Lt. Gov. James “Duke” Aiona and state Rep. Josh Green of the Big Island were presented with “Friend of the Family” awards at a reception on Dec. 6 at St. Stephen Diocesan Center. The annual honor, sponsored by the Hawaii Catholic Conference and Hawaii Family Forum, recognizes outstanding public service leadership in protecting family rights in Hawaii.

Aiona and Green were presented their awards by Kelly Rosati, director of the Hawaii Catholic Conference and executive director of Hawaii Family Forum.

In his acceptance speech, Aiona singled out his son, Makana, and his wife, Vivian, who were in attendance, for their loving support. This is a “humbling moment,” he said.

Affirming the work of the two sponsoring organizations, Aiona said, “as the family goes, so does your community, your state, your world.”

Green, who is a physician and chair of the House of Representative’s Committee on Health and a Democrat, emphasized in his remarks that it is imperative that people of different religious and political backgrounds come together to work for the common good. Aiona is a Republican.