HONOLULU (KHON2) — Fortifying the lives of Hawaiʻi’s kūpuna is a never-ending task. This is because the cycle of aging never, ever ends.
Yet, the need for more healthcare providers who specialize in kūpuna care continues to grow. The need for ways for kūpuna to maintain healthy social lives and activities is an issue that tends to be lost in the melee of simply surviving these days.
In Hawaiʻi, we have approximately 275,000 people over the age of 65 living here.
According to the United States 2020 Census, the 2SLGBQ+ community constitutes approximately 4.6% of Hawaiʻi’s total population. Hence, this means, according to the census statistics, that there are nearly 13,000 2SLGBTQ+ kūpuna living in Hawaiʻi.
For this nearly 13,000 residents there is very little support or opportunity to grow and develop social networks.
Enter the Hawaiʻi LGBT Legacy Foundation (HLLF).
Over the last five years, HLLF has been hammering out and developing “Pride 365”. This is a game changing opportunity for Hawaiʻi’s 2SLGBTQ+ community as it is meant to solidify community with events and opportunities throughout the year rather than only having a parade and festival once a year.
And with this program has come lots of analytics that are focusing what needs to be done.
So, in collaboration with Hawaiʻi Theatre, HLLF is creating Rise & Shine, Kūpuna Movie Mornings.
This is a free film series, and the inaugural date is for Tuesday, May 14.
The program focuses on community building for kūpuna, and this means that the invitation to participate in open to everyone who wants to be a part of that.
“In listening to feedback from our aging LGBTQIA+ community, they were seeking opportunities to connect in-person with other kūpuna and with the help of The Hawaiʻi Theatre, we were able to create Rise & Shine: Kūpuna Movie Mornings.” said Gary Permenter, Chair of HLLFʻs Kūpuna committee.
The film for this first of its kind event for HLLF is “The Bird of Paradise”, a 1951 historic remake of the 1930’s film of the same name. It represents the first Hollywood feature film that utilized kanaka maoli practitioners in presenting authentic Native Hawaiian hula and cultural content.
“Our goal is to listen to the needs of our community and create diverse programming to create a safe space for all members to enjoy,” added Perimeter. “With my focus being the elderly, I hope to continue to make exciting events for us all to connect.”
The event is completely free, but you do need to reserve your seat. You can click here to access the event page and set up your tickets.
The Hawaiʻi Theater will open its doors at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 14 for movie goers to enjoy complimentary sponsored coffee and snacks. The film will begin showing at 10 a.m.
All donations collected during this event will go to support the Hawaiʻi Theatre Center and its community programs.