Dec 26, 2012 | Community, Innovation
With Christmas presents unwrapped, Maui’s youth turned toward sharing the gifts they’d like to see unfold in their community in 2013.
On education:
“We should pay our teachers more, much more. Teachers are the key to the future for all of us,” said Duncan, 15, of Haiku. Demi, 18, of Wailuku seems to agree that teachers are key to improving education. “I would like to see better quality teachers get hired over quantity so that the money can be spent on keeping kids in school.” Lola, 16, of Kihei added, “I would like to see Maui widen the opportunities for students in a variety of interesting fields such as engineering, literature and the sciences. I don’t think there are enough AP (Advanced Placement) classes in my school compared to other schools on the Mainland.”
On cultural preservation:
Kaitlin, 17, of Upcountry, Maui remarked, “Makawao just got a new bus stop with cowboys on top. Little things like this are easy ways to show and emulate my hometown’s country culture.” Alisha, 17, of Paia, said the variety of cultures on island makes Maui a unique place to live and worth preserving. “To preserve this unique culture, the state and county should encourage and support organizations that promote the education of our island culture.” Lola felt that Hawaiiana courses help to bring cultural awareness. But the discussion needs to expand. “I feel as though Hawaii would benefit toward having educational conversations in the injustices from the past. We should be talking about how to reconcile the past while dealing with our present and moving forward as a community.”
On protecting the natural environment:
Duncan suggested, “Do everything we can to preserve the reefs before they die and plant more forests to help the watersheds.” Lola suggested government officials ensure easy access to beaches and the mountains. “I really enjoy our clean beaches and our safe hiking trails. We really need to keep it up.” Kaitlin said she’s been privileged to grow up on Maui and see “the beauties Mother Earth intended us to see. It is the duty of the Maui community to keep its ocean blue and its mountains green by limiting our pollution and using resources wisely.”
Happy New Year 2013!
Dec 19, 2012 | Community
Karen Wong has been welcoming foster children into her home for the last decade. “Fostering allows me to give the children something they’re missing,” said Wong, a community relations police officer at the Maui Police Department. This month, Wong adopted her fifth child, a two-year-old boy and half-sibling to a three-year-old girl she adopted two years ago. Wong has three other adopted children who share the same biological mom and is related to Wong as well. She said she’s never been able to bear children, but is grateful for the opportunity to have enriched their lives. “Every child to me is a gift, a gift from God,” she said. “I can give them a feeling of what family means.”
Wong first got trained as a foster parent by James and Alda St. James, the founders of Keiki Kokua Inc. Soon after receiving her foster parent license, she adopted her first son. The boy’s younger brother and sister came later into Wong’s home, first as foster children and then became legally Wong’s through adoptions. She said many of the children she’s fostered lack structure and a sense of family. “They’ve had drama and trauma in their life, through no fault of their own.”
Wong said she tries to connect with each and every child who is placed in her care. “To me, these are children from my heart,” she said. She said children aren’t necessarily in need of material things. “I find the most important thing with my children is creating memories, just spending time together,” Wong said. Lory Basa, a volunteer court appointed special advocate for foster children, described Wong as amazing. “Foster parents are really important. We need more caring parents like Karen.” She said Wong has been especially diligent about ensuring that her adopted children get the best education possible on island. “She goes all out and researches every possible way and funding she can get so they can have the very best. … I just really commend her.” For information about foster parenting, call Partners in Development Foundation – Hui Ho‘omalu Program at 268-5122 or visit www.pidf.org
Dec 12, 2012 | Community
Freshman Amelia Imada and senior King Duke visited with Maui OnStage and toured the Iao Theater for the first time this month. Their visit was part of this year’s events for the Focus Maui Nui Youth Alliance, a group coordinated by Maui Economic Development Board to explore and gain a greater understanding of key components in the local community. The visit led by Maui OnStage Executive Director Alexis Dascoulias was an effort to spotlight theater history on the island and specifically the Iao Theater’s impact on the island’s economic well-being. “MEDB is about promoting economic diversity and I wanted to take the youth to Maui OnStage for the exposure and for them to see how theater gives the economy a bounce,” Youth Alliance coordinator Willow Krause said. “When people go to the theater, they might go shopping and get something to eat and so that expands the whole environment around them,” she added.
