One of the newest nonprofits on Maui, Clean Living Environment (CLE) has organized exclusively to help recovering addicts return to a happy, fulfilling, and drug-free life. CLE founders, Marcie and Maui Fernandez explain Clean Living’s purpose as providing life-skill counseling, housing, recovery maintenance and accountability, employment training and all other efforts necessary to assist clients to a self-sustaining return to society.
“My husband and I are both dedicated to helping others in their recovery,” said Marcie. “We started CLE in March 2020 and self-funded a house for recovering women followed by a house for men. Incorporated as a nonprofit in May 2021, CLE is currently opening a second house for recovering men.”
Marcie added, “I have struggled with addiction all my life. Finally, after attending rehab in 2003, my life changed and I have been clean ever since. My passion, along with my husband, is to now support those who feel helpless and have nowhere to turn to get their lives back on track. Maui and I feel called to devote our lives to guide others toward a new and clean way to live.”
Maui said, “The restorative power of people who truly care can mean everything to someone who needs a life-changing experience to set them free from the bondage of addiction. As a nonprofit, our goal is to have community assistance to sponsor those we can help. It takes a village to make a long-term impact. These are lives being saved and changed.”
A recent client reflected, “Being at CLE taught me that I am worth something and employable again. It was a large part of regaining confidence and regaining my daily drive so I could re-enter the world with strength. My relationships were all in ruins. I burned every bridge back to hope. However, CLE fellowship living and meetings taught me how to live sober and clean, to be part of the solution, not the problem. CLE is not like any other program. The Fernandez’s’ offer an encounter with people who really care in a cultivated environment for real healing, and I will be eternally grateful.”
CLE gives clients a firm foundation for sobriety by offering them the needed life skills to choose recovery; at no cost to them.
Two budding astronomers, and Maui Economic Development Board STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) students, freshmen Wilson Chau and Holden Suzuki from Maui High School continue to hone their skills at solving the mysteries of the universe. Recently, Chau and Suzuki observed NASA’s Lucy spacecraft on its journey to visit several Trojan asteroids. The Valley Isle teens used the Faulkes Telescope North on Haleakala, part of the Las Cumbres Observatory global network of telescopes, to make the observations.
“On the day of launch, I was viewing the NASA livestream,” Chau said. “It was incredible seeing the trajectory pass the livestream’s viewing point. The ambitious Lucy mission’s primary targets are eight Trojan asteroids, primitive asteroids that share Jupiter’s orbit and could shed light on the formation of the solar system. Before arriving at its destination, the spacecraft will make three passes near Earth for gravitational boosts, and visit the main-belt asteroid 52246 Donaldjohanson.”
Chau and Suzuki are not new to studying spacecraft. In 2018, their observations of the famous SpaceX Tesla launch earned them top awards at science and engineering fairs at both the county and state level. “Doing this current work with Lucy is a great way to merge all of our previous work,” Suzuki explained. “When we found out that our data was helping scientists, I felt star-struck. It really makes me feel good thinking that even a kid like me whose family is not particularly wealthy can make a huge difference and really help people who change the world.” The pair plan to use the data they have obtained on Lucy as the foundation for their entry in the 2022 Hawaii State Science and Engineering Fair.
Chau and Suzuki intend to pursue science-focused studies and future careers in the field. Chau dreams of working in STEM and Suzuki aspires to a career in astrophysics. Both aim to study exoplanets and asteroids. Chau noted, “Astronomy has always excited my mindset for the endless possibilities that could be discovered in the vast area of space as well as being able to learn great science all around.”
In May 2021 our observations of the defunct Orbiting Geophysical Observatory satellite, OGO-1, received national media attention. Plus, along with our mentor Dr. J. D. Armstrong and classmate Jed Teagarden, we appeared on the Xploration Awesome Planet television series
Wilson Chau and Holden Suzuki, Maui High School freshmen
Maui resident Alex Fielding, Privateer Space CEO and Chairman, was the most recent guest speaker in Maui Economic Development Board’s (MEDB) Maui TechOhana virtual event series. Supported by the County of Maui and MEDB, the TechOhana events provide unique learning experiences and informal networking opportunities for anyone interested in Maui’s County’s technology industry. The virtual meeting had the advantage of breakout rooms to encourage information sharing and social interaction amongst the participants.
“MEDB continues to be a leader in our business community by providing local entrepreneurs and small-business owners the practical knowledge, skills and resources they need to aim high and succeed.” said Frank De Rego, Jr., Director of Business Development Projects for MEDB. “We at MEDB are thrilled to introduce Alex Fielding to the Maui tech community and thank him for his generosity in talking story with us as friends and colleagues.”
