 colleagues Paula Nakayama, Sabrina McKenna, and Michael Wilson, welcome to the 2020 pro bono celebration. During the week of October 25th to the 31st, Hawaii joins other jurisdictions from across the nation to honor attorneys who volunteer their legal services to aid those in need. In addition, today we are joined by high school students from all over Hawaii who are being recognized for their inspiring essays about serving the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizing today's pro bono celebration was not an easy undertaking, so I'd like to thank all the individuals and organizations who made it possible. The co-sponsors for today's celebration are Access to Justice Commission, the Hawaii State Bar Association, the Hawaii Bar Foundation, and the Hawaii Justice Foundation. I'd also like to thank the legal services providers who have nominated pro bono honorees and who advocate for justice in our community. I'd like to acknowledge the law firms and organizations who are sponsoring awards for our student honorees, Keisel Mardy and Pettit, Sean Nishimoto, Sia Nakamura and Goya, Damon Key, Leong, Kupchak and Haster, Oda and Hara, Shluter, Quiet and Kennedy, and Tata Ishii and Tanaka. And most important, all the students who participated in the essay contest, all the teachers who supported and encouraged their students to enter and their parents and families. In addition, I want to extend a special thanks to Jill Hasagawa, Sean Benton, Tracy Wilken, and the pro bono celebration committee for organizing today's event. Please join me in thanking these individuals and organizations for making today's event possible. And I'd like to recognize Think Tech Hawaii and Jay Fidel for partnering with the committee to produce this year's celebration online. The celebration is part of the American Bar Association's national celebration of pro bono and reflects the nationwide movement to expand pro bono services and access to our civil legal system. Here in Hawaii, our access to justice commission has been at the forefront of that effort. From pursuing opportunities to obtain funding for legal services providers, to launching innovative programs that encourage pro bono work, to establishing our self-help centers, which to date have assisted close to 30,000 people at almost no cost to the public. The commission has made significant progress on many different fronts. I want to thank Judge Joseph Cardoza, the chair of the commission for his outstanding leadership and his predecessor, Justice Simeon Akoba, as well as all of the committee's members, commission's members, and supporters. Today's celebration honors those who volunteer their time and talent to better the condition of others, whether it be creating tutorials to assist teachers and students, to volunteering in a kitchen at a local university, or listening to someone going through challenging times during the pandemic. Today's student and pro bono honorees possess a quality of selflessness that helps to make Hawaii a better place for all. I had the honor of reviewing the finalist for the student essay competition and was touched by their inspiring messages of hope and compassion. Many students expressed that volunteering helped them to build a better sense of community with those whom they were helping, or inspired surprising changes in attitude and perspective within themselves. Many also encouraged their peers and siblings to get involved and volunteer. Some noted that because they were home during the pandemic, they had to be creative to find new ways to provide community service and saw the impact that their service had on the lives of others. In many ways, the sentiments expressed by the student submissions are universal and remind me of the best attributes of our own access to justice commission members and attorney volunteers. Those attorneys, the pro bono attorneys who we are recognizing today, along with Hawaii's dedicated legal service provider staff attorneys, are the heart and the soul of our access to justice community and help to inspire hope in those who may be experiencing some of the most challenging times in their lives. The pandemic has made this work even more difficult than ever, but I've been amazed by the creative and innovative ways that these folks have found ways to continue to serve, particularly now, when so many in our community need greater support than ever. As one student essayist noted, knowing that I can contribute to a community greater than myself gives me great satisfaction. What an inspiring and important message and one that feels particularly salient in these unprecedented times. We can each do our own part to make our community thrive. With that, thank you to all the individuals and organizations who have tirelessly dedicated their lives to helping others and advocating for those in need. And congratulations again to all of our honorees here today. Aloha and Mahalo Nui Loa. Thank you, Chief Justice Rectonwald. We appreciate hearing from you. I am pleased to introduce the former chair of the Access to Justice Commission, Justice Simeon Akoba, and the current chair of the Access to Justice Commission, Judge Cardoza. They will inform you a little bit more about the important work of the commission. I'd like to start with you, Justice Akoba. Why was the commission formed and how did it come about? Thank you, Tracy, and good morning everyone. The commission's journey started with a study in 2007 that found that only one in five low or moderate income persons had their civil legal needs met. So a