The Goodwill Hunter

Fashion Scholars – Spring Showcase

May 21, 2012 Leave a Comment

The University of Hawaii at Manoa (UH Manoa) and the Honolulu Community College (HCC) each showcased their students’ talent from their respective fashion programs this Spring. In the days leading up to the two fashion shows I interviewed HCC Fashion Society president, Moses Gouveia and the UH Manoa Innovators of Fashion Club president, Leslie Nilo. It was a joint interview, intentionally planned – I confess, to get the two busy presidents together to talk about their programs and to share their fashion inspirations and aspirations.

Moses Gouveia and Leslie Nilo – Presidential Fashion

It takes a good amount of dedication, passion and sacrifice to serve as the president of their clubs. Leslie and Moses share much in common - they are both humble, very talented and feel comfortable mentoring the future Fashion Stars in their programs. They are both Goodwill GLAM Squad members who have committed to support this summer’s public awareness event – presented by Bank of Hawaii called Goodwill Goes GLAM! This public awareness event will help to support Goodwill Industries of Hawaii‘s mission – to help people with employment barriers to reach their full potentail and become self-sufficient.

The Goodwill Hunter *(TGH) – Tell us about this year’s fashion show and your role in it.

Leslie - The UH Manoa Apparel Product Design and Merchandising (APDM) program’s 2012 fashion show is called REVOLUTION and I’m involved in the planning and production of the show.

Moses - The name of the HCC fashion show is called LE REVE – THE DREAM. Aside from mentoring and fundraising, I’m also involved in the production of the show.

TGH- What or who inspired you to join the fashion program at your school?

Leslie – I’ve been told that I have an eye for styling. In addition to styling, I have a deep interest in event planning and production. I enjoy bringing varying elements together and creating a whole new original look.

Moses – It’s easy Valentino is my fashion icon and inspiration. His designs are romantic, opulent and feminine. Another one of my fashion icons is the model Iman. No one is like Iman – one of the original Super Models.

TGH- You’re both a part of your school’s fashion programs, what is your specific area of interest?

Leslie - I’ve just graduated with my Bachelor’s degree and my major was in Apparel Product Design and Merchandising (APDM). My emphasis was in merchandising.

Moses – My emphasis is on Fashion Design, but I am very drawn to Fashion Production. I would love to continue to produce fashion shows. My plans after graduating from the HCC Fashion Program is to attend UH Manoa and join the APDM program in Fall of 2013.

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Here are a few shots from the exciting HCC Fashion Show LE REVE, April 28, 2012. Goodwill GLAM Squad member, Rhonee Rojas is pictured below rocking the Aloha Wear.

The UH Manoa APDM Program partnered with Goodwill Industries of Hawaii this year. The eight senior designers were each given $50 in Goodwill dollars. Much like the store “Mood Designer Fabrics“ from Project Runway, Goodwill served as the students’ only textile resource. Their challenge was to repurpose items from Goodwill, keeping within their $50 budget. Each chose an Era to focus on. Their repurposed designs were debuted at their annual fashion show, this year named REVOLUTION on April 29, 2012. The segment was called Goodwill Goes GREEN.

Designs from: Anna Tomita, Kathryn Stringer, Melissa Lee and Ryan Hanaoka

Designs from: Kate Hooven, Fiona Ng, Matt Gonzalez and Feliz Salas

All of the UH Manoa APDM Senior designs from the Goodwill Goes GREEN segment will be featured in the windows at the Kaimuki Goodwill store in June. Be sure to look for their photos in the Goodwill Hawaii facebook page and “like” the ones you “like” the most in June. You may be eligible to win a Fast Pass at Goodwill Goes GLAM. The senior designs will be featured at the Goodwill GALA & VIP Pre-sale on August 23.

Here are more details about this highly anticipated event:

From Aug 23 -26, 2012, Goodwill Industries of Hawaii will have its inaugural public awareness event – Bank of Hawaii presents Goodwill Goes GLAM! Talent Showcase & Treasure Marketplace. This four-day event takes place at the Neil S. Blaisdell Exhibition Hall. To launch the week, there will be an exclusive Goodwill GALA & VIP Pre-sale on August 23, 2012. This includes the Gala dinner, Fashion Show and first access to the Pre-sale featuring more than 50,000 treasures and bargains. This is followed by the Goodwill GLAM! Sale - open to the public from August 24-26, 2012. All proceed benefit Goodwill’s mission: to help people with employment barriers to reach their full potential and become self-sufficient.

