>> The Hawaii Forest Industry Association has received a grant from the Hawaii Tourism Authority for the Honolulu Zoo Children’s Discovery Forest. The $75,000 grant is part of HTA’s Natural Resources Program through its partnership with the Hawai‘i Community Foundation July 9 . In a news release, association Executive Director Heather Simmons said, "Our goal of reconnecting urban visitors with the Hawaiian forest is well on its way thanks to grants such as this most recent one from HTA."

When completed, the Children’s Discovery Forest near the zoo entrance will provide a representation of natural systems, including a vision of Hawaii before the arrival of humans. The project will demonstrate culturally significant plant and tree species that once grew near traditional shoreline villages of Oahu.

The Discovery Forest will also include the significance of place and the kuleana of malama aina (responsibility to care for the land) by integrating traditional Hawaiian forest ecosystems, forest stewardship opportunities, and innovative land-based education for residents and visitors, the release said.To further the Children’s Discovery Forest learning potential, the Early Childhood Advisory Committee has developed possible topics for Hawaii Early Learning and Development Standards for 4-year-old children and Hawaii Content and Performance Standard Benchmarks for students in kindergarten, first grade and second grade.

In addition to the recent HTA grant, the Hawaii Forest Institute has received support for the project through grant awards from the Atherton Family Foundation, Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation, Cooke Foundation, Pettus Foundation, and a previous HTA grant. In-kind contributors include Haili’s Hawaiian Foods, Leland Miyano, Side Street Inn, PBR Hawaii and Waiahole Botanicals.

» Goodwill Industries of Hawaii has received a two-year $300,000 grant from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to support the Career Pathways Program in providing employment core and career support services to Native Hawaiians on Hawaii island. As part of its strategic plan, OHA aims to increase the average Native Hawaiian family income to match or exceed the statewide average family income. In 2010, the median income of a Native Hawaiian family was $67,682, which is 90 percent of the statewide median income.

The grant aims to assist Native Hawaiians residing on Hawaii island whose household incomes are 300 percent or more below the federal poverty level, with a focus on job-readiness and securing employment that can lead to financial empowerment and self-sufficiency. The program will also serve at-risk high school students, providing assistance to pass the GED tests. Program participants will receive comprehensive intake and assessment, 10 to 20 hours of pre-employment training, and tuition subsidies to help them attain the technical skills required for higher-paying jobs. Additionally, once a participant is placed into gainful employment, job retention counseling is provided for a minimum of three months.

» Saint Louis School has received a grant of $119,927.84 for an engineering and robotics program. Awarded by the E. L. Wiegand Foundation in Reno, Nev., the grant will equip the private school’s E. L. Wiegand Engineering and Robotics Program. In a news release, Saint Louis School President Walter S. Kirimitsu said: "Engineering has become a career of choice among our students, and we’ve become the only private school in the nation to have a civil engineering club sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers." He added that as the 2013-14 school year starts, "the newly equipped robotics and engineering educational laboratory will expand student creativity and train future leaders for global careers."

» Recipients of this year’s Bank of Hawaii Mike Lyons Maui Community Award are Seabury Hall ($15,000), AKAKU Maui County Community Television, and The Maui Farm Inc. ($5,000, each).

Seabury Hall, a private school that serves students across Maui, will use the award to help build a new creative arts center, allowing it to expand its arts education and offer flexible teaching, meeting and performances spaces for Maui’s children and families.

Akaku Maui County Community TV, which provides free or low-cost media training, production assistance and cable access to education, nonprofits and businesses, will use the award to help create jobs for youth graduates of its mobile journalism programs.

The Maui Farm Inc. will use the award to improve its outdated computer network so that it can continue its services to provide housing and family strengthening in a local farm setting.

Now in its 10th year, the award is presented annually by Bank of Hawaii Foundation in honor of the late Michael H. Lyons II, retired Bank of Hawaii senior vice president and Maui District manager. The award is open to any nonprofit organization in Maui County.