| Other Projects | 
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The Festival supports other projects throughout the year to promote cultural education and awareness. Projects are funded through contributions, donations, and grants. |
The Festival’s Board of Directors feels strongly that the Festival’s mission of increasing awareness and education to the community about Pacific Islanders carries a responsibility to increase public resources to fulfill that mission. |
| Assistance to projects The Festival supports Arizona groups and individuals in their quest to further knowlege and awareness of South Pacific islander cultures. Since 2005, grants have been made for projects such as:
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| Samoa Tsunami Relief: Our 2010 Samoa Tsunami Relief teeshirt sale and donation drive was VERY successful! Thanks to YOU, we raised over $11,000! The Samoa Red Cross Society was very grateful to receive the money to help build back infrastructure such as roads and water treatment facilities. |
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| The Library Project As more people attend Festival and its related events, interest in the cultures of South Pacific Islanders is awakened and information is sought. In 2004, the Festival initiated an on-going project with Phoenix Public Libraries to donate books, videos, CDs, and other materials about Polynesian cultures to the library system . It was appropriate to that year's Festival theme of “Honor our past, teach our future.” The Phoenix Public Library was chosen for this project as a thank-you to the city of Phoenix and its citizens for support of the Festival. Anyone in the metropolitan area or the state (or indeed anyone anywhere) can request the loan of these materials through the interlibrary loan system. Please contact your local library to find out how. View list of the then Polynesian Collection at the Phoenix Library |
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Storytelling project The 2006 Festival theme, "Legends of the South Pacific," brought four storytellers from the "Talk Story" Festival in Honolulu. They were a hit on both the Discovery Stage and in Hale Mana'o, and intiated the outreach project with children at the Phoenix afterschool programs. A partnership with the Storytelling Institute at South Mountain Community College brought a new resource to their classes and resulted in a concert at the college's studio theater. Two storytellers returned in 2007 to repeat their successes at Festival and the schools and also as featured artists for the Institute's Spring Conference workshops and concert. The Festival granted scholarships for students to take the "Tongan and Polynesian Myths" class. |
| Phoenix Afterschool Center (PAC) cultural programs During the weeks pre- and post-Festival, guest artists vist recreation sites and make presentations to area schoolchildren. Children have been enthralled by stories of Hawaii and Tonga, played Maori games such as tititorea, learned the hula and the haka, twirled poi balls, and more. Facilitated by staff of the Phoenix Parks & Recreation Department, the outreach efforts have reached over 3,100 children in just four years. |
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Assistance to the Pearl Harbor Visitor's Center When the governor of Arizona formed a committee in 2005 to assist in fundraising efforts for a new visitor's center, it was only natural for the Festival to help. Besides the natural connection through the USS Arizona Memorial, the state is home to the largest chapter of Pearl Harbor Survivors, many of whom were honored at opening ceremonies in 2001. The connection also is strong as it seems everyone at Festival has lived in, visited, or just plain loves Hawaii! Since the start of the project, impromptu testimonials from the crowd have included personal stories of childhood and proud stories of a parent's service. Donations were collected at the 2006 and 2007 Festivals from the public, volunteers, and performer groups. Over $5,000 was collected in an ongoing effort to help build a new visitor's center that was literally sinking into the harbor. |
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