“Another family...” Those two simple yet eloquent words constituted the text message I received this morning from music producer Shawn Pimental. My first thought as my heart sank was, “Oh no...”

It seems the love, compassion, and generosity that is Shawn spread not only to all those who so quickly and willingly responded to his plea for help for the Clark family – “our” family – it also somehow permeated the air around his Honolulu recording studio, drawing another homeless family seeking a safe place to shelter for the night. Shawn and his wife Tehani discovered them late last night when they returned to his studio after a gig.

The new family: Manuel and Jessie Sanchez, their 4 year old son and two daughters, ages 7 and 12. While the children slept, Shawn and Tehani spent some time talking to Manuel and Jessie and gave them some food (they hadn’t eaten yesterday), a bit of cash, and several of the gift cards that had been donated for the Clarks – in hopes of addressing their most immediate needs. They discovered that the Sanchez’s had fled Puerto Rico seeking a safer life for the children, migrating first to Tennessee and then to Hawaiʻi when Tennessee’s severe weather became too much. Both Manuel and Jessie are able and eager to work, but have been unable to find employment. [Note: As a “territory” of the United States, Puerto Ricans have been U.S. citizens since 1917, so immigration status and work permits are not an issue.] The family stayed in a shelter for a short time but left after finding it unsafe for the children.

Shawn, who was preparing to leave this morning to perform at a concert in Japan, first took the time to post another plea for help on his Facebook page – and began receiving immediate responses. In his post he stated, “Many were inspired by what we did with the Clarks and it's turned out to be a beautiful example of aloha in the world. Someone said last week, “The politicians need to help the people." I say "No. the PEOPLE need to help the people.”  Who wants to adopt this family? I can tell they're a loving family in an unfortunate circumstance. I will help you help them. Anyone...please help.”

I know from talking at length with Shawn that he and Tehani have spent and continue to spend countless hours helping the Clarks, in addition to caring for their own family and working at their careers. Shawn looked exhausted but determined when I last saw him a week ago, and he repeatedly stressed the fact that although there was (is) an immediate need to help the Clarks and get the babies off the streets into a clean, safe environment, there is a much bigger issue at stake when children and their parents are unable to find even emergency shelter while attempting to navigate the myriad, time-consuming, and often confusing requirements and paperwork required before being admitted to a shelter, whether on a short on a longer term basis – thus leaving them no alternative but to sleep on the streets. The sudden appearance of the Sanchez family almost literally on Shawn’s doorstep is testament to the truth of that statement – and brought the phrase “tip of the iceberg” to mind...

What you can do to help the Sanchez family

 Several people who are fluent Spanish speakers have offered interpreter/translation assistance, but having multiple people on which to call if someone is not available is helpful. If you can donate food or clothing (or are a fluent Spanish speaker), please contact Tehani Gonzado Pimental via Facebook private message or email. You may also donate money at no charge via PayPal using Tehani’s email address ([email protected])  or Shawn’s ([email protected]) in the “To:” section (specify that it’s for the Sanchez family)

Thank you once again to the Pimentals, who continue to exemplify the meaning of the word “Aloha”.  Many would not have blamed them if they’d chosen to provide the food, money, and gift cards to the Sanchez family and left it at that – after all, they’ve done more than their share in helping the Clarks. But that’s not who they are. Who – what - they are, is an example to all of us. One that we’d do well to emulate.

As word spread of music producer Shawn Pimental’s discovery of a family with two young daughters living on the street near his Honolulu music studio, Hawaiʻi’s music and hula communities were among the first to offer assistance.  (See original story.)

Several people who stopped by Shawn’s studio to drop off donations were shocked when they recognized the mother, Tiffany, as a former hula sister from their well-known hula hālau (school), Kumu Hula Sonny Chingʻs Hālau Na Mamo O Pu'uanahulu, and word quickly began to spread. At the same time, a steady stream of musicians who know, have performed with, or have had albums produced by Shawn and who had heard of his quest to get the family into a shelter also stopped by to deliver donations of food, money and other items. Sufficient funds were donated by one small group of musicians to enable the family to spend several nights in a hotel. And then there was the community at large – people with no connection to either the music or the hula communities, many of whom had never met Shawn, who heard what was happening and simply wanted to help.

Over the past few days, Shawn and his wife Tehani have spent countless hours attempting to help the Clarks (who Shawn now refers to simply as “our” - the community’s - family) get into a shelter. Trying to make their way through what can only be described as a bureaucratic quagmire has been frustrating at best, not to mention exhausting. They have not given up, but they need help. Here’s where things stand at present:

Shawn and Tehani will continue to work with the Clark family (dad Matt, mom Tiffany, and daughters Trinity, age 1, and Destiny, age 3) to get them into a shelter, as well as to mentor and guide them. Shawn is providing some “tough love” as needed, but he’s not acting as an enabler. Matt and Tiffany are good people – a young couple who, without benefit of family to guide them, simply made a few bad choices. (Fortunately, drugs and alcohol are not issues.) Shawn is encouraging others to spend time with the Clarks as well, to help mentor them with basic life skills and provide encouragement and friendship.

