Founder/Executive Director
Charis
Charis Higginson is the Founder and Executive Director of Humanity Hale — and a proud, homegrown daughter of Kailua-Kona. As a child who experienced trauma with no safe community spaces for healing, Charis grew up determined to create the very refuge she needed when she was young. For many years, she has been a passionate advocate for underserved and at-risk youth across Hawaiʻi Island, dedicating her life to creating safe spaces where young people can heal, reconnect, and thrive.
Her journey began through community work with organizations focused on youth empowerment and emotional well-being. As a mentor with Sunburst Youth Academy and Awaken Arts, and through additional training in art therapy, Charis listened to hundreds of heartbreaking stories — stories of sexual and physical abuse, sex trafficking, self-harm, abandonment, and deep generational trauma.
Mentoring group after group of resilient and extraordinary young people, she realized that this work wasn’t just something she cared about…it was her life’s calling.
Her mission became clear: to build a puʻuhonua — a safe haven — where youth are not just surviving, but rising into the warriors they were born to be.
For three years, Charis worked three jobs to self-fund Humanity Hale and turn this vision into reality. With the support of the loving and generous Big Island community, she launched Humanity Hale in 2019 and began her shortly after, began her first program, Happy Hearts, Healing Arts. Today, Humanity Hale serves youth across Hawaiʻi island, through trauma-informed school programs, Hawaiian arts, ʻāina-based learning, mentorship, and crisis support.
Charis’s three-year vision for Humanity Hale is bold and transformative:
🌺 A fully staffed community center
🌺 A large group foster home
🌺 Transitional housing for youth aging out of foster care
“We have witnessed foster kids being passed around from home to home, pushed back into unsafe environments, and forgotten by systems meant to protect them. We will do everything in our power to build a permanent, trauma-informed, culturally grounded home — for as long as they need us. A place where they are safe, protected, loved, and supported as they grow into strong contributors to their communities. A place they can always return to. We are that place. We are their forever hale — and their forever ‘ohana.”
Charis dreams big because she believes in the power of community, culture, and aloha.
And she knows that there is no limit to the healing we can create when we come together in love.
Kim Brown
Born and raised in Kailua Kona Hawaii, Kim Brown has been actively serving her community over the years. Kim dedicates her days off to nonprofit organizations such as Ikaikamauloa Youth Foundation, where she coaches boxing on the weekends, and now Humanity Hale, where she gets to be a champion for inclusion, diversity, and growth. As a member of the LGBTQ family, Kim knows how it feels to be placed in less than ideal circumstances as it relates to gender and equality. These challenges have only built her resilience and Kim is determined to help create a space where it’s safe for all children to recognize and respect themselves and others for who they truly are. Kim believes using her own experience to mentor youth is a critical ingredient in supporting positive outcomes for our Keiki, their healing, and their future.
Brianna Torres
Dominique Jacot
for Creativity Explored in San Francisco, an Art Center for individuals with developmental disabilities. She also has been teaching art and gardening at the Ke Kula ‘o Ehunuikaimalino Hawaiian immersion school in Kealakekua, where her two sons, Kai and Zed, attended school. She also has taught art to keiki throughout South and North Kona, and has volunteered in numerous community events that involved caring for the ʻāina and its people.
Dominique’s home is on a Kealakekua farm, which she strives to make a puʻuhonua, a place of refuge that is at once safe and healing. It is here where she raised her sons and where she grows numerous vegetables and fruits in a manner that is sustainable. It is a place which she now extends to others when they need a place of refuge.
For Dominique, art has sustained her in difficult times, and it is a gift that taught her how to free and heal herself, which she now wants to use to give back to the community. “In art anything is possible, there are no limits! There is room for everything, we make the invisible visible! We can create space and give voice to the unspoken or forgotten. “We learn from each other no matter what age or story we carry, and we can share and exchange our humanity. That in itself creates connections and ripple effects to bring healing into this world, one small step at a time.”
