Do you want to voice your thoughts and opinions to improve Kalihi? FACF, also known as the Farrington Alumni and Community Foundation, is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to support the community of Kalihi. They strive for three goals: to support and fund requests from students/teachers, provide scholarships to students who need financial aid, and outreach to former Farrington staff members & Kalihi community.
The Farrington Alumni and Community Foundation is important because they not only strive to provide funding aids; they also try to ensure everyone’s ideas are heard and incorporated into what they do. “Channeling gov pride means something to us; it means making our voices louder in a way that benefits not just us. But, everyone within Kalihi,” said President Steve Takekawa.
Hyacinth Relosimon, a student interviewee, shared that she worked with FACF as the Office Assistant Manager. Her position is being in charge of selling their merchandise, taking calls and emails from investors, as well as monitoring and updating the website weekly. When asked how FACF impacted her life, she shared a heartfelt response. “FACF has impacted my life as a student who’s part of the community because I [worked] with alumni who’d been a part of the community for many years. They taught me to embrace the pride of being part of the Kalihi community and what it feels like to make a positive difference and give back to these roots.”
Any adult can be part of FACF, whether they’d like to join as a member or a board officer. Students are also eligible to join, but only those who work for FACF. How the process works for adults is that they must go through paperwork and at least donate products or their services back to the Kalihi community. However, there is a yearly membership fee of $10 for adults that they must pay to qualify as part of FACF. There are additional costs, but it’s for some adults because of their positions and status.
Takekawa shared what FACF is looking for; in terms of members and alumni, he responded with “like-minded” individuals. “What FACF looks for is like-minded people. You can be a good person, but if you’re not like-minded and don’t share similar goals that the program has, there’s no point in establishing a relationship with us. Our main goal is giving back to the Kalihi community and making sure we’re moving forward as one.”.
Since FACF is a non-profit organization, the program accepts donations from the community. There is no minimal or maximal donation limit. The more someone donates, the more special privileges they get. Regardless, donations are optional, and the program’s intent is not to donate for privileges but to help give back to the community of Kalihi.
For those curious about additional information about FACF, their office is located in the library (first door on the right). In their office are the different types of merchandise they advertise for school events and all class yearbooks; even ones that date as far back as 1936.
Anyone is eligible to join FACF. The main priorities are just making sure that everyone’s voice is heard, and to work as a collective community.