On Saturday morning April 20, the Clarks must leave the hotel where they’ve stayed the past few nights. An offer has been made to let them use on a temporary basis an unfurnished studio apartment that is currently vacant near Shawn’s recording studio. This is where they’ll go once they check out of the hotel. It’s unknown at present how long they’ll be allowed to stay, but it is short-term only. They must still get into a shelter as quickly as possible.

The studio apartment has a stove and refrigerator, but nothing else. Donations are needed for groceries and a few household items, including some kitchen items and cookware (one or two pots and pans, kitchen utensils, and a few settings of dishes, glasses and cutlery, etc.); something for them to sleep on that is easily transportable and storable, such as futons; sheets, blankets, and pillows; bath towels... the bare essentials are sufficient for now. Shawn asks that people not donate entire sets of items such as dishes and pots and pans because they will need to be stored once the Clarks get into a shelter. And please, NO FURNITURE! This is a short-term stay and the more items they have to put in storage once they get into a shelter, the larger and more expensive the storage unit will need to be.

Gift cards to Foodland, Long’s, Wal-Mart and other nearby stores are also much appreciated.

Monetary donations are desperately needed to help with rent and utilities on the studio, as well as other necessities.  Thanks to local musician Johnna Padeken Parel, a separate email address for the family is now available for PayPal donations (which are solely under Shawn’s control, and disbursed as needed). Donations to the account can be easily made at no cost via email by inserting either of these email addresses in the "To:" section on the PayPal  site [email protected] or Shawn’s [email protected]

Donations may also be dropped off or mailed to Shawn’s studio:

Studio Ala Moana
1232 Waimanu St. Ste. C
Honolulu HI 96814-4306

(Note: Shawn will not always be at the studio to accept donations. Envelopes can be slipped through the door if they’re not too big, but larger donations should not be left unattended. If you would like to volunteer to be there on certain days or times for the purpose of accepting donations of food, clothing, and other items, please contact Shawn via Facebook or email.)

Both parents continue to look for work. Matt speaks fluent Cantonese and is a former Army Ranger. He last worked as a fish cutter.  Tiffany has a high school education. Her previous jobs have been at Sam’s Club and McDonald’s.

Shawn has been contacted by the media, the city council, the mayor’s office, and more - all of whom want to help. Although grateful for the offers, he’s not interested in creating a media frenzy or obtaining special “front of the line” treatment for the Clarks at the expense of the many other families who need assistance. He wants to create an awareness, not point fingers. And he does not want to create in the Clarks a sense of entitlement simply because he took the time to stop late one night because he was devastated by the sight of babies sleeping on the street, and mentioned in a Facebook post what he saw - only to see his good will expand to the community at large.

Shawn is adamant about not being called a hero. He says the heroes are all those who have stepped up to offer whatever assistance they can. But he’s responsible for opening the eyes of dozens, if not hundreds, of people, and giving them the incentive to follow his lead and open their hearts. And for that, we all give thanks. 

A late post script from Shawn:
"Hey everybody, listen to what happened today with "our family". So Matt (Dad) goes to Walmart to get a few things. He witnesses another homeless couple with a newborn baby steal some formula. A security walker nabs the family and takes them into the office. Matt pleads with security to let him pay for the formula. He said "I don't want CPS to take away their baby." And security lets them go. Matt calls me right after to tell me the story and said "I don't have much either but I just want to help them." And it's all because of you guys who reached out to this one family. This is the change that we have all started..."

As he was leaving his Honolulu recording studio in the wee hours following Monday’s devastating bombing at the Boston Marathon, record producer Shawn Pimental discovered a homeless family sleeping outside. With young children of his own at home, the sight of 1 year old Trinity and 3 year old Destiny sleeping on the street stopped him cold. He stopped to talk to the parents (Tiffany and Matt) and offer assistance.

At the close of a Facebook post early Tuesday morning in which he described his visit with the family, Shawn stated, “I think that in these times of tragedy like what happened in Boston, the best thing we can do is continue to love and reach out to one another. I'm not rich and have my own family to take care of but I can't forget the look on Trinity's face tonight. I'm gonna have a hard time sleeping until I know those children are somewhere safe. Anybody who wants to help with me is certainly welcome. Me ke aloha nui, Shawn”.

Shawn discovered that Matt, who was raised in Kalihi, had been laid off from his job as a fish cutter. The family had temporary shelter for eight months, after which they had hoped to move to the mainland to be with family, but that fell through. Neither Matt nor Tiffany, who is from Kapahulu, have family here to turn to, so they and their babies have been living on the streets for the past year. (They have a small car, but the registration has expired and they risk getting cited if they drive it.)

In a second visit with the family late last night, Shawn spoke at length with Tiffany. As they talked, he was horrified to see cockroaches running in and out of the babies’ nearby stroller, and both cockroaches and ants covering the ground near the family’s small encampment. Because of the bugs, Tiffany was loathe to accept many of the food items Shawn had brought for them, but he gave them money for breakfast and a Wal-Mart gift card, and offered the use of his studio bathroom facilities.

