The Full Story of NHOC: From Healing Roots to Community Resilience
Our journey began in the summer of 1996 with a quiet but powerful purpose: to preserve the traditional knowledge of our ancestors and carry it forward for future generations.
That year, a small group of select students gathered as an unincorporated organization under the guidance of kahuna lapaʻau Papa Henry Auwae—Hawaiʻi’s last known ancient healer. These early meetings, held at the home of Gerry Lam, were focused on learning, healing, and cultural preservation. Together, they built a foundation rooted in the wisdom of Hawaiian medicine, genealogy, language, and spiritual tradition.
Following Papa Henry’s passing in 2000, Gerry Lam led the effort to ensure these teachings wouldn’t be lost. He co-authored a restatement of the State Healers Law with constitutional protections—an effort that became State Act 153 in 2005. That same year, he formally incorporated our organization as the Native Hawaiian Organization Charity (NHOC), ensuring a pathway forward for our community-led mission.
In 2006, successors of Papa Auwae—including Gerry Lam, Roddy Akau, Kekai Quartero, Aunty Malia Craver—and of Kalua Kaiahua (through Keonaona Kalua) organized the kupuna council Na Lei Hulu under the Healers Law. This council grew out of the Waimea, Kauaʻi aha (gathering) of master healers, and it further solidified NHOC’s commitment to safeguarding cultural knowledge through service and stewardship.
As the years went on, many of our beloved elders and founding members passed on, including Kekai Quartero, Aunty Malia Craver, James Fong, and Uncle Leslie Kuloloʻio. Still, the mission lived on. NHOC continued teaching and serving, preserving traditions that otherwise might have been forgotten.
For more than two decades, our organization operated entirely through in-kind contributions from our founders and their families—without asking for or accepting public funding or outside donations. Our underserved Native communities often lacked access to resources, and public grants came with restrictions that limited how we could serve. So we relied on each other.
Then, in 2020, we realigned our strategic direction. Gerry Lam led us into the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Section 8(a) Native Hawaiian Organization Program. After 23 years, we shifted from an in-kind structure to a revenue-based model—allowing us to expand our outreach and support services while maintaining our independence.
Today, NHOC offers a growing list of services, including:
- Family health and wellness programs
- Financial education and training
- Career mentoring and workforce readiness
- Cultural teaching and preservation initiatives
We remain committed to earning and generating our own revenue to fund our charitable programs and social services—without relying on taxpayer dollars, government grants, or outside donors.
We are proud of where we’ve been, and even more hopeful for where we’re going. Our roots run deep. Our mission endures. And our future remains guided by the teachings of our kupuna.