group of judges, attorneys, law professors, and community members formed an Access to Justice Hui to address this issue. The Hui's first recommendation was to establish an Access to Justice Commission to focus on implementing ways to meet this need for services. In response on May 1, 2008, the Hawaii Supreme Court established the commission by way of a court rule. The rule prescribed 14 objectives for the commission, such as developing initiatives to expand access to justice, increasing pro bono that is voluntary services by attorneys, and educating the public about access issues. The commission itself does not provide legal services, but serves as a focus of access efforts. It provides a forum and a platform for groups and individuals to find shared opportunities to advance the goal of achieving equal justice. So that's basically why the commission was formed. Thank you, and how does the commission function? Tracy, the commission operates through its commission members, the committees, and its task forces. So there is no paid staff. The commission relies on the voluntary efforts of individuals and organizations that participate in its work. The commission itself consists of 22 members and includes, among others, members from the Judiciary, the Bar, or Lawyers Association, the legal service organizations that directly serve needy persons, the three branches of government and members from the community at large. The commission initiates programs, proposes policies, supports legal service providers, considers different access issues, produces a report on an annual basis on access matters, and makes recommendations to the Supreme Court for changes in court rules, procedures, and process, and for the institution of pilot projects. For example, this pro bono celebration is an annual event that the commission's pro bono initiatives task force holds to recognize attorneys and law firms that have made outstanding contributions to our community and to promote the importance of volunteerism in our community through a state might essay contest for high school students. Thank you, Justice Acoba. I know that the commission has made significant strides over the last 10 years. Can you talk about some of the significant accomplishments of the commission over the 10 years? I feel that there are many, but I will mention five. The first is during the great recession in 2008, the commission formulated and recommended a court initiated mediation program in mortgage for closure cases. The Supreme Court adopted this program, and on the big island this project successfully covered close to 600 cases. Second, the commission helped to initiate the access to justice room program that the Chief Justice mentioned. And in this program, the judiciary, the legal age society, and the bar partnered to provide free legal service information at the courthouses on every island. Third, beginning in 2014, the commission partnered with the Bar Association to initiate a pro bono appellate project in which attorneys provide free legal representation in certain appellate cases. This program was permanently approved by the Hawaii Supreme Court in 2017. As a fourth matter in 2018, the Supreme Court approved a commission proposed court navigator system for Maui, where Judge Cardoza resides and operates, in which volunteer laypersons are trained to provide in person assistance at the courthouse for unrepresented litigants regarding court forms, procedures, and hearings. And finally, from 27 to 2020, the commission coordinated two national grants of $100,000 each. That resulted in a community navigator program, which trains trusted leaders in different communities to provide assistance to persons in need, and a government roundtable program that brings agencies together to promote the effective delivery of legal services. In closing Tracy, I wanted to say that the commission is now into its 12th year of existence. The commission formalized an ideal that justice must be extended to everyone, notwithstanding economic, social, cultural, language, and other barriers to equal justice. The impact of the commission has been to help make access to justice a focal point of our legal system. Thank you Tracy. Thank you Justice Acoba, and thank you for your leadership over the years, helping the commission grow and accomplish so much. I'd like to turn to Judge Cardoza now, and thank you for stepping in into the leadership position. If you could tell me Judge Cardoza, what do you see as the challenges for the commission this year? Aloha and Mahalo, Tracy. Access to justice requires a system-wide collaborative effort involving the judiciary, many individuals, agencies, and the community itself. The coronavirus pandemic has challenged our ability to fully engage in that collaborative endeavor. At the same time, the pandemic has resulted in the needs of the community dramatically increasing in number, complexity, and urgency. Effectively meeting these needs through an ongoing system-wide collaborative effort is both a challenge and an opportunity. We are fortunate in Hawaii to have individuals and agencies who consistently place service above self and a judiciary that places the highest priority on service. This pro bono celebration is a confirmation of the commitment of those involved in access to justice. The challenge to meet the critical needs of Hawaii in these difficult and unprecedented times will be with us for some time to come and may become even more challenging. However, we will emerge from this period having embraced the challenge. This