Kimeona Kane

Name Kimeona Kane

Age 35

Town/Moku Waimānalo

Island Oʻahu

Social Media Handle Instagram: @808cleanups Facebook: 808 Cleanups

Nominated by Makanoe Hufana, Bronson Azama

Leadership Category Mālama ʻĀina - Environmental Sustainability

Share with us a little about yourself and what you do.

Aloha kākou, ʻO Kimeona Kane kēia, ʻO Waimānalo kuʻu one hānau. I am Kimeona Kane, born and raised in the Waimānalo community where I currently reside. I am a humble servant to our ʻāina and all that it encompasses, including various reclamation and restoration projects around the island, developing stronger relationships to place and practice. I am privileged to be a practitioner of Uhau Humu Pōhaku, continually learning from my Kumu Kinohi Pizarro and weaving people, spaces and intentions together. I am currently the Director of Community Engagement with 808 Cleanups, a local 501 c3 non-profit focused on environmental stewardship, community engagement, education and outreach, empowering communities to be a part of the solution. Additionally, I am the current Chair for the Waimānalo Neighborhood Board, where we have collectively been working on the various and complex issues within and beyond our community.

Why is the work that you do important to you? The community?

In the various roles I am privileged to serve in, my greatest desire is to ensure that we will continue to have our home forever, protecting and preserving the integrity and uniqueness of our beautiful home and people. Recognizing how critical it is for us to perpetuate our culture and people, I find myself strongly stepping into conversations that may have excluded our cultural voice and in the process, learning how we as kanaka can engage these conversations to include our voice and push ourselves forward. In my work, I love meeting new people and learning new things that will assist in the protection of our spaces, people and culture. Additionally I am privileged to work with various schools, businesses and communities to encourage hands to land stewardship, recognizing that we, the people, have power. I enjoy seeing how our community engages and expresses themselves, the Aloha that is shared and the pride in our home and neighbors. Ensuring that we hold onto this place and continue to take steps necessary to make sure our future generations inherit a healthy and thriving community and home is important.

Share with us the qualities of leadership you admire and how you express those in your life.

I find myself often checking my intentions, ensuring they are aligned with concepts like Aloha, Akahai, Lōkahi, ʻOluʻolu, Haʻahaʻa, Ahonui. Having these concepts in constant motion holding myself accountable to them in all capacities to the best of my ability has become very important to how I live my life. Ensuring that I not only display and exude these but also teach them and provide learning with them as foundations for learning is also as important.

Who has inspired you to do the work that you are doing?

My mom, Sunday Hussey.

What is one word that describes something you are excited about for the lāhui?

Empowerment

What is one word that describes a pressing issue that is facing our lāhui?

Engagement