Malia Tanaka
Spencer Kelly
Board of directors
President
Anne van Leynseele
Attorney, Anne van Leynseele’s spent four years as a federal attorney advisor in Washington DC. Prior to that, Anne managed commercial transactions, business development of production and technology start-up entities, advised on process efficiency, defined stronger corporate communication strategies for Fortune 100 companies, and did business management consulting in Sydney, Australia, as well as other Pacific Rim countries. Anne is also an author, having just finished another book, Savor Your Chocolate, Anne is refining her patent pending processing technique for cacao into a savory product line and developing her website www.FlavoroftheHand.com to encourage capturing family food traditions. Next under Cultivating Change Media, Anne is currently writing Girls to Rule, wherein she delves into the societal forces that oppress girls’ full potential; interwoven with statements from global female leaders on the obstacles they overcame. Through sharing exemplary individual success stories, Anne proposes needed interventions to thwart stifling girls to build more strong women to run the world. In her spare time, Anne van Leynseele mentors at-risk youth, surfs, travels, is an amateur fashionista, and co-owns/manages an international award- winning chocolate farm on the Big Island of Hawai’i.
Secretary
Chantelle Kapua- Secretary
Chantelle Kapua is an O’ahu born, Native Hawaiian mother, wife, and mentor. Her passion to serve the community of Hawai’i derives from her own experiences as a teenager and young adult. These experiences drove her to volunteer over the years for various community organizations, schools, and events, working directly with youth. Her mission is to make a difference in other’s lives by providing support, being present, and allowing them to see their true potential.
Chantelle holds an A.S. in Audio Production and currently serves as the Booking and Artist Manager for Haku Collective, a full-service music, media and talent production group. With over 25 years of experience in Hula, she brings an additional and strong cultural presence to Humanity Hale.
Treasurer
Lynn Nguyen- Treasurer
I was born and raised in Hawaii, and graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2018 with a B.S. in Biology. I originally intended to be pre-med and was accepted into the John A. Burns School of Medicine, but found my true calling in the field of social work. My first “real job” post-college was with Parents and Children Together, where I worked as a home visitor for about 4 years. Then, I started working with Big Brothers Big Sisters as their enrollment and match specialist in 2022. Now, I’m with Aloha United Way and assist with managing their funds and grants as their Community Impact Coordinator. I have experience with managing finances through my current position, and I also was formerly the Treasurer for the Golden Key Honor Society. I am passionate about working with youth and working to further improve and support our community. In my free time, I am usually trying to stay active, so I’ll either be camping, hiking, or at the beach with family and friends.
Board Member
Kekoa Kapua-Board Member
Kekoa Kapua is currently the Director of Recreation at the Four Seasons Hualālai. His passion for Humanity Hale comes from having a handful of mentors to help him overcome his childhood trauma. As an underprivileged youth & growing up in low income housing, he is a product of perseverance & determination to break the generational curse that has been set on his family. His joy comes from serving his wife, two daughters & the youth in his community.
Vice President
Kristin Francis
Beyond the fitness realm, Kristin Francis is also a part owner of Big Island eSports, where she diligently manages operations, payroll, social media presence, website maintenance, and marketing efforts. Recognizing the significance of comprehensive well-being, Kristin co-founded MindFull Parent Life Coaching. In this venture, they assume responsibilities encompassing operations, program development, marketing initiatives, recruitment, social media management, and community involvement. Through their coaching programs, Kristin empowers and supports parents, guiding them through the challenges and triumphs of parenthood, while fostering healthy family dynamics and personal growth.
With a diverse background encompassing communications, marketing, and entrepreneurship, Kristin Francis seamlessly integrates their expertise to make a positive impact within the fitness industry and the lives of parents. Their unwavering dedication to community involvement and the cultivation of supportive environments is evident in all their endeavors. Kristin’s remarkable journey exemplifies the transformative power of combining passion, knowledge, and a genuine commitment to making a difference.