About CH³
Community Healing, Health & Happiness (CH³) is a Koʻolauloa-rooted nonprofit bringing free, healing-first wellness programming to keiki, ʻohana, adults, and kūpuna.
Our Story — It Began with One Neighbor
Community Healing, Health & Happiness (CH³) began before it had a name. Founder Branch Toʻelau Nautu started by helping a neighbor through healing-centered movement and tension-release work. After he shared that experience online, other people began reaching out — some seeking support for themselves and others asking what might be possible for their families and community.
Those early conversations showed Branch that the need extended beyond one person. He began organizing the work into community programming grounded in a simple belief: healing must come first.
R.I.C.E. — Roots Integration Community Empowerment — became CH³’s first funded program. It brought together healing for the body, through tension release and relational wellness, with care for the ʻāina and community, through food justice and composting.
As the work grew, R.I.C.E.’s movement-and-healing side developed into Movement Lab, while its food-and-ʻāina work developed into the Black Gold Project. Other CH³ programs have continued to take shape through community relationships, questions, experience, and the needs CH³ encounters along the way.
That is how CH³ works: we begin by listening, build with community, and continue adapting as needs, relationships, and capacity evolve — one member at a time.
Our Philosophy
CH³ believes communities heal and strengthen when people are supported holistically and without judgment. Healing is the entry point; dignity, access, and relationship shape the work; and each person defines progress on their own terms.
Our Mission
Community Healing, Health & Happiness (CH³) exists to support individuals and communities in their journey toward healing, health, and happiness by providing accessible, community-centered wellness solutions rooted in dignity, inclusion, and care.
We believe healing must come first — because sustainable health and meaningful happiness are only possible when people are supported physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially.
Our mission statement: To heal individuals and strengthen communities through inclusive, community-based wellness solutions that promote health, resilience, and quality of life — one member at a time.
Our Vision
We envision communities where people of every background, identity, geography, and circumstance can access the support and relationships needed to heal, maintain health, and pursue happiness on their own terms.
Our Values
Healing First
Create safe, compassionate, and restorative environments grounded in “first, do no harm.”
Dignity & Inclusion
Honor each person’s lived experience without judgment, labels, or unnecessary barriers.
Community Strength
Build sustainable change through shared effort, support, and accountability.
Accessibility
Reduce financial, physical, cultural, and social barriers to participation.
Integrity & Responsibility
Act transparently and care for people, communities, and entrusted resources.
Our Pillars
Healing
Supportive environments and appropriate practices help people move through barriers to well-being.
Health
Consistent, sustainable practices can support physical and mental health.
Happiness
Each person defines fulfillment, purpose, and joy differently.
Community
Belonging, encouragement, and shared strength make change easier to sustain.
Our Goals
CH³ works to:
- reduce barriers to healing-centered and preventive wellness support;
- strengthen individual resilience, relationships, and community capacity; and
- provide ethical, adaptable programming within CH³’s expertise, partnerships, and capacity.
Meet Branch — Founder & Executive Director
Born in Kahuku and raised in Lāʻie, Branch brings nearly 30 years of experience across movement, wellness, community health, and youth mentorship. His background includes an A.A. in Psychology from Foothill College, kinesiology studies at San Francisco State University, a multitude of credentials in the Health, Fitness and Wellness industry and work supporting people across ages and abilities.
Branch founded CH³ after years of using movement, relationship, and healing-centered support to help individuals and families reconnect with their bodies and one another. In 2023, he returned home to Koʻolauloa and began organizing free community programming in familiar local spaces. As Founder & Executive Director, he leads CH³’s mobile, healing-first approach with dignity, humor, accountability, and the belief that access should never depend on a person’s ability to pay.
“CH³ is his love letter to the community that raised him — with an open invitation to come build a higher quality of living, together.”
