Magin Patrick

Magin feels that it is her kuleana (responsibility) to devote her life to helping the homeless children create a brighter future. She has a passion that very few possess which drives her to show each and every homeless child that they are loved and will never be forgotten.

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"I take the responsibility of spreading the awareness of the crisis our homeless children face on our islands very seriously."

 

She works tirelessly in an effort to feed, care for, and teach our children living in extreme poverty.

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Her passion is driven from her own personal understanding of what it means to grow up with an unstable home life. She was displaced as a youth living unsheltered and knows all too well the feeling of having to go without food.

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"Personally I have been told that "it wont work" or "that's not how to make things happen"

All while I am doing what was said can't be done and winning awards for making things happen.

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More about Magin's Background

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Magin Patrick is a self starter and takes pride in developing programs that help others succeed. She has dedicated her life to help the homeless children escape their cycle of poverty and has immersed in the homeless culture to find the roots of what causes homelessness, or what barriers they face when trying to escape it.
As a teen, due to her own personal experience of being  raised in homeless and abusive situations eventually to be abandoned by her parents and neglected in the STATES government solutions, she started a movement to save a half-way house for teens who would be placed on the streets without this resource. Her journey began during that time to find solutions to help find the “cure” of  homelessness. Her journey of change started as a 16-year old when she found herself once again realizing there must be a better way.
 

While living in California, she helped to develop and create programs that were implemented in battered women shelters. These steps are proven to succeed when implemented under the supervision and guidance of a live in program in Pasadina, California.
 

Moving to Hawai’i in 2002, she brought her knowledge and skills to a new found belief in helping to heal the crisis among the homeless, especially learning about the new culture she would embrace. The first few years were definitely learning years, from cultural differences to understanding the layers behind the crisis of homelessness in Hawai'i for the Hawaiian kanaka. This generational homelessness is due to the injustice of the state, and starting from the beginning of life here on the islands!! 

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Being selected as the Reading is Fundamental (RIF), Club RIF educational program, she created a 3- year pilot program to help teens learn to mentor younger children in poverty stricken areas and school. This model is now nation wide and continues to prosper. From that in 2006, she created the Teen Mentoring Summer camp here on the islands as well. This too has won several dozen awards for mentoring, educational impact, nutritional and physical fitness.
 

Working with local professionals at the Hawaii Island Affiliates and UH instructors she had developed a transitional housing plan to help the families escape their cycle of poverty and become productive community members. Working with schools, clinics and even local realtors to see this become a reality, she was inspired to implement after-school reading and tutoring programs to help the children succeed in school is another accomplishment that helped several dozens of teens graduate school and go on to higher education. With all the hurdles and road blocks she faced, she never gave in, just redirected her passion where she could make a difference.
Collaborating with the local resources to help design the perfect program for success is her goal to making this transitional housing successful. Currently Project Hawai’i, Inc. has seen half a dozen families utilize the transitional housing program to become homeowners over the past few years.
 

Educational Background:
Like Magin, this too is not a typical route to degrees. Being homeless most of her childhood, education was not a priority in the family lifestyle (just like so many we have enrolled in our program). Dropping out of school in the 8th grade to survive on the streets is just the beginning of the successful journey of education taken.
 

While finishing her masters program in psychology, she was inspired to change her path to sociology and re-enrolled to take a fast passed business program of how to deal with people. This is an 18 unit course completed in summer semester.
Graduating Summa Cume Laude at California State University 
Holds a Masters in Psychology
AA in Business Management, and 24 unit is Early Childhood Development 

Course Certificates in Business Management, Nutrition, Life Skills and Planning. Plus minor other 9-12 hour courses in working with people, nutrition for children, early childhood development, and other areas that have helped her to create award winning and successful programs throughout the past decades

 

Employment

For an entrepreneur, she is always creating and designing new concepts and ways to help others succeed. As an independent contractor, she has worked for several different international companies to design and implement internship programs.
While in California investing and managing small apartment complex for low income (13 units and 8 units). Selling her investment when transferring to Hawai’i.

As the co-founder of Cultural Institute of America based in San Francisco, she has created nation wide internships for international exchange students who will complete their practicums and learn new cultures before returning to their birth country. Working with European countries and Japan primarily. Sub contracting for HP, Sutter Memorial, Microsoft, and smaller companies across the country. 

 

Secondary: Quality Control Supervisor for Ward Research from June 2003-2009. Responsible for overseeing working conditions, internal fraud, violations, etc. This included travel between islands and working in adverse workplaces.

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AWARDS EARNED for programs developed:

• Volunteer of the Year from Bank of Hawai’i Foundation 2012

• Amazing People Award from 5-Hour Energy 2013

• Mayors Award for “Link the World with Love Through Service”

• Citizen of the Year Award- Elks Club 2015

• Spirit of Giving Award - Harry and Jennette Weinberg Foundation 2004

• Teen Mentoring Award 2009

• NFL Charities -Educational Program Development 2004-2006

• Great Nonprofits Award for Youth Thrive Winner -2009

• Great Nonprofits Award for Summer Nutrition Award-2009-2017

• Starbucks ABC Reading Program Award- 2006-2007

• Share the Love winner - Mobi PCS 2017

• Charity of the Year- Keller Williams 2016-2017

• Top Charity of the Year - Homestreet Bank 2016

• Life Changers Award- Wells Fargo Foundation-2012

• Meadow Golds Best Charity- 2018

• Gratitude Network Cohort  -2021