Be sure to go to www.higoodwill.org to learn more about how you can get your exclusive Fast Pass tickets, or how you can volunteer and get involved. Here’s a preview of the innovative fashions you’ll be able to see at the event.

Good To Be Green In Maui

May 7, 2012 Leave a Comment

Charen Kepler – Director of Maui County Operations at Goodwill Industries of Hawaii

Meet Charen Kepler, she’s the Director of Maui County Operations and has been with Goodwill Industries of Hawaii, Inc for 3 years. Charen oversees all programs and operations on the island of Maui as well as the First to Work TANF program statewide. Charen holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Arts degree in Organizational Management. She has over 15 years of management experience. Here’s Charen’s blog article:

In recent years Maui County has become community conscious and committed to going Green. This Green movement stems from the island’s limited resources and the understanding that reducing, recycling and reusing are musts in order to sustain the beauty and quality of our island. Maui’s extremely mindful Green attempts are seen through government efforts, various private businesses, and non-profit organizations.

On January 11, 2011 Maui County started the Bag Ban. This new law prohibits the use of single use plastic bags. This movement decreases non-biodegradable shopping bags from going into the landfills, oceans and road sides. Since this law, store owners are liable to provide biodegradable and re-useable bags to their shoppers either for free, purchase, or minimal service charge. Many locations also give patrons a small bag credit if they bring in their own re-usable shopping bags. Other islands across the state such as Kauai have also joined the bag ban wagon, while other islands are in discussions to also follow suit.

Another way that Maui has been moving toward perpetuating our sustainability is looking at alternative forms of energy. The Kaheawa Wind Farm currently has 20 turbines that use kinetic energy generated by mechanic power from the windmills that is moved into a generator which is then converted to electricity. They plan to add another 14 turbines which will help to power electricity for approximately 18,700 homes annually.

Other private businesses are also thinking Green in their own organizations and changing some of the ways that they do business in order to play their part in saving the planet. One way that companies are doing this is by creating Green teams. The Fairmont Kea Lani Resort is such an organization that has developed a team of staff members who meet quarterly to dedicate thought, energy and action to new environmentally friendly incentives and programs. Another company that has been doing their part to bring awareness to Green efforts to Maui is the Maui Ocean Center. This past March they celebrated St. Patrick’s Day by bringing a new meaning to the green significance behind the holiday. Maui Ocean Center sponsored an event which provided green living presentations, eco-friendly vendors and informative sessions on land and energy conservation.

In the month of April the Blue Planet Foundation sponsored a Bulb Blitz where some Maui organizations and not-for-profits participated in exchanging incandescent light bulbs with Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs to the public for free. CFLs are more energy-efficient because they provide the same amount of light while using less energy or watts. Organizations that did the manual labor of collecting and giving out light bulbs were rewarded for their efforts by receiving monies from Blue Planet as a fundraiser type project. Some of the Maui agencies that participated were the Paia Youth Center, Baldwin Theater Guild and the Kihei Composite Squadron of Civil Air Control.

Asia Thompson, Job Retention Coach for SEE Maui

Lastly, we here at the Maui site of Goodwill Industries of Hawaii, recycle our cardboard boxes, aluminum and plastic cans and bottles, toner cartridges and shredded paper. Our most recent step toward helping our Maui community to go Green will be the opening a thrift store in 2012 click here for more information about the Maui Goodwill Store. Goodwill’s retail store adds to the Green awareness on Maui by allowing the community more options to keep re-usable items out of our landfills. Did you know that Goodwill helps to keep more than 13 million pounds out of Hawaii’s landfills? Revenue generated by Goodwill stores directly fund our Human Services programs. These programs improve the lives of the people in our community. To learn more about Goodwill’s community impact visit www.higoodwill.org. Goodwill’s mission helps people with employment barriers to reach their full potential and become self-sufficient.

