|
This past week, NDI's Real Economic Impact Tour (REI Tour) made a stop in Kapolei, Hawaii to co-host an Asset Development Summit for Persons with Disabilities with Goodwill Industries of Hawaii. REI Tour National Program Director, Michael Roush attended the event and was the opening presenter. Participants attended sessions on Public Benefits, Financial Education, DeafTax VITA and Individual Development Accounts.
In addition to the presentations, attendees provided insight on creating an action plan for Hawaii on how the asset development and the disability communities can work together to build a better economic future for persons with disabilities.
Bob Agres, Executive Director of the Hawai'i Alliance for Community-Based Economic Development (HACBED) (pictured above) presented on the Asset Development work currently taking place in Hawaii.
Melissa Gibo of Catholic Charities of Hawaii attended the event and shared that, “The summit was absolutely wonderful in that it allowed the disability community to learn from and hear the perspectives of the asset building and financial communities about how we can work together to move the entire community ahead. Difficulties with asset building is not a problem isolated to individuals with disabilities, it is a social problem faced by many in our State. This summit has allowed for us to start having conversations about what we can do collectively to support one another’s efforts and move forward to address some of the underlying issues affecting the whole community.”
NDI's Michael Roush (center) with (from left to right) Danielle Moskowitz – Goodwill Industries of Hawaii, Wanda Villareal, Goodwill Industries of Hawaii, Gail Bonilla, IRS, Roush, Malcolm Lau, Bank of Hawaii, Laura Robertson, CEO Goodwill Industries of Hawaii, and Edwina Minglana, Goodwill Industries of Hawaii
|