Photo: Craig Takamine, Antoinette Lee, Earl Kawa‘a
Above, PIDF Honors Pewa Awardees - Craig Takamine, Antoinette Lee, Earl Kawa‘a. - Photos: Courtesy

Photo: Craig TakaminePartners in Development Foundation (PIDF) held its second annual Ulu Hana event on Friday, April 12, 2019 at the Mānoa Grand Ballromm in the Japanese Cultural Center of Honolulu.

Earl Kawa‘a, Antoinette “Toni” Lee, and Craig Takamine were all recognized for their dedicated service to our communities across Hawai‘i nei. Each of the Pewa Awardees, along with previous Pewa Awardee Sweets Wright, was presented a kihei and Pewa bowl.

“Ulu Hana was developed to provide a larger platform to get supporters and interested people together around the work of the Foundation,” said PIDF’s president and founder, Jan E. Hanohano Dill.

Photo: Faauuga To‘oto‘o, Earl Kawa‘a, and Sheryl Turbeville.
From left to right: Faauuga To‘oto‘o, Earl Kawa‘a, and Sheryl Turbeville.

The name “pewa” comes from the concept of pewa patches. When a pewa patch is placed along a crack on a wooden surface, it can prevent it from turning into a break. Just as the fishtail joint repaired the valuable calabashes of our Hawaiian ancestors, the Pewa Award nominees help to repair broken communities.

Over 300 people attended the charitable event, raising nearly $100,000 for the many programs of Partners in Development Foundation.


Partners in Development Foundation (PIDF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public foundation that inspires and equips families and communities for success and service, using timeless Native Hawaiian values and traditions. The goal is to help these communities overcome difficult challenges in ways that would make them, in turn, teachers and helpers of others in need. Since 1997, PIDF has served over 100,000 people in 75 communities across the Hawaiian Islands. To learn more about all of PIDF’s programs serving Hawaiian families, visit pidf.org.