Dorie-Ann Kahale and her five daughters moved from a homeless shelter to a mansion last Thursday, courtesy of a Japanese real estate mogul who is handing over eight of his multimillion-dollar homes to low-income Native Hawaiian families. Tears spilled down Kahale's cheeks, as she accepted from billionaire Genshiro Kawamoto, the key to a white, columned house. Kawamoto, whose own eyes started welling up as Kahale cried, plans to open eight of his 22 homes to needy Hawaiian families. He selected them from 3,000 people who wrote him letters last fall after he announced his plan. He said he tried to select working, single mothers. While there is debate about the long term impact of his generosity, Kawamoto maintains that it is his way of helping the homeless.