Both Duke, 17, and Imada, 14, said they’ve passed by the Iao Theater on Market Street in Wailuku many times but never actually stepped into the place until the Youth Alliance visit. “After visiting the theater, I realized what importance it really holds, from helping the community to (providing) a great place for a show,” Imada said. She also said she was impressed that the theater is mostly run by volunteers. “I thought opening up the work to the community lets us come together with people we know.” Duke said he was surprised at the numerous public events and performances that are held at a theater with a seating capacity of 375.
Maui OnStage is a nonprofit that works to restore, preserve and maintain the Iao Theater while enhancing the community with diverse, quality productions and making the theater accessible to all. Youth Alliance members were especially attentive when Dascoulias talked about opportunities for groups to use the theater for free performances. Duke said he wants to return, possibly with a school poetry group, and read some of their original pieces for an audience while on stage. “I think just giving people experience on stage, that’s a good thing,” he said. “It would really be fun and might help some get over stage fright.”
Dec 5, 2012 | Innovation
Appearing as a speaker at Maui Economic Development Board’s Innovation Series, University of Hawai‘i President M.R.C. Greenwood rallied local leaders to support investment in the HI2 Innovation Initiative. The initiative, according to Greenwood, will act as an economic fuel cell, generating new discoveries, creating thousands of jobs and putting more money into Hawaii’s economy, she said. Greenwood said the university’s research work already attracts $500 million to the state’s economy. And, she said, that means “jobs, lots of jobs, lots of well-paying jobs.”
However, Greenwood said research and development only makes up about 3 percent of Hawai‘i’s economy, which is dominated by spending in government, tourism, real estate and the military. To illustrate Hawai‘i’s potential for growth, she pointed to San Diego, which in the 1960s, “looked very much the way we do today,” with an economy based on the same sectors. But since then, San Diego, which is made up of seven counties, has pursued research and development aggressively, so today, makes up 14 percent of its economy. “They have clearly gotten their act together,” she said. If Hawai‘i were to pursue the same course, particularly if government were to join businesses and the community in supporting the university’s research and development work, then Hawai‘i could draw $750 million to $1 billion in research and development funding as well as start-up and spin-off companies, she said. “It needs to be a creature of the community,” she said, referring to HI2.
For Maui, the university is proceeding with development of the ATST solar telescope atop Haleakalā, which Greenwood said, would bring millions of dollars into the island’s economy as well as “generate a lot of new technology and a lot of new ideas.” The University of Hawai‘i is poised to be the first university in the country to have satellite launch capacity, she said. Greenwood pointed to development of clean energy, new agriculture and cancer research as areas of opportunity for the university.
MEDB’s Innovation Series is expected to host in 2013 Dr. Hank Wuh, surgeon and inventor; Karin Frost, a Maui resident and inventor of the Ergo Baby Carrier, which produces baby products; and video game designer and environmental philanthropist Henk Rogers.
Nov 21, 2012 | Community
Kristin Holmes, owner of Swan Interiors
Teamwork, fairness and the motivation to serve its clients are all factors in the success of Swan Interiors, which has been in business for more than nearly 30 years, according to owner Kristin Holmes. “The driving force of our success is to have clients appreciate a beautiful environment and how one feels in a space that elevates individuals,” Holmes said. “Turn key projects require an immense amount of time and management that goes well beyond what clients can see or imagine. Above all, it is dedication to client satisfaction that prevails.”
Holmes opened her small business in 1985 and after serving private clients for 25 years, she expanded by opening a furnishings store in Wailuku in 2010. The business employs one full-time designer, two store designers and a bookkeeper. “We work as a team and everyone knows that they are part of this extended circle,” Holmes said. “We are the first stone thrown in the pond and as the outward ripples keep going, the circle gets bigger and all our skills are needed to get the job done for the client in a professional and efficient manner.” Holmes also said that fairness plays a key part in her business’ success, particularly when it comes to its product pricing structure and the way people in and outside of the firm are treated. “I honor and appreciate every effort that is made by those that help our business to thrive.”
In keeping up with addressing Swan Interiors’ clients needs, Holmes and her staff have participated in several social media classes and workshops sponsored by Maui Economic Development Board. Staffers are constantly looking for ways to bring technology into their daily tasks while also using the networking opportunities to maximize the business’s exposure. Holmes herself participates and supports the Maui Smart Grid Project in her home and design studio. The program is designed to demonstrate and evaluate new technologies that will help residents better manage and reduce energy consumption during periods of high demand. It also assists Maui Electric Co. operate its electricity grid more efficiently.
