Please find below a written copy of my in-person testimony delivered on Tuesday, April 18, 2023:

Aloha Chair Sugimura and Committee Members,

My name is Jen Cox and I am the executive director of Maui’s contemporary dance company, Adaptations Dance Theater. We are honored to be an Office of Economic Development grantee this fiscal year, and humbly ask for your continued support of $25,000 for our beloved Bring it Home program for 2024.

Bring it Home brings back Maui-raised artists who are pursuing professional careers elsewhere to share their craft with the community that raised them. By honoring their professionalism with paid performance opportunities, we are building the vibrant contemporary dance home that can sustain our local artists and motivate our next generation of dancers to see Maui as a place where they can flourish professionally.

This year, we are thrilled to bring home Emily McKeon. Emi grew up at Maui Academy of Performing Arts and apprenticed with ADT before pursuing her degree at UC-Irvine. She now dances with SALT2 in Salt Lake City, yet Emi returns every summer to work with ADT as a dancer, teaching artist, and now co-lead our summer training programs.

Bring it Home is a collaboration between the artists we bring back and our resident company members. Of our six resident dancers, two are Bring it Home converts — people who moved away, and are now back! Through their relationships with ADT, they saw they could return to their island home and keep their practice as professional artists. One of those converts is our new co-artistic director, Ali McKeon Pineo, and yes, Emi’s older sister.

Our goal is to stay active throughout the year, so we can reunite with more of our extended ADT ‘ohana whenever they can come home, like Seabury and MAPA alum Madi McGain, who we got to train with a couple weeks ago. As we increase our bandwidth, we can bring more of our people home, more often (if not permanently) to contribute to Maui’s performing arts offerings and elevate our community’s collective quality of life.

In our decade as a nonprofit, we have fostered thousands of connections through our performances and workshops. In response to the pandemic, we now consider the basketball court at Haiku School, the courtyard at Hale Makua, and several alleys in Wailuku Town as performance sites. Most recently, we produced a family-friendly show at the IMUA Discovery Garden for people with sensory sensitivities to enjoy contemporary dance on their own terms. We are grateful to be able to create these accessible offerings because of the steadfast support we receive from our private and public funders.

Now we are less than a month away from SEED, the first residency in the Bring it Home season. Attendees to our open rehearsal on May 9 will see choreography in its barest bones before it becomes a fully-fleshed staged production by mid-August. Our last Bring it Home concert garnered over 500 attendees in three shows; we are ecstatic for Bring it Home to make its comeback at the historic ‘Iao Theater with friends old and new.

I appreciate the opportunity to share our vision for a brilliant future in contemporary dance, one where we serve as role models for Maui’s students, as collaborators for Maui’s working artists, and as the conduit for those we will bring home with your support.

Thank you for your consideration,

Jen

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Jen Cox
Executive Director, Adaptations Dance Theater
Pronouns: she/her
jen@adaptationsdancetheater.com
808-446-2450
www.adaptationsdancetheater.com

I am the mother of a girl who entered Head Start. Her father and I were happy with the presence of very good female teachers.
I ask the County of Maui to support them because they deserve all the financial support. Thank you.
Suzan Jubran

Being a participant of the UH-MC MEO Head Start program has had many beneficial factors for my family and daughter.
She has gained the confidence to socialize and interact with peers appropriately. She has learned daily life skills and how to take care of herself, share and follow directions.
She enjoys going to school to see her friends and teachers. I enjoy and am comforted knowing my child is in good care while at my full-time job. She also gets the opportunity to eat delicious and nutritious food, nap, and be in a learning environment that promotes academic readiness for kindergarten.
For me, I work a full-time job and having the site open until 3 p.m. helps me know she is under good care until I can pick her up. Also having my child attend at no cost greatly relieves the financial burden each month. I am able to spend more time with my family and not have to spend time away working multiple jobs.
Sandy Fujitani

Aloha. My son Orion Coffin has attended MEO Head Start Makawao A for two years. He was referred by Imua Services for speech delay. While attending, he has made dramatic improvements. He has excelled in all curriculum and interactions. It has been a God send to receive these services. I believe that without this program and time he has spent at this facility, he would not have progressed as much as he has.
I truly believe that cutting back on funding/hours would be detrimental to the children who attend Head Start.
The program allows kids who need the extra help to get where they need to be to enter into the normal school system.
I humbly ask that you continue to fund our school and that you do not cutback on hours for the children's sake.
Mahalo for your time.
Sean Coffin

First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to all the staff dedicated to supporting and guiding all the children the MEO Head Start program. The program has positively impacted my child's growth and development. After only one year of attendance at the Makawao A location, I have noticed a positive change this program has had on my child with academic abilities, as well as social skills.
Good child care can be hard to find, and I am so grateful for the opportunity have my child take part in the Head Start program.
With the dedicated staff to ensure a safe and educational environment, I am assured my child is getting the care, respect and education necessary to foster a healthy introduction to the world. The hours of operation that MEO Head Start offers allow parents like myself the time needed to be able to provide for our children at home - knowing that our keiki are well cared for in our absence.
Kahala and Chris Dee Christopherson

This is my first year of having a child attending MEO Head Start and Wow! The services and education they provide are awesome. They do so much, provide books, activities, services.
I feel that my child being in school until noon just wouldn't be enough. She is learning so much in her school day. I feel it is better preparing her for the duration of what a real school day will feel like when she gets older.
This staff is so caring and I feel comfortable leaving my children from 7:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. so she can grow to the best of her ability. Mahalo MEO!
Brittnie Gouveia

I feel very grateful for MEO's Head Start program. The teachers and staff are amazing people who really look out for not only the community but our children. It really does help that the Head Start program helps families by having the school open as long as they do to help working parents. Thank you.
Olina Butchart-Kalama

We love MEO Makawao A. We as a family appreciate having the center open until 3 p.m. My son loves all the teaching staff and being able to play with all his friends. Please help and support keeping the center open until 3 p.m. Thank you for all you do!
Brandi Mawae

Mahalo very much and we appreciate the County for extending the hours for the Keiki at MEO Head Start. Aloooooha!
Joseph Ramos

I am the proud father of Kahali‘i Jones. During her time with the wonderful angelic teachers at MEO I watched my beautiful baby girl become a wonderful well spoken young lady. The time and energy these teachers put in is amazing. In my opinion, all education workers should be as selfless and nurturing as these teachers are. Forever, I will always thank them for helping raise my daughter - Ms. CJ, Ms. Denet. Ms. Fox. Thank you for being the best.
L.A. Jones