Lighthouse Honors Sen. Inouye
State Rep. Derek Kawakami, Sen. Dan Inouye’s former chief of staff Jennifer Sabas, U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono and Mayor Bernard Carvalho at the lighthouse dedication ceremony | Photo from Kaua‘i County
A big mahalo to those who volunteered for several endeavors organized by Grand Hyatt Kaua’i. It was a very busy month at the hotel, but employees/volunteers got out to do some community service, including Kayla Kiko-Huffman, Patti Huff, Lorena DiazMorel, Diann Hartman, Joe Herman, Kaila Anderson and Marsha Erickson. Hartman says the hotel and its partners, including National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG), Hui o Laka, Kaua’i Humane Society, Habitat for Humanity and Surfrider Foundation, painted the meeting room at Kaua’i Humane Society, where the Critter Camp, a program for kids to learn how to interact best with and train dogs, takes place. The volunteers also ventured into the forest of Koke’e with Hui o Laka, the nonprofit that works with volunteers to eradicate invasive plant species in order to allow the native Kaua’i forest to thrive. Well done, folks! …
Hyatt volunteers (from left): Kayla Kiko-Huffman, Patti Huff, Lorena Diaz- Morel, Diann Hartman, Joe Herman, Kaila Anderson and Marsha Erickson. Photo from Diann Hartman
Mahalo to all those who turned out for this year’s Relay For Life in Hanapepe April 27 and 28. Fifty-eight teams and 654 participants raised $141,661. Kaua’i County employees raised $13,011, the most money of all the teams. A queen-size quilt, Portuguese bean soup and Mona Lee’s banana bread were among the many items that helped this year’s campaign. “Our fundraisers are our bread and butter,” says Ann Wooton, captain of the county team. “Every year, we do about three of them, where team members prepare specialty baked goods or lunch items and offer them for sale to county employees. This year, I’m proud to say that, as of this writing, we have raised the most money out of all the teams.”
Two of the county’s original team members, Brenda Martin and Lynnette Meatoga, lost their battle with cancer and are honored yearly by their county ohana. This year’s county team included Jade Battad, Nalani Brun, Carolyn Carveiro, Mari Chan, Eve Domingcil, Donna Gabriel, Pam Cox, Theresa Koki, Mona Lee, Dale Matsuura, Barbara Montemayor, Carrie Moses, Donna Olivas-Kaohi, Jamison Olivas-Kaohi, Jolene Silva, Vianne Tabata, Wynne Ushigome and Wooton. Mahalo also to the county fire and police departments, which helped with set-up, break-down and management of a secure area …
Members of the county’s Race for Life team (from left): Ann Wooton, Carolyn Carveiro, Vianne Tabata, Mona Lee, Mari Chan, Donna Olivas-Kaohi, Pam Cox, Barbara Montemayor, Eve Domingcil, Donna Gabriel and Jamison Olivas-Kaohi | Photo from Kaua‘i County
Glad to hear the nonprofit Kumu Camp recently hosted its first youth group from the public charter school Kanuikapono, made up of third- and fifth-grade students who spent the night stargazing and mapping the constellations on the beach at Anahola Bay. The charter school partners with Anahola Hawaiian Homestead Association. The camp, located on Hawaiian Home Lands, is a three-year project taken on by Hawaiian Homestead lessees who are members of AHHA. As many recall, over the past decade, the Anahola homestead community has lost many young residents to suicide, so prioritizing youths is especially important. “It was startling and something we vowed to work to prevent,” says Lorraine Rapozo, AHHA president. “Many different community leaders and organizations, not just AHHA, really got to work to reach out to our young adults and kids. Kumu Camp is just one of many projects being done by the community itself to do something good for our families and for Kaua’i.”
For more information on Kumu Camp, or to make a donation, email info@anaholabeachretreat.org or call 631-9082 …
With summer just around the corner, it’s time to pick out some page-turners for summer reading. Readers of all ages are invited to participate in the upcoming Hawaii State Public Library System Summer Reading Programs from June 2 through July 6. Registration for the free, five-week programs at public libraries begins May 28. Participants who visit their local library and read at least one book per week are eligible to receive a free weekly reading incentive, while supplies last. In addition to reading, the programs will feature performances by outstanding storytellers and artists. Performances will be highlighted in the June issue of Holo I Mua, on the HSPLS website, librarieshawaii.org.
