The Conversation

Rosalynn Carter's ties to Hawaiʻi as an advocate for family caregivers

Hawaiʻi Public Radio | By Catherine Cruz

Published December 18, 2023 at 6:18 PM HST

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Left to right: Rose Nakamura, former first lady Rosalynn Carter and Shimeji Kanazawa in 1993 in Georgia. Nakamura, Project Dana's founding administrator, was honored with the Rosalynn Carter Caregiving Award.

Courtesy of Project Dana

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Former first lady Rosalynn Carter at a Project Dana reception in Honolulu in 1994.

Courtesy of Project Dana

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Amy Carter, left, and her husband John Joseph "Jay" Kelly, right, arrive for the funeral service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter at Maranatha Baptist Church, Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, in Plains, Ga. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

John Bazemore/AP / AP

4 of 4 — Rosalynn Carter Celebrated Photo Gallery

Former President Jimmy Carter departs after attending the funeral service for his wife, former first lady Rosalynn Carter, at Maranatha Baptist Church, in Plains, Ga., Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023. The former president, now 99 and in hospice care, sat in a wheelchair next to Maranatha’s front pew, wearing a dark suit and tie to say goodbye to his wife of 77 years. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

John Bazemore/AP / AP

At a private funeral service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter last month, family members wore flower lei in a nod to former President Jimmy Carter's time in Hawaiʻi when he was stationed with the Navy in the 1940s.

The death of Rosalynn Carter was felt deeply by the local nonprofit Project Dana. The Conversation talked to Executive Director Cyndi Osajima about the organization's connection with the former first lady and the passion she had for caregivers. Osajima also wrote a piece about Carter for the Honolulu Civil Beat.

This story aired on The Conversation on Dec. 18, 2023. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.