The Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s Feb. 3 interview with East-West Center President Suzanne Puanani Vares-Lum introduced your readers to someone we believe will have a long-lasting impact on the center and on our organization, the Friends of the East-West Center (FEWC). By developing and implementing the EWC’s strategic plan with its five priorities, Vares-Lum enables us to better focus our efforts in support of the center. 

The FEWC was incorporated in 1962, just two years after the founding of the East-West Center. The FEWC is governed by an 18-person board made up of Hawaii residents whose sole purpose is to support the work of the center. Membership in our organization is open to all; our membership and supporters are diverse with a common belief in the value that the East-West Center brings to Hawaii, the nation and the world.

One of the five priorities in the strategic plan is “developing and equipping leaders,” and this is an area where the FEWC plays an important role. Our Ohana program, as described by Vares-Lum in the interview, offers “EWC participants a bridge to local families and culture.” We believe that the personal relationships that develop between local families and participants complement the EWC’s own training, entrepreneurial support, leadership development and academic research programs. Local residents who have participated in the Ohana program have said that it is one of the most meaningful and rewarding experience they have ever had.

They have met people from countries they would never have thought of before, let alone have any contact with.

My wife, Maura, and I can personally attest to the value of the Ohana program. We’ve participated in the program since 2009, and it was the catalyst for my involvement as president of FEWC. The Ohana program has been for us personally rewarding and has enhanced our understanding of cultures throughout Asia. Through the Ohana program, we’ve established close bonds with EWC participants from Vietnam, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Mongolia and Japan. They are now part of our extended family. We have attended two weddings, one in Nepal and the other in Japan, and have visited two of our EWC friends and their families when they returned to Bhutan and Mongolia.

In January, the Ohana program brought us together with a Korean family and a graduate student from Nigeria. We’re looking forward to our time together with our new friends and the opportunity to share experiences and learn from each other.

Whenever we hear from participants, they always say that their stay in Hawaii and experience at the EWC is a highlight of their life. Getting to know them has certainly been a highlight of our lives.

EWC participants must go through a rigorous screening process to become part of the EWC program, so those who come to Hawaii are among the best and the brightest. The Ohana program offers a unique opportunity to meet fascinating people who will one day play an important role in their home country. We welcome anyone in the community interested in participating in the Ohana program or the work of the Friends to contact us (friendsofewc.org/ programs/).

Duane Okamoto is president of the Friends of the East-West Center.