Links to Events, Speakers, "Birthaversaies" and Club Info
For this issue we asked members to consider:
Why Is Rotary Important to You?
Spotlight on Nancy Montoya
I choose Rotary to give back to the Lahaina community that I love and have lived in since 1971. It is inspiring to hear all that Rotary does in our town, our island and around the world. That Rotary promotes world Peace and the eradication of Polio is a huge effort and as they say "many hands make light work."
Spotlight on Mariko Higashi
Rotary gives opportunities to me and others!
Photo: Visit by 9 Rotarians and families to Japan in May 2019 to attend the 5th Anniversary celebration of our sister club in Japan, Yamato Mahoroba Rotary Club.
My first relationship with Rotary was a scholarship I received from a Rotary Club in Tokyo to go to graduate school in England. I didn’t know anything other than scholarship and the Rotarian family who invited me (i.e. poorly nourished graduate student…) for meals in Brighton, Sussex in England. The scholarship to study economic development gave me the opportunity to pursue my career to work in various developing countries.
30 years later, I joined Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset because I was new to Maui and wanted to explore things to do. As retiree, I wanted to learn hula and Hawaiian music while continuing to engage in the issues in developing countries. I also wanted to do something to give back but didn’t know where to start or if I wanted to commit to one organization which focuses on one area of activity. I thought Rotary will give me opportunities to learn about the local community and do something. And I hit the right organization!
I had a slow start with our Club, observing and engaging sporadically in the community service projects in the first year of service. Then, I was thrown into serving as the President with a short notice when the President Elect left the Club. I then realized that Rotary gives me many opportunities to contribute to make our lives better on Maui. I believe that our lives will be better by recycling, planting trees, monitoring Rescue Tubes, cleaning up beaches and so on, and I can work together with other Rotarians who come up with the ideas to solve these problems and carry out the projects together. I would never have been able to be as effective if I tried to do any of the above projects by myself.
I also realized during the last 5+ years of membership at our Club that the more you give energy to Rotary activities, the more you get out of it yourself. Depending on the family, work circumstances and other priorities, each of us can adjust the level of engagement through Rotary. There are, nevertheless, limitless opportunities to shape where the Club heads to, particularly by engaging at the Board and being in the leadership positions such as the President of the Club.
Leading a non-profit membership-based organization was something totally new to me when I was Club President in 2017-2018, and ever since I keep learning about improving cross-generational communication (aka social media), expanding our reach to our communities (e.g. more diversified membership and projects), increasing impact (e.g. working with more partners) while having fun. Fortunately, even though Rotary has a huge flagship of Rotary International (RI), RI tries hard to adapt to the reality of the world and we can be quite flexible and nimble at the Club level.
My hope in the coming years is to engage more in international service projects, provided COVID stabilizes around the world, as one of Rotary’s strength is its global reach. I stay in Rotary because of the opportunities I have to make my local community and the world a better place, and along the way I have the opportunity to develop friendships with many inspiring Rotarians for life. I surely hope that the opportunities I take through Rotary will also be the opportunities for others to improve their lives.
And this just in: Spotlight on Liz May's new arrival
Meet our newest addition, Makoa Wesley Kamai
We are blessed to have twelve grandkids that all live in Hawai’i. Of the twelve, four live on Maui and eight live on Oahu. We can’t wait to fly to Oahu once the restrictions are lifted and spend time with grandkids and family. Phil got his 2nd shot on the 22nd and I received mine on the 15th with no side effects.
HRYF Scholarship awarded to Reese Raguindin, Molokai High School Submitted by Joanne Laird
At the end of February Karen Krenz, Kelsey Briggs, Liz May and Alayna Davies-Smith spent an afternoon interviewing 6 candidates for the 2021 HRYF Scholarship award. The interview process was facilitated by member Joanne Laird, who serves as the Maui Trustee for the HRYF Foundation. Each year HRYF (Hawaii Rotary Youth Foundation) offers every Rotary Club in District 5000 a $5000 scholarship to award to a deserving high school senior. This foundation was launched in 1976 by Sully Sullivan, founder of the Foodland Stores in Hawaii. To date, over 1800 scholarships have been awarded totaling $6.7 million.
The six candidates were judged on Academic Achievement, School Activities, Community Service, a Personal Statement, Financial Need and the Virtual Zoom interview. Reese Raguindin from Molokai High School was selected as our club’s HRYF recipient. Reese quoted Nelson Mandela in her personal statement: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”. Reese stated that it is her desire to become a public school educator so that she can help change the world one student at a time. After completing her degree in Education she wants to return to Molokai “where I can teach students to value education and develop a sense of school belonging”.
We will invite Reese to speak at an upcoming meeting so that our members can virtually meet this outstanding young lady who was selected to receive our HRYF scholarship award.
Go Green Saturday Recycling - April 17th
This ongoing event is available for members to either volunteer or drop off items (or both). It is typically held on the 3rd Saturday of the month at the Lahaina Civic Center property behind the fire station. Please help by spreading the word about this event. The last couple of months have seen a decline in scheduled drop-offs.
Items accepted include scrap metal, appliances, air conditioners, car batteries, tires, TVs, computers and printers. Mahalo to Malama Maui Nui for continuing this west side recycling service!
Annual Rotary At Work Day - April 24th
Submitted by Mariko Higashi
A big success at the Rotarian-at-Work Ridge-to-Reef Clean-up!
Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunrise and Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset joined forces to clean up Ka'anapali Beach on Saturday, Apr. 24th. It was part of the State-wide Rotarian-at-Work Ridge-to-Reef clean-up. 22 volunteers collected about 90 pounds of debris and litter in 1.5 hours! Even two college students from California who were vacationing on Maui joined us when they spotted us on the beach!
The top item collected was cigarette butts (180 of them, even after the ban on smoking on the beaches in Hawaii for several years…!), followed by plastic fragments of various sizes (115) and plastic food wrappers (30). The majority of the rest were also plastic related (e.g. fishing line, plastic bottles, etc). We even collected tents, blankets, backpacks, a pillow, rugs, etc.
Magdalena Teriitua Carey, Senior Naturalist with Hawai`i Wildlife Fund (HWF, https://www.wildhawaii.org), who was our speaker on May 20th, joined us along with Michiko Smith, a member of our club and the Founder of Rebel Hawaii (https://www.rebelhawaii.org), who showed us the micro plastic sifter that she made. A big Mahalo goes to Julia Rubenstein of Malama Maui Nui (MMN) whom some of you know, who has been a great supporter of this all-island Rotary clean-up by providing 80 grain bags, 15 buckets, 25 pickers and 50 gloves throughout Maui - they were so useful! A big big MAHALO also goes to those who took the collected debris and litter for disposal! We look forward to the next clean-up opportunity!
RCLS Virtual meetings in review:
April 6th - Our guest speaker was Tiare Lawrence, Community Relations Director for Mahi Pono. Tiare was born and raised in Lahaina. She attended Lahainaluna High School where her passion for agriculture blossomed and she became the president of the Future Farmers of America program. Tiare talked about her work with Mahi Pono, a farming company transforming old sugar cane fields into sustainable farm operations. Their focus is on growing local food for the local market. You can learn more at: https://mahipono.com/.
April 20th - Our guest speaker was Magdalena Teriitua Carey of the Hawai'i Wildlife Fund. Originally from Tahiti, Magda has called Maui home for over 15 years and holds a deep respect for the island and its people. HWF focuses on conservation, education and research. You can learn more at https://wildhawaii.org/.
The Board of Directors met on April 13th. Here are some highlights:
Treasury review of RCLS Foundation funds reveals critically low levels due to COVID-19 limitations.
Judging for Small Club Submissions for 2021 D5000 Awards is under way.
Newest member, Jenny Worth, has an extensive background in fundraising and has volunteered to act as 2021-2022 Fundraising Chair.
Jr RYLA reunion for 25 students was held on April 11th. Kelsey, Erica and Vanessa returned to help as facilitators. Kelsey will be working with Lana'i and Maui Prep faculty advisors to set up middle school Interact Clubs at their schools.
Go for the Green Scholarship applications are due May 1st. Kelsey is working with the high schools to get the word out. If you want to sit on the interview panel once candidates are selected, get in touch with Kelsey Briggs.
International Service Project in Nepal awaits Rotary International approval. Four RCLS members have expressed interest in participating.
Vocational Service Awards are in the works. A recommendation was made to honor George Gordon for the Individual VS Award in recognition of all his work with the Computers for Kids project.
The Royal Lahaina Resort has agreed to once again host our in-person/hybrid meetings in the Royal Ocean Terrace Restaurant. More information will be shared with members soon.
4th Tuesday Social is set for April 27th, 5:00-6:30pm at the Royal Ocean Terrace Restaurant. Evite is in your email!
A big mahalo to our Board members for their dedication and enthusiasm! If you are interested in being considered for a position on the Board in 2021-2022, contact our current Board President, Vanessa Moreno. Current openings: Community Service Chair, International Service Chair and Youth Service Chair assistant (with Kelsey Briggs).
Go Green Recycling Saturday: The next event is scheduled on May 15, 2021. If you would like to volunteer, visit the Malama Maui Nui website to sign up. If you have items you would like to drop off, you must schedule an appointment HERE.
June 1, 2021 - RCLS Virtual Visioning Session:
Submitted by Joanne Laird
ALOHA MEMBERS! We have set our regular meeting date of Tuesday, June 1st, for our Virtual Club Visioning Session. This club visioning activity is VERY IMPORTANT for the continued success of our club. We need your ideas and opinions about the direction of activities that our club will take for the new Rotary Year. Please join us on June 1st from 5:30-7:00pm.
In our previous newsletter we mentioned this issue would feature chocolate chip cookie recipes. These two are favorites.
This recipe is a bit more complicated than the Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies. However, if followed correctly, it makes a really excellent cookie. Next time we make them, we'll try adding some orange zest to this one.
This "friend of Rotary" comes to us from the state of Massachusetts. Meet Oscar. He belongs to Monte and Kristy's daughter, Raschelle. In winter months he can often be found snuggled in the blankets to keep warm, or even "helping" make the bed.
A Note from Monte
As many of you are aware, we had two people from our Lahaina Sunset Rotary Club nominated for the 2021 Maui Volunteer Heroes award. Congratulations to Katie Zimmerman and (my wonderful wife) Kristy Gund! Katie was nominated for her work with Maui Rescue Mission and Kristy, for her work with Maui Nui Marine Resource Council.
I am proud of both of our nominees and I think it speaks well to the type of individuals that rotary attracts.
You can read the full text of the MauiNow News article here.
Just For Fun - Word Search Puzzle
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