will make us stronger, more innovative, and responsive to the needs of our community, as well as the individuals and agencies that provide the critical services for those in our community. Thank you, Judge Cardoza. Knowing that there is so much work to be done, what initiatives should the commission take on in the future? The future initiatives for the commission will likely include a continued response to the coronavirus pandemic. This will involve a wide range of initiatives and undoubtedly will involve or will evolve as new issues emerge. It's worth noting that the nonpartisan congressional budget office recently announced that in 2021, the national debt will exceed the value of the nation's economy. The first time this has occurred since 1946, of course, just after World War II. This will mean significant challenges for our community as well as the agencies that meet the critical needs of the community. Thus, we also have to make sure that we remain mindful of the need to place these agencies in a position to meet these critical needs. Other initiatives will include avoiding the digital divide as we place greater reliance on technology for access to our system of justice. Issues related to racial justice will also remain an important priority. These initiatives will require energy and the involvement and advocacy by the entire bar, as well as many individuals from the community as well as many agencies. Thank you, Judge Cardoza. It sounds like you have a busy, important agenda, so not to put you on the spot, but tell me how you're finding your role as chair of the commission. Tracy, it's been a privilege to serve as chair and to serve with the judiciary and so many dedicated agencies and individuals. They tirelessly serve the people of Hawaii without need for recognition. We must ensure that we will continue to make it possible for all of them to continue to serve our community. The judiciary, the agencies and individuals working with the Access to Justice Commission always demonstrate that every challenge provides an opportunity to find new solutions to what we might and others might seem to be insurmountable and unprecedented. To serve with individuals with this level of commitment is a privilege and certainly a pleasure. And it is an experience that I would recommend to all. Thank you. Thank you, Judge Cardoza, and thank you, Justice Acova, for your leadership, great work and efforts to continue to move the commission forward. I'm pleased to introduce Attorney Sean Benton, who is a member of the Pro Bono Initiative Committee that helps coordinate the pro bono celebration. Sean will be introducing the judges of the student essay contest who will then be announcing the winners. Sean? Thank you, Tracy. You know, as part of the celebration of pro bono services, the Access to Justice Commission holds a high school essay contest for all students grades 10 through 12. Each year the commission has received extraordinary essays and this year was definitely no exception. This year the students were asked to answer the question, standing together six feet apart, how did you serve the community during the COVID-19 pandemic? And despite the fact that the year has been filled with uncertainty and constant change, their essays feature their compassion and ability to persevere through this difficult time. But before we announce the winners, the commission would like to thank our preliminary round judges, Judge Todd Eddins, Judge Shirley Kawamura, Judge Rowena Somerville, Judge Kevin Sousa, Judge Katherine Remigio, Judge Rebecca Copeland, Judge Diane Maderos, Judge Christine Yu Nakamatsu, and Judge Natalie Shaw. We would also like to thank our final round judges who will be announcing our student essay contest winners today. Chief Justice Mark Rectonwald, Judge Greg Nakamura, and the Hawaii State Bar Association President Gregory Frye. Last but not least, we would also like to acknowledge the law firms who sponsored our essay contest awards this year. This year, each student will receive a $500 award and the student's teacher or advisor will be receiving a $100 award. Now first, we will start with Chief Justice Rectonwald, who will be announcing one of the winners from Oahu, who is sponsored by Chong, Nishimoro, Sia, Nakamura, and Goya, and our student winner from West Hawaii County, whose award is sponsored by Schluter, Quiet, and Kennedy. Chief Justice Rectonwald. Mariah Ramo, a student from Waipahu High School, wrote an inspiring essay about volunteering with the Filipino community and with Future Farmers of America, a club at Waipahu High School. She initiated a fundraiser to ensure the children in her hometown of Bakara Ilocos Norte Philippines have access to stable Wi-Fi connections and a device to be able to learn during this pandemic. In Hawaii, she's working to provide support and guidance to students who are distance learning, including her peers at Waipahu High School. Mariah created short video tutorials to post on Google Suite applications. She's also planning to share online tips and useful resources for each school subject. Mariah knows about the importance of education. In her essay, Mariah states, if we miss educating students for one whole year, it can cause catastrophic ripples in a decade or more. I hope to continue to unfold my plans and help to make the communities a better place day by day. Thank you, Mariah, for fundraising and sharing your tutorials and for selflessly giving your time to help others in need. Josiah Richards is a senior at Makua Lani Christian Academy