Shawn’s poignant Facebook posts about what he describes as “a beautiful, unfortunate family that has just fallen on hard times” sparked an immediate response. He has received numerous offers of help from people near and far. Some have provided information about shelters, services, and possible jobs. Some have sent money or gift cards for nearby stores (Foodland, Wal-Mart, Long’s, etc.) and others have dropped off donations such as strollers, diapers, formula, clothes and dolls for the girls. 

As of this writing I’ve been unable to reach Shawn by phone (I will update this post when I do), but in the mean time, in addition to food, clothing, shelter and any medical needs they may have, some other immediate needs that can be addressed are:

• Getting the family’s car registered and safety checked, (I would assume they don’t have insurance or money for gas or any needed repairs either)
  


• Rental of a storage locker for the family’s belongings 
  


• A post office box where they can receive mail
  

If you would like to help this family, you may send or drop off donations to:

Shawn Pimental
Studio Ala Moana
1232 Waimanu St. Ste. C
Honolulu HI 96814-4306

You may also send donations by email via PayPal at no charge. Shawn’s email address is [email protected]

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About Shawn:  Shawn Pimental is a Nā Hōkū Hanohano (Hawaiian Grammy®) Award-winning producer and musician. He has produced and toured with many of Hawaiʻi’s top artists, including Nā Palapalai, Na Leo, Kaumakaʻiwa Kanakaʻole, and many more, and has opened for national acts such as Janet Jackson, Color Me Badd, Steel Pulse, Maxi Priest, Morgan Heritage, Shaggy, Third World, Hoobastank, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, Expose, and more. He owns Koops2 Entertainment (record label) and is co-owner of Studio Ala Moana. He also has a huge, huge heart...
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Note: There are families in need all over the country. Shawn has shown that all it takes is one person to take notice and step up, and others will follow. While some may not want to directly approach someone in need, there are many worthwhile non-profit organizations that need our donations of both time and money. Please consider making a one-time or on-going donation to the non-profit of your choice. Every dollar helps. 

Love Hawaiian music and hula? Live in or near New York City? You won’t want to miss the big “Music of Hawaiʻi” concert at Carnegie Hall on May 30!

 MCd by Danny Kaleikini, Hawaiʻi’s official “Ambassador of Aloha”, the concert will feature performances by a variety of popular Hawaiian entertainers including:

Hawaiʻi Music and Nā Hōkū Hanohano (Hawaiian Grammy®) Award winner Maila Gibson

Two-time Grammy® nominees and multiple Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award winners Hoʻokena (Horace Dudoit III, Chris Kamaka, and Glen Smith), with hula by Nani Dudoit

Long-time “Hawaiʻi Calls” performer and Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Nina Keali’iwahamana

The Hiram Olsen Trio, with Hiram (the great rhythm, lead, and slack key guitarist who once played with Jerry Byrd), Hiram’s son Casey Olsen (a steel guitarist who’s consistently in demand by musicians who want him to add his special brand of prowess to their recordings), and Gary Aiko (the eldest son of Auntie Genoa Keawe, a talented singer who has performed all over the world and whose debut solo CD has just been nominated for four Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards)

Roy Sakuma, Hawaiʻi’s foremost ʻukulele teacher and creator of the annual ʻUkulele Festival, now in its 42nd year

Kumu Hula Uncle Ed Collier and his Hālau O Nā Pua Kukui

The Aloha Boys (Glen Hirabayashi, Isaac Ho'opi'i, and Irv Queja) – originally from Oʻahu, Glen, Isaac, and Irv now reside in the Washington, D.C. area. (Watch for them to appear on Pakele Live August 8, when they stop by during a visit home!)

The “Music of Hawaiʻi” concert takes place Thursday, May 30 at 8 PM at Carnegie Hall in the Stern Auditorium (Perelman Stage). Click here for tickets.  

SoCal peeps! Our loss is your gain! Troy Fernandez, former member of the multi-award winning and immensely popular Kaʻau Crater Boys (with Ernie Cruz, Jr. – “Guava Jelly,” “Opihi Man,” and SO many more hits!) as well as Palolo (with Chino Montero and Nathan Nahinu) is MOVING TO L.A. the first of May! (His daughters Tory and Tia have caught the ear of record producers, so the family is making the move to pursue the girls’ dreams!!!)

Not familiar with Troy as a solo artist? If you missed his performance on Pakele Live! the other night – with Tory and Tia joining him on a few songs and also going solo on a few - the raw (unedited) footage is available on our site. 

You can buy a copy of Troy’s latest solo (and reeeally good) album "Strumming My Ukulele" - complete with guest appearances by Sistah Robi Kahakalau, Jeff Rasmussen, and his very talented daughters - at my e-store.

Watch for him to begin playing gigs in California soon! (He does not yet have a website, but one is coming!) Until the move, those on Oʻahu can see Troy and the girls on Friday and Saturday evenings in Waikiki - street side down on Kalākaua Avenue near the International Marketplace. (Just look for the huge crowds!)

Aloha e Troy! Ā hui hou!