Ku’ikahi Mediation Plans Annual Recognition Dinner

Ku’ikahi Mediation Center is planning, in a combined effort with the Hawai’i County Bar Association, its tenth annual Recognition Dinner, scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 15 in Hilo.

“This year Ku‘ikahi is giving our ‘Peacemaker Award’ to Mark E. Recktenwald, the Chief Justice of the Hawai‘i State Supreme Court.  The CJ is nationally recognized for his leadership and commitment to increasing equal access to justice,” said Judge Andrew Wilson, Ku‘ikahi’s board president.  “On Hawai‘i Island, that includes the Hilo Self-Help Center and our Foreclosure Mediation Program.”

Attorney Addison M. Bowman will also be honored at the event by the HCBA for his many years of service.

Bowman is a Professor of Law Emeritus at UH-Manoa’s William S. Richardson School of Law and an appellate mediator for the Hawai‘i Supreme Court.

The gala event will be emceed by Newton John Chu, Esq. A silent auction, live auction, and door prizes are all on the schedule; as are no-host cocktails.

Three entrees will be features on the buffet menu: prime rib, furikake salmon, and shrimp scampi over fettuccini, alongside salad, side dishes, and dessert.

Funds raised from the event will support Ku’ikahi’s non-profit human services agency. The agency provides free and low-cost dispute resolution services to the East Hawai’i community.

According to the agency, over half of its clients are at or below the poverty level, unable to pay even modest fees for their mediation sessions.

Tickets to the event at $85 per person, with a $40 per ticket amount tax deductible. Those interested in attending can purchase tickets from Ku’ikahi’s board of directors and from the Ku’ikahi office, located in the Hilo Lagoon Center.

This fundraiser provides a significant portion of the funds that Ku‘ikahi needs to provide free and low-cost dispute resolution services to the East Hawai‘i community.