Kauai honors Alan Momohara, Renee Takahashi as outstanding kūpuna
Alan Momohara and Renee Takahashi were cheered in Līhue as Kauai’s kūpuna honorees, a celebration that also pointed to elder-care needs.
Kauai’s annual kūpuna honors filled a Līhue ballroom Friday as Alan Momohara and Renee Takahashi were named the island’s outstanding older Americans, a recognition that also reflected how much aging on Kauai still depends on family networks, volunteer groups and local services.
More than 100 people attended the Agency on Elderly Affairs luncheon at the newly renovated Outrigger Kauai Beach Resort and Spa, including House Speaker Nadine Nakamura, Rep. Dee Morikawa and members of the Kauai County Council. Mayor Derek Kawakami had to leave for another commitment, so protocol officer Kaleo Carvalho presented the awards with Caroline Cadirao, director of the Executive Office on Aging, who traveled from Honolulu for the event. The room responded loudly to both honorees, with the Kauai Lions Club erupting in cheering when Momohara’s name was announced and members of The Kupuna Klub answering Takahashi’s honor with an oli.
This year’s theme, Champion Your Health, fit a program meant to honor older adults who have made meaningful and lasting contributions to Kauai. County nomination rules required honorees to be 65 or older by Dec. 31, 2025, and the county said one male and one female winner would represent Kauai at a statewide recognition ceremony on Oahu in June. Each county honoree also receives a trip to Honolulu for a governor’s luncheon with other islands’ Outstanding Older Americans.
Behind the ceremony is a broader question that has become more pressing as Kauai ages: how kūpuna stay connected, healthy and supported when caregiving can fall on relatives, clubs and scattered county programs. The Agency on Elderly Affairs says it plans, implements, supports and advocates for the well-being of Kauai’s older adults, and serves as a one-stop source for information on long-term care support options and services. For many island seniors, that mix of practical help and social connection is as important as any plaque or public applause.
Kauai has kept the tradition going for years. In 2025, the county honored 10 publicly nominated older adults and selected Charlene Dorsey and Gary Smith; in 2022, it honored 10 nominees and chose Timothy Albao and Coleen Kasperek. Friday’s recognition showed how a luncheon can do more than celebrate two names, it can measure the island’s respect for kūpuna while pointing to the support system that keeps them rooted in their communities.
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