in Kailua, Kona. He wrote about his time volunteering in the kitchen of a local university to help make lunches for students who were quarantined. Although his job was to clean the kitchen, he did it with a smile. Josiah shared that his contribution was not as large as the chef's, but he knew he was making their jobs exponentially easier, allowing them to focus on cooking balanced meals for hundreds of people. In his words, working there was truly an eye-opening experience to see what togetherness looked like in nearly its purest form. I was confounded by how well the final result of each day turned out when we had to rely on each other so much. They put into perspective how much people can get done if they simply work together as one body. This is a sentiment that the access to justice community can surely relate to. Thank you, Josiah, for helping to spread compassion and a spirit of volunteerism throughout your community. Thank you, Chief Justice Rectonwald. Now we will hear from Judge Greg Nakamura, who will be announcing another winner from Oahu, who is sponsored by Damon, Kee, Leong, Cupchak, Hassert, and our student winner from Maui, whose award is sponsored by Tateshi and Tanaka. Judge Nakamura? I'm glad I had the chance to read these essays and see the potential and energy these students have. You get the sense that our future would be okay in their hands. We just have to get past the present. Emily Tom is one of our Oahu winners. She is a 12th grader at Iolani School in her well-written essay entitled By the Roots. Ms. Tom described the work she did as a summer intern for the Americans for Democratic Action and Advocacy Organization. First what she did is link the COVID-19 pandemic to unemployment and the resulting loss of medical insurance coverage. Then she pointed out that there is a need for structural change in the healthcare system so that healthcare is available to those who need it. She then explained that as an intern, she performed extensive research as submitted a report setting forth recommendations for reforms that the organization could advocate for. And this is what she said in her essay. As bleak as the future may seem, the best possible takeaway from COVID-19 is lasting reform. Learning about the successes and failures of our current policy and searching for ways to improve not only provides us with the power to bring change, but it also fulfills our civic duty as Americans. Although I am only one person, the time spent over the summer pushing for change was time well spent. I have contributed to a larger conversation that hopefully will encourage policymakers to address the problem and create a better future for our islands. So in reading her essay, you get the sense that Ms. Tom as others has a potential to accomplish the changes that she suggests and she should be encouraged to do just that. So congratulations to you, Ms. Tom. Kailin Kitagawa is our winner from Maui. She's a 10th grader at King K. Kaliki High School. Her essay is entitled, Standing Together, Six Feet Apart. In her essay, she focused on her local community of Pukalani Maui. And she described her plans, summer activities came to, as she says, a screeching halt because of COVID-19. Yet she was able to help her community by working on food distribution events held by Representative Ka Yamashita. She saw how members of a community work together to gather local produce and distribute the produce to those in need. She saw how she could help in these kinds of efforts. Also, she had the chance to speak to people at these events and learn about voting, elections, and the legislative process. She came to understand the importance of voting and she now says at this young age, she cannot wait to vote. And what Ms. Kitagawa shows in her essays is how she matured during the COVID-19 pandemic. And she noted the life lessons learned. And as she said, my summer was restricted much more than in past years, but I still found ways to positively contribute to my community from a safe distance. Although times are tough, there are still ways to serve as a contributing, informed, and masked member of the community. So congratulations to you, Ms. Kitagawa. Thank you, Judge Nakamura. Last but not least, we will hear from HSBA President Gregory Fry, who will be announcing our final student award from Oahu, sponsored by Keislam Barty and Pettit, and our student winner from Kauai, whose award is sponsored by Ota and Hara. Greg? Mahalo, Sean. I really appreciate it. Being part of this annual pro bono celebration, so necessary, so correct, and so appropriate is always an honor to me. I appreciate it. I was very excited about working with the final panel to read those essays. Artful or not, I was totally blown away. And I thought to myself, isn't it, in fact, a example of the purest volunteer spirit to write the essays in the first place? Amazing to me. I had the honor to talk about two students. The first is Valor On, a proud student and 12th grader at Kaibuki Christian School soon to be, no doubt, a proud alumnus. The teacher working alongside and guiding was Joanna Fong. Our sponsors in our bar and our association case, Lombardi and Pettit. Mahalo to all of them for their efforts. This essay was amazing. Valor said, I don't want to be cooped up. I want to help. I want to volunteer. I'm seeking purpose during this COVID-19 era. Purpose he found. Volunteered critically with the Salvation Army. He tells a story of being assigned to talk to Kapuna. Desperately needing services, desperately needing counsel and