Fielding discussed his journey of self-discovery as a “techie” and entrepreneur. His resume includes work at Cisco, Apple and NASA, followed by his own company Ripcord specializing in the field of robotic scanning and digitization. Currently, his new company, Privateer Space, is developing new green space technologies and creating the first accurate map of objects in low Earth orbit (LEO). Fielding hopes to identify, assess and track debris among the thousands of satellites in LEO.
“The dangers of space junk remain all too present,” Fielding explained. “In May, astronauts aboard the International Space Station discovered a five millimeter-wide hole in a robotic arm attached to one of the modules. Privateer Space has just begun working with Astroscale, an orbital logistics and servicing startup that is the first to successfully demonstrate a space junk removal satellite, and we have also signed a partnership with the U.S. Space Force. I am eager to help build Maui County’s technology business ecosystem while tackling issues of global importance.”
Regular Maui TechOhana participant Joe Breman, President and CEO of International Underwater Exploration, reflected, “MEDB’s Maui TechOhana provides leadership and vision in our community for the development of a strong and diversified economy. The collaborative efforts and networking have immensely helped me improve my business.”
Privateer Space has received all necessary approvals to launch its first satellite, Pono 1, in February 2022, followed by Pono 2 in April.
The New Year celebration in Hawaii, also known as Makahiki season, covers the lunar months from October/November through February/March. The focus of the season, influenced by the Hawaiian moon calendar, was and is a celebration of the bounty of the land. In the Hawaiian language, Makahiki means ‘year’ as in the change from harvest time to the beginning of the agricultural season.
Multi-Grammy and Hoku Award-winning master slack key guitarist, native Hawaiian practitioner and entrepreneur Uncle George Kahumoku Jr. explained it well, “The ‘āina (land) is considered a living entity. We are the earth and the earth is us. We must remember that what we do to the ‘āina, we do to ourselves. It is our kuleana (responsibility) to mālama (care for) our keiki and all life in a healthy, nurturing environment. The festive Makahiki season always offers entertainment, lawn games, lei-making and a true expression of the never-ending circle of aloha with friends and ‘ohana alike. This time of year has always focused on bringing the community together in the spirit of abundance, gratitude, peace and healing.”
Kahumoku added, “Amazing communities of people are dedicated to cultural and sustainable agriculture on Maui, reaping fruits of labor and love before new seeds are sown. The Makahiki season is also a time to celebrate the earth’s bounty and those who seek to improve the productivity of the land. Throughout the new harvest season, we are reminded of our spiritual connection to the earth and to each other. The premise is simple. The earth with everything on it is an integral part of the whole solar system. The better we understand this insight, the more we understand Makahiki.”
Leslie Wilkins, Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) President and CEO, said, “As 2021 comes to an end, MEDB applauds our Focus Maui Nui community filled with amazing people doing extraordinary things to enhance our island home. Looking back at the stories we shared in this column, and the thousands of other people and organizations working tirelessly to make Maui nō ka ‘oi for residents and visitors alike, we say Mahalo.”
The Nutcracker, a perennial holiday production, was performed on Maui this year by The Alexander Academy of Performing Arts (AAPA). Debuted in 1892, the two-act ballet was originally adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann’s tale The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. The famous musical score by Tchaikovsky has become as well-known as the ballet itself.
Steeped in tradition, the Nutcracker has been a staple of Christmas celebrations for generations. The ballet is set on Christmas Eve, when family and friends have gathered in the parlor to prepare for their Christmas party. The story tells of young Clara, her brother Fritz, and a wooden soldier doll given to them by their Uncle Drosselmeyer. That night the nutcracker, himself a messenger of goodwill, comes to life and whisks Clara off into a dream world where toys come alive, a battle ensues against an evil Mouse King, and a fairy-tale ending with a Sugar Plum Fairy breaks the curse on the nutcracker, who then turns into a handsome prince. Sugar Plum Fairy Gabriella Craft said, “The Fairy is a motherly figure in her Kingdom of Sweets, hoping to bring a bit of sweet joy to all she meets. I hope my unique wonder of dancing this part inspired that same pure joy in others.”
Danelle Watson, AAPA Director and Teacher, said, “I am incredibly grateful for our dancing ohana and staff who brought the Nutcracker ballet to our island. It took a village! I wanted to offer something special to our students and our community to help take away the stresses of challenging times. To be safe and to meet county requirements, we constructed an outdoor theater.”
Watson explained, “Whether you have witnessed it once or dozens of times, the magic of the Nutcracker never fades. The glow of the holiday tradition amplifies Clara’s timeless story and Tchaikovsky’s unforgettable music coming to life through dance. Audiences enter a land of snow, full of fairies, life-sized dolls, dancing snowflakes, and a procession of other beloved characters. With the Sugar Plum Fairy, herself a creature of magic, and an astonishingly diverse cast, the Nutcracker never fails to delight audiences, bringing Christmas joy to all.”
The cast, with seemingly effortless beauty of movement and electrifying brilliance, enchanted audiences with the radiance of the season.
