Growing up in Hawaii, I always had that sense of community. One thing my parents instilled in me was the idea of giving back. When The Keiki Dept. first started in 2016, we wanted to support our community in any way we could, from donating to different auctions that supported members of our community to 20 different organizations that provide services to both keiki and ʻohana across the islands.
In 2023, The Keiki Dept. will continue to donate 1% of our sales from our website and in-person events. As a company that focuses on all things keiki, we are focusing our efforts to support ʻAha Pūnana Leo.
We feel that our mission aligns with theirs in our efforts to support both keiki and ʻohana:
To drive and inspire change to ensure a living Hawaiian language in Hawaiʻi and beyond, our organization is dedicated to the people we serve.
This year, they celebrate 40 years of progress. Established in 1983, ʻAha Pūnana Leo was created as a grassroots effort with the sole purpose of reviving ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. Now, ʻAha Pūnana Leo serves as a local, national and international model for language revitalization. ʻAha Pūnana Leo spans across 13 different locations throughout the Hawaiian islands and is home to three unique programs:
- Kula Kamaliʻi & Hiʻipēpē (pre-school and infant toddler program)
- Aukukui (Professional Development & Niuolahiki Online Hawaiian Language Courses)
- The Neʻepapa Outreach Program
We look forward to providing donations from our sales to help support our youngest members of our community as well as those looking to learn the Hawaiian language as an adult.
Read more about our Giving Back Program.