Equity Summit workshops focus on a wide range of vital topics

Preregistration is being accepted until Friday for Faith Action for Community Equity’s second annual Equity Summit, 9 a.m. to

3 p.m. Nov. 5 at the University of Hawaii-Manoa’s Campus Center.

The accompanying interfaith service will be at St. Augustine by-the-Sea Catholic Church in Waikiki at 6:30 to 8 p.m. Nov. 7. Both events are free and open to the public.

FACE is known for its efforts to maintain Kukui Gardens as affordable housing in Chinatown in 2006 and 2007, and this year it fought for regulation to protect residents from foreclosure, according to a news release.

The summit will feature workshops with local and national experts on community issues, based on the theme, “In a global economy, community still matters!”

Registration at the conference begins at 8 a.m. Session I at 9:30 a.m. has seminars on banking, housing and the economy; education reform; Chinatown preservation and development; and health care. Session II at

11 a.m. has seminars on education reform, alternative budget, jobs, the Polynesian diaspora and transit-oriented development. Session III at 1:15 p.m. has seminars on agriculture, economic security for seniors, immigration reform and the future of Native Hawaiians.

To register, visit facehawaii.org, email face.office@facehawaii.org or call 522-1304.

Fire Tribe Hawaii prepares to celebrate the winter solstice

Fire Tribe Hawaii is celebrating the 2011 winter solstice Dec. 13-18 with dark-to-dawn fire circles at a private, alcohol- and drug-free facility in West Oahu.

“Friends from all paths and traditions are invited to participate by expressing themselves and developing artful relationships through dance, spoken word, drumming, music, singing, visual arts and spontaneous sacred ceremony,” a news release says.

To prevent gate-crashing, people are told of the location after registration.

The early registration discount ends Nov. 6; the registration deadline is Dec. 12. Fees start at $20 and are based on the number of days attending, tent or bunk accommodations and an optional meal plan.

Fire Tribe Hawaii is a nonprofit, multidenominational group focused on fostering spiritual and artistic expression of all people, the release says. For more information, visit www.firetribehawaii.org.