What is RIF?
Reading Is Fundamental, Honolulu, Inc. (RIF-Honolulu) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that serves children in areas on Oahu.
RIF-Honolulu:
• Encourages a love of reading through book ownership.
• Provides 16,000+ books a year to Pre-K – 3 students in under-resourced communities on Oahu.
• Is staffed entirely by volunteers.
100% of all contributions to RIF-Honolulu are used exclusively for our Oahu children’s reading program.
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FEATURED STORY:
Kahalu’u Elementary’s Monkeypod Tables and Benches
Many years ago, Uncle Eldean Kukahiko lived across the street from Kahalu’u Elementary School. He attended the school as a boy, and through the years his family stayed close to the school, and his grandchildren also attended.
Uncle Eldean was a pastor and kupuna at the school, befriending both students and teachers, as well as teaching ukulele. Several years ago a large monkey pod tree, planted in the 1960s on the campus, blew over during a storm. Uncle Eldean had an idea.
He got permission from the city to harvest the tree and use the wood. The school’s parent community helped him find a wood worker who sawed and milled the wood into planks. Uncle Eldean decided to teach his best friend, Peter Fields, how to turn the planks into tables and benches.
This was a lucky decision, because half-way through the project, Uncle Eldean passed away. The tables, benches, and poi boards were completed by Peter Fields at the Parks and Recreation area in Kahalu’u.
Now, two lovely long tables and four benches grace the Kahalu’u Elementary School Library with their beautiful shapes and rich grain.
The students sit at them every day, and the RIF volunteers especially like coming to Kahalu’u Elementary to sit at the tables, and to look over books and enjoy the delicious snacks provided by Ms. Kobashigawa and Mr. Nakaoka. Students in every grade pound poi on the beautiful monkey pod poi boards twice each year, led by Uncle Eldean’s wife, Aunty Darlene.outlook india
Latest Posts
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In Memoriam
We fondly remember Arlene Kawamura, who served as RIF’s Vice President and School Liaison after joining the team in 1998. Her attention to detail was invaluable, but it was her creativity that truly set her apart. Whether crafting calendars for our volunteers or written communication with her fellow team members, Arlene brought a sense of whimsy to everything she did. She had a special passion for visiting classrooms and sharing her love of reading with students. Arlene will be deeply missed, and her legacy will continue to inspire all of us.
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RIF Storyteller
At our RIF “Warm-Up” before our school visits begin next week, volunteers were treated to delicious fruit, pastries, coffee, and more .. PLUS Fred’s story-telling rendition of “How the Rooster Got Its Crown”. Fred changes up his stories when he visits classrooms, and the children love it!
View the 12-minute video
Volunteers also shared how they engage students, which was fun and enlightening. Mahalo to our host Janis 💕
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Mahalo, Volunteers!
RIF Honolulu had a wonderful 2023-2024 school year! During our three book distributions, we gave books to 4,563 students in grades PreK – 3 across 18 schools, including the extra book third graders chose during our last visit because it was their last time in our program. 16,335 books were purchased in all, including several Hawaii cultural titles, from various sources.
Our volunteers are the best, and came through for us once again – with more recruits joining!
One grateful school coordinator told us, “The joy that each volunteer brings is contagious! Our students are always elated to spend time with their RIF volunteer, which gets them excited about reading.”
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Kauluwela Elem is 135 years old!
RIF volunteer, Fred Sheng, visited Mrs. Romy’s second grade class on February 15th.
Kauluwela Elementary was mentioned in the Star-Advertiser’s “Rearview Mirror” column by Bob Sigall as being “at the same location…since 1888, the 14th year of King David Kalakaua’s reign. The school had Oahu’s first telephone…and electric lighting. School equipment didn’t include a water fountain…water ran into a wooden trough where students could dip water with their hands to drink or simply put their faces into the water.”