Luke Bobo, Employment Counselor for Imi Loa Maui and Chentelle Rowland Team Lead Employment Counselor for FTW VR Maui

The Green movement on Maui is prevalent and alive as described above - the various organizations actively work to improve our island living. If you live on Maui or you’re planning to visit and are interested in joining the Green movement or have a Green project of your own, go to www.greentowns.com. At this site, you’ll be able to find or post current initiatives and opportunities to protect our environment.

Green Practices in the Workplace

April 20, 2012 2 Comments

Meet Marla Sakoda - she is the Director of Accounting Services at Goodwill Industries of Hawaii. She’s been with Goodwill since 1995. Before joining the Goodwill family, Marla worked at Hawaii Instrumentation and Controls. Inc. She enjoys playing virtual games on her iPad as well as actual golf in Hawaii on her free time. Here’s Marla’s blog article: Goodwill, by nature, [...]

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Glam Spotlight – Spring Into Goodwill

April 13, 2012 1 Comment

Pink 100% genuine leather coat, authentic red Coach bag, red Charlotte Russe heels

Spring is a great time to add color to your wardrobe. Yes, your black and brown “go-to” looks can be placed in the back of your closet. A pop of color is HUGE this spring. Check out the pink leather coat, smart pair of red heels and the authentic Coach bag pictured above. These items [...]

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Goodwill and Good Works

April 6, 2012 1 Comment

Lori Lau - Assistant Director of Workforce Development at Goodwill Industries of Hawaii

Meet Lori Lau, Goodwill’s Assistant Director of Workforce Development which includes overseeing the statewide SEE Hawaii Work and VITA program. Lori joined Goodwill in 2005, prior to Goodwill, she worked as an Outreach Counselor for at-risk youth with the YMCA. Here’s Lori’s blog article: If you’re like me, you took advantage of the past few rainy weeks [...]

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Career Ready To Wear – Glam Spotlight

March 30, 2012 Leave a Comment

Career Ready look: Forever 21 ruffle jacket, Banana Republic skirt, Nine West heels, authentic Coach mini travel tote

Your clothing reflects your attitude, it is yet another form of communication. Your attire speaks volumes. It’s not about how much you spend on an outfit, but the thought (or lack of thought) that goes behind it. First impressions are critical, especially in a job-interview setting. Goodwill Industries of Hawaii empowers people to become job-ready through a [...]

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Employment Opportunitites – Marshallese Community

March 23, 2012 Leave a Comment

Keri Russell - Goodwill’s Director of Kauai County Operations

Meet Keri Russell – she began employment with Goodwill Industries of Hawaii in June of 2005 with the SEE Hawaii Work Program and currently oversees six programs that services the low-income and non-citizen population in Kauai County. Read the rest of her bio in the Writers Block section. Here’s Keri’s blog contribution: It can be extremely challenging to find [...]

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Call For Talent – Prepping For Goodwill Goes GLAM

March 20, 2012 1 Comment

Anya Rozova - America's Next Top Model Cycle 10

Goodwill’s Call For Talent volunteer recruitment was held at Ward Warehouse on Saturday, February 25, 2012 in support of the August event – Bank of Hawaii presents Goodwill Goes GLAM! More than a dozen leaders in the Public Relations, Media, Fashion, Retail, Marketing and Beauty industries came together for a Good cause. Affectionately called the [...]

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Glam Spotlight – History of the Prom

March 11, 2012 Leave a Comment

It’s that time of year, the time to shop for Prom dresses. Who can forget that one special night when girls get to express their personal style in movie-star worthy gowns. Guys look forward to the stretch limo, the stretched curfew and live bands, although some are reluctant to rent a tuxedo. Proms emerged from the popularity of high society, upper-class debutante balls. Girls [...]

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Easing the Crunch of Tax Season

March 4, 2012 2 Comments

Meet Carol Taira. She is the Vice President of Finance and CFO of Goodwill Industries of Hawaii, Inc. She’s worked at Goodwill for over 13 years.Previously she was a Controller at Tropical Trading Company for 10 years. Carol has extensive experience in Finance and Retail Management, she operated retail clothing stores, Esprit and Kunah’s. Graduated from University of [...]

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