‘Ōlelo Community Media once again got into the holiday spirit! Our administrative offices and Media Service Centers had our annual holiday door decorating contest. This year’s theme was “’Ōlelo with Aloha Inside.” The staff was tasked with expressing how one or more of the five core values of Aloha Response are reflected at ‘Ōlelo.
Once the participating departments decorated their doors, it was up to the public to vote for their favorite on Facebook. Our doors reached 1,835 people on Facebook with over 100 voting comments and 20 shares.
In the end, the Kāneʻohe Media Service Center (Door#5) won with the Communications Department (Door #2) coming in at a close second. Congratulations to Donna, Alex, and Corinne at the Kāneʻohe Media Service Center and mahalo to everyone who engaged with us and voted on Facebook!
Scroll down to see all the doors and the stories behind them.
Door #1 – Programming, “Mahalo Tree”
“All of the series that air on our channels makeup the skeleton of ‘Ōlelo. Without our series, we have no structure. There are 150 tinsels on our tree, representing the 150 series on our channels. Each tinsel has a series title written on it. Mahalo to our series producers for keeping us structured.” – Cherisse Ferreira, Programming Manager
Door #2 – Communications, “Warriors of Aloha”
“Initially the mana‘o was for the design to be a Christmas Tree, decorated of course and then it would have ten round ornaments for each one of us to put what aloha means to us. Then Ange, enhanced it to reflect what we do here at OCM to show our contributions to the cinematic world by having us on that poster to reflect and show us being the Warriors of Aloha. This is the result of our Aloha Response efforts.” – Georgette Stevens, Community Relations Manager.
Door #3 – Playback/Engineering, “You Are On The Air”
“What you are looking at is a house with the chimney at the center. The chimney represents our Playback department, the center of the ‘Ōlelo house. Without Playback, the programs submitted to ‘Ōlelo couldn’t get on our channels. The clouds on the door represent our channels, in the air and on the air.” – Cherisse Ferreira, Programming Manager
Door #4 – Training, “Santa Would Go! What Is Your Aloha Response?”
Our door has the Grinch in his cave wanting to keep everyone away but Santa will still reach out to him, representing Lōkahi (unity to be expressed with harmony) and Akahai (kindness to be expressed with tenderness). The question to the onlooker asks how would you respond to the “Grinch” in your life.
Door #5 – Kāneʻohe MSC, “E Komo Mai”
“The Pahu drum is the vessel that carries our theme of Lōkahi this year. It is a platform for the people to share their mo’olelo. Merry Christmas represented in different languages expresses the unity and solidarity around the world during this season. Lōkahi is a harmony in which the world comes together “singing” a theme of tranquility and oneness.” – Donna Ylen, Kāneʻohe Media Services Manager.
Door #6 – Kaimukī MSC, “Fah who foraze! Dah-who doraze! Welcome Christmas!”
“Fah who foraze, dah who doraze
Welcome, Christmas, come this way
Fah who foraze, dah who doraze
Welcome, here at ‘Ōlelo we say
Welcome, welcome, those who share
Welcome, welcome, those who care
Christmas day is in our grasp
So long as we have hands to clasp
Fah who educate, ya-who entertain
Welcome, Christmas, bring your cheer
Fah who foraze, dah who doraze,
Welcome all our ‘Ōlelo ‘ohana far and near”
– Malina “Mana” Franquez, Kaimukī Media Services Manager
Door #7 – Admin, “The INTERACTIVE Aloha Door”
“Where others may win by design, our door is tops when it comes to holiday spirit INTERACTIVITY! Come by the admin door’s entry and enjoy the holiday lights and spirit of Aloha Response. Sign your name by the word that speaks most to you and receive a prize! (Aloha Response cheat sheet available.) Remember, you ARE the gift of aloha to ‘Ōlelo.” – Kimi Takazawa, Chief Operating Officer