guidance. Listened and helped and learned. They both did. They all did. And I leave you with this quote directly from the essay, which was powerful. And again, congratulations. That summer day when speaking to one of the people. I felt deeply humbled. And my eyes were open to this fact. Everyone has a story. And some just need a listening ear. I move on to the next student that I am proudly speaking of. And that would be Kai Motley from Kauai, an 11th grader at Kauai High School. The guidance and the teacher came from Kevin Johnson and the sponsoring firm from our association with Ota and Hara. Again, congratulations to all involved. This essay, like all of them I read, and no doubt everyone that was submitted, was amazing to me. And I'm proud that Kai is getting recognition. Kai speaks of and writes of, how do I fit in? I need to know during this pandemic. I'm not even sure I do. Not having medical training. Kai wondered, what can I do if anything? Kai critically contributed and volunteered with skills and design and the IT world worked for months making masks for the hospital and the healthcare heroes. And found the purpose and found the direction. And I leave you with this quote, just like Rosie the Riveter during World War II, you don't have to be a fighter on the front line to make a true difference. Thank you for having me and congratulations to everybody involved. Thank you, all of the judges. And wow, those students are absolutely amazing. And they certainly give you hope in a time that we need hope. And it gives us hope for the future. Now we're going to move on to all of the many attorneys that dedicate thousands of pro bono hours to help increase access to justice. I'd like to start by introducing Judge Brian Costa, who will talk about the volunteers at the First Circuit Family Court. Judge Costa? Thank you, Tracy. And hello, everyone. Part of the mission statement of the Family Court of the First Circuit is to provide every family, child, and individual under its jurisdiction with equal access to fair, efficient, culturally aware, and timely justice. It's to be a place of healing for these children and these families. Now pro bono means for the public good. It's a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. Now we have attorneys that volunteer at the capillary access to justice room and the satellite location at the Hawaii Supreme Court Law Library. And they perform a great service to the Family Court and to the members of the public that they assist. The Family Court handles a wide range of legal issues that affect children and families, such as domestic abuse restraining orders, guardianships for minors or incapacitated persons, paternity cases, divorce cases, adoptions. Many people that are representing themselves are uncomfortable. They don't know exactly where to begin. They don't understand the process before them. These attorneys at the access to justice room volunteer their time and their expertise and offer these individuals much guidance and advice. One moment they may be assisting a survivor of domestic violence, and the next moment they may be assisting someone processing and moving forward with an adoption. Their time and expertise is invaluable. And they provide these individuals with a level of comfort as to the process and as to what's coming next. Now I have the privilege of honoring them and those attorneys are as follows. Kevin Adania, Leslie Ching Allen, Shelby Ferrer, Shannon Hackett, Jill Hasegawa, Anna Sobe, Lene Lee, Elsa McGee, Juan Montalbano, Gemma Rose Polan Soon, Tom Tani Moto, Carol Tribby, Kaitlyn Axe, Richard Deal, Noah Gibson, Thomas Haya, Steve Hioki, Mary Kishimoto Doi, Mary Anita Lopez, Diane Mitsuyama, Courtney Naso, Ellen Polatano, Jackie Thurston, and Cheryl Yamaki. We thank you for your service. We also have multiple attorneys that assist the court as voluntary settlement masters. These voluntary settlement masters volunteer their time and expertise to act as mediators to assist parties in settling their disputes in both divorce cases and paternity cases. These cases by their very nature are highly emotional and helping these parties to settle these matters are extremely beneficial to both the court and to the families that are involved. Many times parents may co-parent more effectively after they're able to settle their case and work through their differences. These voluntary attorneys commit three to four hours of their time to mediate these cases that the court refers to them. The program is overseen by the Mediation Center of the Pacific. And these voluntary settlement masters that we recognize are as follows, Kevin Adania, Marionette Andrews, Cheryl Arakaki, Sarah Joe Bueller, Jennifer Chan, Bradley Chong, Tom Crowley, Nicole Cummings, Everett Cascaden, William Dara, Richard Diehl, Gavin Doi, Hulan Dong, Thomas Farrell, Shelby Ferrer, Greg Fry, Stacey Fukuhara-Barkley, Noah Gibson, Christian Gray, Donna Davis-Green, Jeff Hamilton, Seth Harris, Steve Hartley, Jill Hasegawa, Denise Hevacan, Stephen Hyoky, Debbie Ju, Curtis Cam, Kevin Kimura, Charles Kleintop, Aaron Kobayashi, Jackie Kong, Ed Leb, Lene Lee, Kendall Luke, Catherine Lucchella, Tim Luria, Michael McEnerney, Elsa McGee, Lynn McGivern, Diane Mitsuyama, Naoko Miyamoto, Juan Montalbano, Courtney Naso, Blake Okimoto, Maria Penn, Anthony Peralt, Ellen Polatano, Pablo Quaban, Alethea Rebman, Stephanie Rezents, Candra Rivers, Greg Ryan, Judith Shevchuk, John Schmicki, Scott Schmicki, Isaac Smith, Gemma Rose Pollan-Soon, Justin Sturdivant, Joanne Tecara, Tom Tiny-Moto, Christopher