About our founder - Shim Kanazawa

"Shim" Kanazawa knew all about responsibility and taking care of others when she was a little girl growing up in Kamuela - and watching over ten younger children.

World War II brought about a situation that saw her rise to heights of compassion and caring. She was executive secretary to the Swedish honorary vice consul, which had interest in the plight of the Japanese in Hawaii who were interned during the war. Many families suffered hardships as a result of internment, and Shim Kanazawa was there to help them in their difficulties. It was a job that demanded long hours and selfless concern, and she performed her tasks without complaint and with skill. At the end of the war, the national headquarters of the American Red Cross awarded her for meritorious service on behalf of the nation.

Her next big project was to serve with the Commission on Children and Youth, helping lay the foundation for Hawaii's family court system. She moved from young people to the elderly - her next major concern became the Commission on Aging, which let to a concentrated focus on the problems of the elderly with the establishment of the Policy Advisory Board for Elderly Affairs.

Through the years, accomplishments were many and varied. She was always concerned with the less fortunate, the young, the old, the disadvantaged. She served on many boards and commissions. She was chairperson of the Hawaii Summit 2011 Project to develop a strategic planning process to identify key issues concerning aging in Hawaii, chairperson of the Planned Giving for Campaign 2000, member of the Faith in Action National Advisory Committee supporting a national care-giving program, and chairperson of Hawaii's White House Conference on Aging, among many other activities. Significantly she was founder and chairperson of Project Dana, developing an interfaith volunteer care-giving program for the frail and elderly.

Her selflessness has brought a number of awards and acknowledgments, including a Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Hawaii; the George Washington Honor Medal for Individual Achievement; Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge; and the Public Schools of Hawaii Foundation Award in recognition of her humanitarian work towards improving the quality of life for all people. There have been numerous other awards as well as numerous other projects.

Shim Kanazawa has been tireless in her work for other people. Her life is a reflection of a true dedication to worthy causes and needy people.

Here is a short interview about the founding of Project Dana: