LIHUE — Before Nancy Golden was recognized by the YWCA of Kaua‘i as a woman in a leadership role, Sen. Ron Kouchi shared a story from his childhood. Ten years of his childhood was spent living in a Waimea home, which
LIHUE — Before Nancy Golden was recognized by the YWCA of Kaua‘i as a woman in a leadership role, Sen. Ron Kouchi shared a story from his childhood.
Ten years of his childhood was spent living in a Waimea home, which would eventually become Nana’s House.
“Nancy is the epitome of the quiet, soft-spoken voice to move you to do things you didn’t think was possible,” Kouchi said of Golden, who co-founded Nana’s House, a Child and Family Service center that helps people in need, whether you have lost your job or in an abusive household.
Golden, along with Claudia Brown and Stacy Ricciardi, were honored for their contributions to the community at the fifth annual Na Wahine Alakai O Kauai luncheon at the Kauai Beach Resort Thursday.
Each woman was honored for their unique contribution to Kauai in front of a crowd of about 150 people.
Brown has helped bring more than 10,000 lives into the world as a midwife, Ricciardi has developed a health and fitness program for island residents, and Golden has worked with Child and Family Service for the past 17 years.
“Our first goal was to let the community know they can trust us,” Brown said of the founding of Nana’s House. “We really, really focused on confidentiality, on people knowing that when they came to Nana’s House, that what came into our program stayed here, and little by little, we were able to add services.”
Those services included parent education, a food pantry, clothes closet and referral programs.
Brown said her gift is her ability to relate to children, and she believes every child needs a person to believe in them to navigate through life.
Ricciardi, a personal instructor, fitness training and nutritionist, has made it her mission to set a positive example through health and fitness for the people of Kauai.
She was moved to tears during the ceremony — crediting her husband and two girls for giving her strength and being a support system.
“I try to make exercise fun and enjoyable, and it evolved into a lifestyle,” Ricciardi said.
She created group classes to train for triathlons, half marathons, long distance bicycle rides, in addition to development classes for Kauai Island Utility Company and the Department of Water.
“If you look at who I am surrounded with, I am surrounded by a lot of really powerful, driven women,” Ricciardi said.
Brown, who established Home Birth Kauai in 2008, uses traditional, holistic methods along with technology to birth babies.
After working as a nurse/midwife at Kauai Medical Clinic and Wilcox Memorial Hospital, Brown was inspired to travel overseas to South Africa and offer her talents to underprivileged children.
She returned to Kauai with a new vision and started her home-birth center.
“A midwife is there to make sure everything is going safely,” Brown said. “We’re there to tell you, ‘Yes this is right, this is OK, this is normal, this is good. You’re doing it, you could do this.’ Pregnancy is not an illness, it’s a normal state. Being pregnant is something that should be celebrated.”
Each honoree was nominated by an individual for the contributions to public service. The luncheon was created to nurture outstanding women leadership.
On June 5, council members will honor the women during its weekly County Council Meeting.
Additionally, the YWCA will be hosting a free screening of “The Invisible War” at 6:30 p.m. on May 31 at Kaua‘i Community College Performing Arts Center. A panel discussion with Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard will follow the film.
Two additional showings will be held at 6 p.m. June 1 and 2 at the Historic Waimea Theater.
Call 245-5959 for more information.
• Andrea Frainier, managing editor, can be reached at 245-0427 or afrainier@thegardenisland.com.
