-735-4313

MONETARY DONATIONS
LDS Foundation
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Humanitarian Services can assist in getting your donations to assist in relief in our islands, with 100% of your donation going to the cause (no overhead fees, etc.). Go to http://www.ldsfoundation.org, click on "Humanitarian Services" (on left), at the bottom of the page click on "Donate Online", enter your dollar amount, in the comments put "Tsunami in Samoa/Am Samoa/Tonga", fill out name/address/cc info/ etc., then print the receipt of that transaction to use for tax filing purposes. You can also go directly to http://give.lds.org/pacificaid

Samoan Tsunami Appeal
Anglican Missions Board
PO Box 12012
Thorndon
WELLINGTON
http://www.angmissions.org.nz/

SHIPPING
SF Enterprises
SF Enterprises would like assist those who are making general donations to Samoa by sending your donations without charge. We have a discounted rate for shipments made to your individual family or friends in Samoa.
Please contact Moses Langi 801-637-3325
Website: www.sfenterprises.net

PHOTOGRAPHY
[Southern California Area] Mapuana Photography - $50 Session for the next 3 weeks to help families in Samoa. 100% of proceeds will go toward disaster relief and financial aid for families in need in Samoa
http://www.mapuanaphotoblog.com/

[Salt Lake City, UT area] Kayleen T Photography $75 photo sessions all this week...all proceeds are going to my dear friend who lost her family in the Samoa Tsunami. Call 801-928-8188 or email info@kayleent.com. http://www.kayleent.com

[Seattle/Tacoma, WA. area] Tiare Photography | Seattle/Tacoma, WA areas - $50 Photo Sessions the entire month of October. 100% of proceeds will be sent to Am. Samoa to aid in disaster relief and for families in dire need weekly. http://www.tiarephotoblog.com

MISSING FAMILY MEMBERS
To help find your family in American Samoa: American Red Cross Tafuna 699-6011(Facsimile Machine) Tafuna 699-6013 Emergency Operation Center in Tafuna: For Tsunami or Earthquake assistance, Please call 699-3800 Official Red Cross Email in American Samoa: redcrossamericansamoa@yahoo.com

If you are still looking to make contact with family members in Samoa, you can email info@fm104.org or call (684) 699 8123 you can access the radio station at http://www.fm104.org/ You must give them the name and phone number of your family and your name and number so that they can call you back.

VOLUNTEERS
American Red Cross - Utah
Looking for volunteers to provide relief to Samoa - building shelters, access to food, water for tsunami survivors
www.redcross.org - National Headquarters
www.redcrossut.org - Utah Branch