Congratulations, Hawaii Family Forum, on 20 years of protecting family values in your state!
January 15th marked the 20-year anniversary for Kansas Family Voice’s state ally, Hawaii Family Forum.
In a state that tends to lean Left politically, Hawaii Family Forum, led by executive director Eva Andrade, has helped protect families in some incredible ways over the years.
Most recently, Kansas Family Voice worked with Hawaii Family Forum to help defeat assisted suicide in the state in 2017—despite a spend of over $1 Million by the leading advocates for doctor-assisted death. Hawaii Family Forum’s message that every life is worth fighting for—and that no one should be abandoned to hopelessness and death—resonated with Hawaii’s family-centered culture. And Hawaii Family Forum has defeated every effort to legalize assisted suicide since their founding in 1998.
Since 1998, Hawaii Family Forum has stood strong despite pressure to legalize gambling, which can prey on already hurting families. Hawaii remains one of only two states with no legalized commercial gambling!
And Hawaii Family Forum’s original executive director, Kelly Rosati (who later went on to serve as Focus on the Family’s Vice President, Advocacy for Children), drove the efforts to secure the first-ever legislative override of a governor’s veto in the state in 2001.
Kelly worked tirelessly with legislators to help pass a law to raise the state’s age of sexual consent from 14 to 16-years-old in order to provide greater protection for children. Hawaii’s then-governor vetoed the bill, and Kelly said at the time that the veto was “an affront to all the parents and concerned citizens of Hawaii who demanded action this legislative session to protect Hawaii’s minors from adult sexual predators.”
Kelly didn’t let the veto stop Hawaii Family Forum. She rallied Hawaii families to persuade legislators to ultimately override the governor’s veto for the first time ever!
Hawaii Family Forum has worked tirelessly to protect families—especially children and the elderly—for 20 years, and our Kansas Family Voice team is so proud to ally with this amazing ministry!
We asked Eva Andrade, Hawaii Family Forum’s executive director, about her ministry serving families in Hawaii: “There is something invigorating and humbling about standing for the values that make this country (and our state) great. In Hawaii, we have been able to promote righteousness because it is in our state motto, “Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ‘Āina i ka Pono” (The Life of the Land is Perpetuated in Righteousness.) For 2o years, we have stood firm for faith, family and religious freedom. The excitement never ends because now we can look toward the next 20 years with hope and anticipation for what the Lord has yet to accomplish through all the men and women that continue to pray and stand with us.”
Congratulations again to Eva and Hawaii Family Forum!
Want to know if you have a Kansas Family Voice state ally in your state? Check here.