Hawaii friends of the American Cancer Society have dedicated an Hawaiian spirit protector, called an 'aumakua', to guide the Society's work in the Pacific.
As part of the dedication ceremony in December 2000, a statue of an Hawaiian owl, or pueo, was unveiled on the front lawn of the Society's state headquarters in Honolulu. The pueo represents the worldly manifestation of the protector.
The pueo statue was chiseled from native Hawaii bluestone by the internationally recognized artist, C.W. Watson. The statue is dedicated by donors to the late Monsignor Charles A. Kekumano, a former Society volunteer and board member who for years had served as a living protector of the Society.