To mark the 10th anniversary of Tokuhara Acupuncture, owner Jon Tokuhara will donate a portion of his proceeds in August to his alma mater Waipahu High School for a $1,000 college scholarship.<\/p>\n
After establishing and operating his own business for the last 10 years, Tokuhara intends to give back to the community.<\/p>\n
“The kids who are there now need people to be there for them, whether in athletics or academics,” he explained.<\/p>\nngg_shortcode_0_placeholder\n
The scholarship will support a student-athlete who is in Waipahu’s Health Pathway – one of six small-learning communities on the campus.<\/p>\n
“The high school is where a lot of things came together for me, as far as athletics, clubs, student government,” he said, “as well as the biggest part of it, the academics.<\/p>\n
“It would be a great way to donate … to a student with similar interests as mine were in high school.”<\/p>\n
Tokuhara first became interested in acupuncture while attending college at University of Portland in Oregon. After injuring his knee playing rugby, someone suggested that he give acupuncture a try.<\/p>\n
Following a series of treatments, he found that the pain had decreased, and his range of motion had improved.<\/p>\n
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in biology, Tokuhara went on to study acupuncture at the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine before returning to the Islands.<\/p>\n
“The plan was always for me to come home and start my business here,” he said. “One of the things I feel is important is the community in Waipahu.<\/p>\n
“I wanted to be back in Waipahu, mostly because this was the community that helped give me the opportunities that I had.”<\/p>\n
Tokuhara said that acupuncture can help both chronic and acute pain – and that his regular patients run the gamut from sufferers of lower back pain to migraines.<\/p>\n
Longtime patient Shalei Aoki, of Ewa Beach, also believes her regular treatment is helpful preventative medicine. Aoki has been seeing Tokuhara since he first opened his practice, after she sustained a knee injury. She has continued her treatment over the years because she believes it improves her immune system, reduces headaches and cramps, and boosts her energy.<\/p>\n
Waipahu High principal Keith Hayashi was “ecstatic” when Tokuhara first contacted him about the scholarship plan.<\/p>\n
“Our students do have a financial need, and (Tokuhara) is supporting them in pursuing their dreams,” Hayashi said.<\/p>\n
Health Pathway applicants may be interested in medicine, nursing, biotechnology and more. The WHS curriculum offers a number of professional partnerships – such as national-level biotechnology research – to give them a taste of potential college and career prospects.<\/p>\n
“Any time we have generous individuals there to help support our students, it is always a great thing, especially from an alumnus,” Hayashi added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
To mark the 10th anniversary of Tokuhara Acupuncture, owner Jon Tokuhara will donate a portion of his proceeds in August..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,106],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-west","category-west-oahu-news"],"yoast_head":"\n