Thomas, Carol Tribby, Paul Tomar, Molly Turpin, Mitchell Wong, Sheila Vieira, Trini Yamada, and Craig Yim. I would like to thank and honor these volunteer attorneys for helping all of these families and also for helping the Family Court of the State of Hawaii. Thank you. Thank you, Judge Costa, and thank you to all of the attorneys at an amazing list for all the work that you're doing, in addition to your busy schedules. But we're not finished. That's the focus at Family Court. We're not going to hear from Judge Melanie May about the attorneys who volunteer at District Court. Judge May? Good morning, everyone. Thank you, Tracy. The Access to Justice Room at the Honolulu District Court provides free legal advice to the community in civil cases. At the Access to Justice Room in Honolulu, self-represented litigants are able to ask questions and get free legal advice about landlord tenant matters, credit card and debt collection cases, contract cases such as personal loans, car repairs, and personal service cases, tort cases, and temporary restraining orders. These issues are not new, but the way in which legal services provided is, during the pandemic, the entire legal community needed to mobilize and adjust to find new ways to serve the legal needs of our community. Face-to-face meetings became a thing of the past, so 2019. Today, the new normal revolves around remote meetings, telephone conferences, Zoom meetings, remote court hearings, and remote legal services. The shift to remote legal services provided new ways for attorneys to provide legal advice and for new and improved ways for the public to get help. People no longer need to take hours off of work, brave traffic, drive into town, find parking, and wait for an appointment. Instead, people can call in, schedule an appointment through the intake line, and get legal advice by telephone. This new normal also means that our new ways for attorneys to be able to volunteer from the comfort of their own homes or their offices. Today, we celebrate and honor the attorneys, firms, and organizations who have volunteered for the Honolulu Access to Justice Room. In 2019 to 2020, the following firms and organizations provided volunteer services. Thank you so very much to these firms and organization whose attorneys have volunteered countless hours to help the people of Hawaii. There were also individual attorneys who volunteered independent of their affiliation with any firm or organization. These individual attorneys are William Bagasol, Cassie Bagay, Thomas Berger, Ben Kreps, Gilbert Dolis, Ben Fischer, Mike Goodman, Arlette Harada, Walter Hebowait, Nathaniel Higa, Naomi Iwabuchi, Daniel Kim, Matthew Collinger, Christina Ohira, Megumi Sakai, Katherine Vessels, and Bryant Zane. Thank you for providing your time, talent, and heart to those in need who need it most. We are so very grateful. Thank you Judge May, and thank you to all of the attorneys who volunteer at District Court. And it's important to remember that these initiatives were started by the Access to Justice Commission and they're making an amazing difference even during a pandemic. I'd now like to introduce Justice Wilson. Justice Wilson will share information about the appellate pro bono attorney program and the appellate mediation program. Justice Wilson. Good morning and aloha. It's my pleasure to introduce the appellate pro bono attorney program and the Hawaii appellate mediation program for the Hawaii state judiciary. The volunteers that participate in this program are participating at the appellate level, which of course means they're participating with cases that have been in the system for a long time. Oftentimes because they are intractable problems and oftentimes it's because they're problems that have great social importance. So we are very grateful all the judges of the appellate branch, the appellate community of our judiciary, very grateful for the volunteerism at this level. The appellate pro bono attorney program assists self-represented litigants who are parties to an appeal. The program is a joint effort of the Hawaii judiciary, the Hawaii state bar associations, appellate division and volunteer legal services of Hawaii to match volunteer attorneys with self-represented litigants who are parties to an appeal. In other words, attorneys volunteer their extremely valuable skill set of appellate legal advocacy to represent citizens for free who cannot afford an attorney but who nonetheless have pursued their cases through our court system to oral argument before our appellate courts. It's been our experience at the Supreme Court that the volunteer appellate advocates demonstrate a superior level of representation during oral argument. So today please help me recognize and thank our appellate pro bono attorneys for this last year. Charla Manling, Joanna Ziegler, Robert Thomas and Richard Mitchell. Thank you because it takes enormous amounts of time and energy to prepare an appellate case before the Supreme Court. The Hawaii appellate mediation program is a program of distinguished volunteers who are among the finest most experienced lawyers and retired judges in Hawaii. The program began in 1995. It is administered by the Hawaii Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution. The main objective of the program is to provide an alternative to litigation on appeal. Most civil cases are eligible for the program. A notice of mandatory mediation is sent to parties whose cases are selected for mediation. If a case is not selected, a party may request