DRUG FREE LANAI LOSES FUNDS, BUT NOT WILL TO DO JOB

Partnership With Alu Like Will Help Coalition Survive, But More Help Is Needed

LANAI CITY -- On the island where the first "ice" arrests were made in Maui
County, an agency running drug prevention programs is looking for ways to
continue despite a deep funding cut.

The nonprofit Coalition for a Drug Free Lanai, formed in 1990 after crystal
methamphetamine became prevalent on the island, had its Maui County grant
funding cut from $39,000 last year to $9,750 for the
fiscal year that started in July, said Joelle Aoki, who had been executive
director of the agency for about two years.

"We're looking for more moneys, asking for donations so we can continue to
serve the community better," Aoki said. "If the coalition folded, I don't know
where Lanai would be.

"We teach a lot of prevention education in the school."

The 13-year-old agency is surviving through a partnership with Alu Like Inc., a
statewide nonprofit organization providing social services to Native Hawaiians.

After realizing the coalition would be short on funds, Aoki accepted a job as
community resource coordinator for Alu Like Inc. on Lanai. Seeing similarities
in the roles of the two organizations, Aoki
suggested the partnership.

Alu Like needed office space, which the coalition had, while Aoki can manage
programs for both Alu Like and the coalition.

"Both of my grandmothers taught me to leave things better than it was when I
got there," said Aoki, who wanted to ensure that the coalition would continue.

She said the partnership has turned the office into a "one-stop shop" offering
a wider range of services.

"It has enabled our community to continue our prevention efforts and expand,"
she said. "If you need help, you can come here and I will help to get you to
the right agency."

Aoki will also assist with financial literacy education to help participants
better manage their money through programs made available through Alu Like Inc.
and she has assisted two clients seeking drug
treatment, which is not available on the island. Others need help signing up
for welfare services and medical benefits or finding a therapist.

"We work very closely with all the other public service agencies," Aoki said.

As the only school that serves the island, Lanai High & Elementary School
provides a captive audience for the prevention programs, such as the Kamehameha
Schools E Ola Pono Program (to live the proper
way curriculum).

The coalition has also offered bike safety classes. For 10 years, it has helped
organize a drug- and alcohol-free graduation party.

But with the shortage of funds, some school programs may be reduced and plans
for a Web site and community newsletter are on hold, Aoki said.

While some say there's less of a drug problem among adults on the island since
the coalition was started, Aoki said she feels more youths may be using drugs
and alcohol.

"There's still a long way to go with a lot more to be done," she said.

Numbers are hard to come by, with Lanai often grouped with Maui and Molokai in
surveys measuring drug and alcohol use.

Another problem is reluctance of residents to seek outside help in the small
community, said Butch Gima, a coalition board member and social worker for
Lanai Counseling Services.

"Family members don't want to admit there's a problem," he said. "They take
care of it in the family, don't go to the cops, don't seek treatment. It
doesn't show up in statistics."

Before its Maui County funding was cut, the coalition had sought increased
funding of $100,000 so it could have matching funds to apply for a federal
juvenile delinquency grant, Aoki said. Together, the
coalition and Alu Like Inc. can pursue the funding, she said.

She said it's not the first time the coalition has struggled with funding over
the years. At times, when funding lapsed, the coalition was run by volunteer
board members.

"I'm just hoping that someone will come forward and say, 'We want to support
the Coalition for a Drug Free Lanai,' " she said.