Charity Walk: More Than Walking
Kelly Hoen (second from right) with (from left) HLTA staffers Tina Yamaki and Karen Kakaoka and president Mufi Hannemann. HLTA photo
The Visitor Industry Charity Walk on the Garden Island will be Saturday, May 12.
It will be hosted by our Kaua’i chapter, with a theme of “Put Your Best Slippah Forward, a Tradition of Kokua.”
It begins at 7 a.m. at the Historic County Building and takes walkers through Lihue on a 2.9-mile route. Festivities begin at 6:30 a.m. with coffee and malasadas from Aston Islander on the Beach, thanks to general manager and HLTA Kauai chapter chairwoman Sandi KatoKlutke, a warm-up Zumba exercise, and safety briefings.
At the end of the walk, participants will enjoy entertainment, prize drawings, and breakfast prepared by chefs from the Grand Hyatt Kaua’i, Starwood Hotels Kaua’i, Kaua’i Marriott, Marriott’s Waiohai, and Kaua’i Beach Resort.
Mouth-watering treats await the walkers. Grand Hyatt Kaua’i Executive Chef Matt Smith is preparing oyako fried rice with teriyaki salmon, ikura, shiso (oba), and lettuce fried rice with poached egg. From Starwood’s St. Regis Princeville, Executive Chef Fabrice Huet will whip up chorizo French toast, short rib hash, poached egg, and sweet spicy pepper hollandaise. Kaua’i Marriott Executive Chef Guy Higa’s creations will include Moroccan kefta patties, fried egg, lentil rice, and chickpea salad. Marriott’s Waiohai Chef Roland Macalma’s creations will be breakfast potatoes with pancetta and gruyere cheese, scrambled eggs, and link sausages. Executive Chef Mark Sassone of the Kaua’i Beach Resort will feature beef stew, macaroni salad, rice, and cornbread.
The Charity Walk is open to the public and everyone is welcome to participate. All money raised on Kaua’i will stay on the island. Last year, proceeds benefited 40 Kaua’i non-profit organizations.
Said 2012 Charity Walk chairwoman Denise Wardlow, who is general manager of the Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas, “We’re very proud to be able to bring friends and family together every year for this fun event and give back to our community. Last year we raised $137,300, and our goal this year is $175,000, which we’re confident we can achieve.”
There already have been fundraising events leading up to the May 12 walk. The Grand Hyatt Kaua’i and Marriott Waiohai organized “Zumba to the ’80s” on April 7, and a sold-out Charity Walk Bowling Tournament took place April 21.
A new attraction this year is a “Countdown to Charity Walk” event on Saturday, May 5, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Kukui Grove Center Stage. It will feature entertainment, a silent auction, walker recruitment, and displays from several non-profit organizations supported by the Visitor Industry Charity Walk.
For more information on the 2012 Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association’s Kauai Visitor Industry Charity Walk and related events, please email denise.wardlow@westin.co m or call (808) 827-8726.
Forms are available at all Ace Hardware stores and Menehune Food Marts.
* A familiar face on Kauai, Kelly Hoen recently was named Businesswoman of the Year by a leading local business publication.
Kelly is the general manager of the Royal Hawaiian in Honolulu. During her illustrious career in the hotel industry, this La Pietra alumna held positions at the Westin Kaua’i and Kaua’i Hilton, Hyatt Regency Kaua’i, Kapalua Bay, and Princeville Resort – before taking the reins at the Royal.
Julie Pavao
Congratulations, Kelly, on another achievement in a long and growing list of honors and accomplishments.
MUFI’S VISITOR HEROES
Julie Pavao
Position: Executive assistant to the general manager
Location: Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas
Julie Pavao is one of the main reasons employees of the Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas consider the resort team an extended ohana.
As the executive assistant to general manager Denise Wardlow, Julie serves as a source of information and a sympathetic ear for the employees and always finds a kind word or offers helpful advice to co-workers.
When employees are faced with medical emergencies requiring care on Oahu, Julie can be counted on to arrange accommodations at Honolulu hotels for traveling family members, even before they realize they need to find a place to stay.
Julie Pavao co-chaired last year’s annual employee picnic and this year is helping Wardlow organize the prizes for Kauai’s Visitor Industry Charity Walk this month.
Among her other charitable endeavors, she has devoted her time to the American Cancer Society Relay for Life and volunteered at the school her daughter and granddaughters attended.