voluntary participation. Mediation is an informal private process to help parties discuss, define and resolve their disputes. The parties control the result of their mediation using a mediator, an impartial person to guide the process. The mediator does not make decisions for the parties. The appointed mediators generously volunteer their time. Hundreds of hours for these cases are often very complicated and again have taken a very long time to get to the appellate courts. The mediators are retired judges or justices and retired or semi-retired counsel. It is my privilege to recognize and express our deep gratitude to this esteemed group of mediators for the Hawaii Appellate Mediation Program. Judge Ricky May Amano, Judge Joel August, Judge Karen Blonden, Professor Addison Bowman, Robin Campagnano, Coralus Chang, Louis Chang, Chuck Crumpton, Justice James Duffy, Jacqueline Earl, Judge Max Graham, Diane Hastert, Diane Hefoe, Kenneth Hip, Judge Colleen Harai, James Honig, Judge Walter Ikeda, Elizabeth Kent, Judge Walter Kieramesu, Justice Robert Klein, Ralph LaFontaine, Roz Lumis, Ivan Louis Kwan, Vicki Marks, Georgia McMillan, Douglas McNish, Judge Marie Milks, Chief Justice Ronald Moon, Richard Moser, Judge Gail Nakatani, Patricia Park, Judge Shackley Raffetto, Judge Frank Rothschild, Judge Nancy Ryan, Judge Sandra Sims, Judge Leland Spencer, Tom Sterling, Judge Aline Suimori, Owen Tamaoka, Judge Mike Town, Judge Diana Warrington, Arne Warchick, Judge Andrew Wilson, and Judge Patrick Yem. We are fortunate to have such an esteemed group of practiced and wise committed individuals, and on behalf of the judiciary, I'd like to thank all the volunteers who helped with our appellate mediation program and our appellate pro bono attorneys program. Thank you. Thank you so much, Justice Wilson, and congratulations to all the appellate pro bono attorneys and mediators for all of your great work. I'm now pleased to introduce the volunteers who are being recognized by the civil legal service providers. So each year, the civil legal service providers identify an outstanding volunteer to recognize for the pro bono celebration. And this is always challenging because without the volunteers, the civil legal service providers wouldn't be able to do a fraction of the work that they do. This year, we're recognizing four volunteers. The Mediation Center of the Pacific is recognizing Samantha Sam Kaznets. The Legal Aid Society of Hawaii is recognizing Ben Acob. Volunteer Legal Services of Hawaii is recognizing Calerissa Molino. And last but not least, the Elder Law Program at the University of Hawaii is recognizing Christie Matsuda. Unfortunately, Christie wasn't able to participate in the celebration because shortly after the pandemic started, she moved to Kauai where she's doing other work. So we still wish you congratulations, Christie, and to all of the volunteers. And we'd like to hear more about them. Why do you do this? You put in all these hours and all this effort and you must have some special affinity for resolving disputes and liking people. You know what, Jay? It's interesting. People say, why do you do it? Just like you asked. Truthfully, it feeds my soul. I love meeting new people. It is an amazing feeling to be able to help people move on with their lives, to get an apology that's been sought after for years. People come to us. They bear their souls. They tell us very, very intimate details about themselves, about their lives, their children, their spouses. Sometimes a little too intimate, but it's called confidential. And it's very humbling that people come and share their lives with us the way they do. And being given the opportunity to help somebody resolve something so they can move on with their lives, look forward instead of back, it's an honor. And it's very humbling. And I'm very grateful. And for me personally, I learn and grow every single time I mediate. It is amazing to me how people think, how they look at things, their interpretations, the decisions they make and why. And a lot of the times, I'm very, very surprised how people come up with it. Do you solve all your cases? No, no. So what's the magic of reaching an agreement or not? The magic. The magic is a conversation. Hopefully, we're facilitators. We're not judges. We're not there as lawyers. We're not there as therapists. Sometimes the therapy part does cross over a little bit, but we really try to stay in our roles. Getting people to talk, having a conversation, again, apology is a very big deal for some people. And even though we don't get an agreement at times, that couple, sometimes a lot of the time is able to move forward and actually be in the same room and have a conversation about their children. That's wonderful. Well, you know, meeting Angela through Volunteer Legal Services and her staff, she had mentioned early, is that's what makes it easy. You know, they're welcoming, they're warming, and they offer different areas of ability to volunteer, meaning if you can't take a case fully all the way up to the hearing, to the appeal process, if needed, you definitely doesn't restrict your ability to still provide some form of volunteer service for the person in need, whether that's information of how to read a form, information of where to go to get more information to address their particular needs, whether it's for adoption or for, you know, filing for a divorce. I mean, people generally just need to know where to begin. They need someone to listen to their needs of what they're feeling in that moment. And to be able to