ProjectFocus Hawaii – 2008

ProjectFocus Hawai’i Presents

“Reawakening”

The photographers who created this exhibit are the children of mothers who have been, or are currently, incarcerated. Adding to the dramatic contrast between confinement and freedom, our participants took their cameras behind the prison walls and into a transitional facility to photograph their mothers. As a counterpoint, Ms. Callies and Ms. Uesugi photographed the children on the beautiful grounds of La Pietra located on the slopes of Diamond Head.

Our young participants have encountered challenges a child should never have to face. Many of them have been exposed to drug, alcohol, or sexual abuse; displacement; neglect; domestic violence; and more. Most of the youngsters have been apart from their mothers for months or years.

This exhibit is a testament to these children’s resilience in the face of extreme adversity—and to their resolve to forgive, in spite of the deep sadness they have experienced because of the choices their mothers have made.

Reawakening is about these children’s hope for a better future, for themselves and for their mothers.

The Women’s Community Correctional Center

The Women’s Community Correctional Center (WCCC) is the only correctional facility in Hawai‘i dedicated solely to accommodate and service sentenced female offenders. The majority of these offenders are mothers.

WCCC offers “Parenting From a Distance,” an intensive course designed to assist incarcerated mothers, who are separated from their children, by teaching them how to forge and strengthen the healthy parental bonds that are vital to stopping the cycle of intergenerational incarceration.

Mark Patterson was the warden of WCCC during the term of our program. He strongly believed that the cycle of intergenerational incarceration could be stopped but the state and the community must work together to preserve and strengthen the familial bonds between incarcerated mothers and their children. These bonds can benefit both the mother’s transformation and the child’s growth.

Ka Hale Ho`āla Hou No Nā Wāhine

Ka Hale Ho`āla Hou No Nā Wāhine is a residential community-based reentry program run by TJ Mahoney & Associates, Inc. Its mission is to empower women to successfully transition from prison to the community. Residents spend a minimum of six months at the facility, working closely with staff to set clear goals and take steps to achieve them.

Moving from a highly structured and supervised prison environment to the complicated choices of independent living is difficult. Ka Hale’s comprehensive services are designed to provide a supportive environment, encourage resilience, and equip former female offenders with the skills and tools necessary for a successful life as valuable contributing members of Hawai‘i’s community.

Lorraine Robinson, LSW, ACSW, serves as the Executive Director of Ka Hale Ho`āla Hou No Nā Wāhine. She has worked in the criminal justice field since 1991, and has been recognized by the National Association of Social Workers and by Hawaii Women Lawyers for her distinguished service to female offenders

Donors

Premier Level
($5,000 – $9999)
James and Abigail Campbell Family Foundation

Macyʻs Foundation
Laura Heffron

Na Lei Aloha Foundation
Charlene Flanter
Roy Ho
Chieko Steele

Women’s Fund of Hawai`i
Lisa T. Maruyama

Sustaining Level
($1,000 – $4,999)
A&B Foundation
Meredith Ching

FUJIFilm Hawaii *
George Otsuka
Terimel Cristobal
Eugene Fujioka
Freddy Debebar

Long & Associates Architects, AIA, Inc.
Jeffrey Long

Macyʻs West Hawaii *
Gerald Cruz
David Furtado
Janis Mookini
Deena Nichols
Lavina Wong
Haaheo Zablan

New Hope Christian Fellowship Windward
Tammy Tursios

Pacific Rainbow Foundation

Sun Communications *
Shawn Nakamoto

Mildred Tyson Charitable Foundation

Utopia Design *
Darin Uesugi

Alan Wong’s Hawai‘i and The Pineapple Room *
Gary Matsumoto
Alan Wong

Viewfinders
($500 – $999)
Alston, Hunt, Floyd & Ing
Jade Ching & David Nakashima

Island Screen, Inc.
Arthur & Carmen Nitahara

Aperture Donors
($100-$499)
Marlene Booth & Aviam Soifer
Dan Hirota
Shanlyn Park, Esq.
James & Suzanne Peterson
Michael Powell & Hiroshi Tagami
Len & Laurie Tsuhako
Robert Witt

Maunalua *
Kahi Kaonohi
Bobby Moderow, Jr.
Bruce Spencer

Rendez-Vous Recording
Pierre Grill

Lens Donor
($10 -$99)
Gervacio & Corazon Buenconsejo
Harvey & Cora Buenconsejo
Michael & Sharon Cheape
Beatrice Dawson
Will Espero
Phyllis Garrett
Intova, Inc. ~Joe Ganahi (In-kind)
Reiko Goo
The Hughes Family
David & Lynn Ishikawa
Walter & Ellen Jinbo
Sahim Tropical Maintenance
Majel Morimoto
Stanley & Patricia Nakagawa
Sandy Natori
Chloe Okemura & Ronald & Eleanor Shim
Hugh & Jennifer Okuma
Seth Reiss
Lance & Kim Shinsato
Ray Tabata
Robert & Elaine Tsumura
Linda Uesugi
Stanley & Allison Uesugi
Dan & Judy White