Leadership
Board of Directors
Branch Toʻelau Nautu is the Founder and Executive Director of CH³ and President of its Board of Directors. Born in Kahuku and raised in Lāʻie, he brings nearly 30 years of experience in movement, wellness, community health, and youth mentorship. He leads CH³’s healing-first, mobile approach to bringing free programming into trusted community spaces across Koʻolauloa and the North Shore.
Eric Chung brings experience spanning community development, youth programming, nonprofit fundraising, technology leadership, and food-access service. Early in his career, he helped advance affordable-housing work in New York City and led youth programming through the YMCA. He later built a career in software engineering and technology leadership and currently volunteers with his family to support local food rescue and distribution.
Kai Cost is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and community advocate with experience in interior design, project management, retail operations, and people-centered leadership. A longtime supporter of scholarships, youth athletes, and community initiatives, she provided CH³’s foundational $5,000 donation and continues to contribute time, resources, and administrative support. She brings organization, generosity, and a strong commitment to holistic well-being.
Advisory Board — Mental Health
These advisors are not Board directors.
Jennifer Pedelaborde is a mental health counselor with more than two decades of experience in expressive arts therapy, dream work, and community mental health. She holds a B.A. in Psychology and Art from UC Santa Cruz and a master’s degree in Expressive Arts Therapy from the California Institute of Integral Studies. Her work centers compassionate reflection, creativity, and whole-person well-being.
D.S. “Dee” Epperson, M.S., C.M.A., is a health consultant and researcher whose work spans orthomolecular medicine, integrative therapies, molecular biology, biochemistry, botanical research, and functional-food development. Since 1987, she has developed complementary approaches intended to support traditional care and has contributed expertise in Samoan ethnobotany and health-focused product formulation.
Kanani Horito is an adjunct faculty member in the Faculty of Sciences at Brigham Young University–Hawaii, associated with its Health and Human Science program. Her work supports education around healthy lifestyles and whole-person well-being, including mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health, with particular relevance to communities across Asia and Oceania.
Dr. Paul Brewer, O.D., is the founder of Diverge Neurovision and works in visual rehabilitation, sports vision, and performance. He teaches neuro-visual education through the Carrick Institute, serves in leadership with the International Sports Vision Association, and lectures on sports vision, concussion, and visual performance. Raised on Oʻahu’s North Shore, he brings both clinical and community-rooted perspective to CH³.
Peter Ajemian is a holistic movement educator, somatic guide, and community-centered facilitator with more than four decades of experience in movement and contemplative practice. His work integrates martial arts, breathwork, mindfulness, and guided somatic exploration to support strength, balance, resilience, and self-awareness. He holds a Master of Public Administration and serves as a minister within the Congregation for Sacred Practices.
Dr. Itoco Garcia is an educator and school-system leader with 25 years of experience advancing educational equity, community schools, culturally sustaining learning, and student well-being. He has served as a teacher, instructional coach, administrator, consultant, and superintendent. Dr. Garcia holds degrees from UC Berkeley and Fresno State and brings expertise in trauma-informed practice, mindfulness, community engagement, school transformation, and public education leadership.
Leah Taala is a Reflective Guide, educator, and community advocate with decades of experience serving youth, kūpuna, and community organizations across Koʻolauloa and Oʻahu’s North Shore. Her work includes cultural education, reflective practice, community outreach, and support for helping professionals. She holds a B.S. in Sociology from Boise State University and serves CH³ as a Reflective Health Advisor.
Dr. Sione M. Tafuna, Psy.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and behavioral-health leader with more than two decades of experience in culturally responsive care. As Director of Behavioral Health at Kahuku Medical Center, he brings expertise in assessment, treatment, trauma-informed practice, and coordinated care. His Tongan heritage and community roots inform a compassionate, dignity-centered approach across the lifespan.
Community & Wellness Partners
Transparency
Community Healing, Health & Happiness is an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
- Legal name
- Community Healing, Health & Happiness
- EIN
- 87-1808319
- Tax-exempt effective date
- April 15, 2024
Verify CH³ (EIN 87-1808319) in the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search (opens in a new tab)