commit to that is so rewarding. And that's what's really important is I think for some people, we get so bogged down in, okay, what is the solution right now? And sometimes what people need is they just need to be heard. They just need to be heard that they went through point A through point Z. And it's been very frustrating process. They just need to be heard about what more can they do. They need some compassion. They need a lending ear. And then at that point, when they're ready to take on some solutions, we can provide solution oriented advice to them, whether it's court appearances, possible appeal, assessment of a document, leading them to other attorneys who have advice in the area. How do you feel about being treated as an honoree? It's one that's very rewarding. You know, during this time, I'm not one to always take credit for myself. This really is a community led effort. You know, we can't do it if nonprofit organizations are not there to able to provide that access to justice. If places like DVAC are not there to provide the services that these people in our community need, we're all one community. So on behalf of all who have contributed and the work that Angela and Nancy do for our community, I think we all should be honored actually. But yet, I will say I do appreciate it. We're honoring our Mr. you guess is Ben Jamina Cole. He has been over the past year. Ben has signed up for more shifts at the Microsoft health center than anyone else. So we're honoring him today for our pro bono celebration. Ben would often step by the Southwest center if he was at the courthouse when we were meeting in person and we take up taking shifts and spontaneously if the center is for staff. For every policy litigant he has assisted, they would take the time to listen with care no matter how long it took. Both the policy litigants and those who work have been alike have expressed admiration, appreciation for not only his legal expertise, but also the way he is able to deliver legal services in a manner that is compassionate and with dignity. I've had policy litigants when I was meeting in person to specifically ask can I meet with Ben because I've met with him before he knows my situation. I would like to work with him again. So he's a very easy person to work with. A little about Ben, he is a graduate of Richardson Law School, graduate 1987. When he's not volunteering at the Southwest center, he works at his own private practice, Benjamin Acoba turning up law He also serves as a legal counsel for the Maui Filipino Chamber of Commerce, advocate for the Christ the King Church Council and co-chair of the worship ministry electors committee. He is also a member of the Knights of Columbus, an organization that prides itself on putting faith into action. He has illustrated that he truly loves these principles. This year alone, Ben has held hundreds of those in need who has come to the Southwest center and has improved indispensable and increasing access to justice for those without legal representation. So we'd like to honor Ben today and say thank you Ben for all your hours of hard work volunteering with us. That is amazing. The energy, the dedication, the commitment. This is the work that's being done here and thanks to the Access to Justice Commission. So congratulations to Sam, Clarissa and Ben and thank you for all your dedication. In closing, I would like to bring back Judge Brian Costa to say a few final words. Judge Costa. And once again, thank you everybody for joining us today. In closing, I'd like to thank the sponsors of the pro bono celebration, which include the Hawaii State Bar Foundation, Hawaii Justice Foundation, Hawaii State Bar Association and Hawaii Access to Justice Commission. And also thank you again goes out to the law firm sponsors that sponsored the students for the essay contest. This celebration is put on every year during National Pro Bono Week and is normally held at the courtroom at the Hawaii Supreme Court. Chief Justice Rectonwald and the Supreme Court have always supported and encouraged pro bono work and the celebration every year. We look forward to it as it honors and recognizes all those attorneys and others that have put forth their time, their expertise to assist those in need. Unfortunately, this year because of the pandemic, we were unable to have an in person celebration at the Supreme Court, and we had to seek alternatives to that. A special thanks goes out to the individuals on the pro bono initiative committee that helped put the celebration together along with Think Tech Hawaii and Jay Fidel. We thank you. Without the committee and the support of Jay Fidel and Think Tech Hawaii, this year's celebration would simply not have been possible. Once again, I would also like to congratulate our student essay contest winners for their service and their outstanding essays. I also thank again all of the honorees, the legal service providers, and the volunteers for everything that they do for helping the people of Hawaii, especially during these difficult times. I hope that this celebration has inspired others to get involved and look for different ways to assist those in our community. Now more than ever, we must come together to assist those in our society. There are many that need help during this pandemic, which has forever changed all of our lives and will continue to do so for some time in the future. We can all make a difference and we should all strive every day to do so. Thank you once again for joining us for the celebration and everybody stay safe.