Sep 4, 2019 | Community
On Maui since 1972, Mental Health America (MHA) of Hawaii has been a leading mental health education and advocacy organization. Dedicated to promoting wellness, MHA’s prevention programs are designed to improve the care and treatment of people living with mental illness and to reduce the stigma of it. “As we look ahead, the Maui office of MHA is gearing up the education side of our agency for a very busy year,” said Danielle Bergan, MHA Maui Community Coordinator. “We hope to expand mental health awareness in schools and community organizations and continue to advocate at the legislature for mental health on behalf of the community.”
Some of the programs available for youth and adults include Youth Suicide and Bullying Prevention, to combat bullying and suicide ideation amongst Hawaii’s youth. “It aims to teach youth how to recognize and intervene in a bullying situation and how to use suicide prevention tools,” said Bergan. “We will be conducting several of these two-hour trainings for our Maui intermediate and high schools throughout the year. We can also provide it for agencies that work with youth, including community and church groups.”
Youth Mental Health First Aid is an eight-hour public education program which introduces participants to the unique risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems in adolescents. It builds understanding of the importance of early intervention and teaches individuals how to help an adolescent in crisis or experiencing a mental health challenge. Additionally, there is a Mental Health First Aid program that is geared for adults.
“Especially for adults we offer ‘Live Your Life Well’,” Bergan explained. “This training is a one-hour mental wellness presentation about stress in everyday life and the workplace that includes a clinically tested program of 10 actions that can help to improve mental health. This is a great training for companies and organizations to help their employees better cope with stress.”
Bergan concluded, “We hope raising awareness of the issues and recognizing the signs of mental illness will bring insight to handling its challenges. It is a sign of courage, not weakness, to seek help.”
MHA is offering all their trainings to the community at no cost. Learn how to identify problems, intervene, and get help. For more information call: (808) 242-6461.
Danielle Bergan, MHA Maui Community Coordinator
Aug 21, 2019 | Community
Rachael Ray, a successful Maui artist, was invited for the first time as a guest speaker at Maui Economic Development Board’s 3rd annual Hawaii Small Business Conference (HSBC). “I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to make a lasting impression on the HSBC attendees about the importance of service with aloha in our island chain,” Ray said. “For my part, sharing aloha in my business permeates all my relationships and every canvas I paint.”
Ray, a self-taught artist who loves to paint with Rembrandt oils, can often be found talking story with customers and working in U’i, her Kahului Maui art gallery. A graduate of Baldwin High School, Ray remembers her early childhood on Molokai as the beginning of her appreciation for Hawaii’s majestic surroundings. “I find endless inspiration through the vibrant colors and movement in my Hawaiian landscape and from my love and respect for the ‘aina,” she said.
U’i Gallery, Ray’s 1500 square-foot space, offers not only her own artwork. An exclusive selection of hand-made products by other local craftsmen are offered in a price range for everyone. Through her hospitable aloha service and the gallery’s allure, Ray’s customers soon become family.
“I love talking story with our customers and getting to know them,” she explained. “While making a sale is important, even if they don’t purchase the first time, people come back when they are cared for, and the repeat business helps our bottom line year after year. Aloha is communicated. I call it ‘coconut wireless’.”
Ray uses Hawaiian values to support her life and her business. Believing in aloha-motivation over profit, she makes a conscious effort to have gallery visitors leave feeling good and welcomed with aloha. She believes this is a responsibility we each have to become better in our own personal and business relationships.
Ray concluded, “Growing up in Hawaii we were taught to give first and then receive. Aloha builds on itself. It is contagious, with extraordinary results. Aloha is imperative to our mental and physical health, our overall welfare, and to Hawaii’s business vitality. Live Aloha!”
Aloha is everything! Smile from the heart, be genuine, be yourself. Be Aloha!
Rachael Ray, Artist and Owner, U’i Gallery
Aug 14, 2019 | Stemworks
In 1999, following Hurricane Mitch, Maui residents Dan and Charlotte Flavin, now President and Vice-President of Somos Ohana Nicaragua, volunteered to help with reconstruction and medical care in Nicaragua. Since then, they have continued to address urgent needs identified by local partners in the area.
“In 2006 we registered Somos Ohana Nicaragua as a nonprofit corporation with 501(c)(3) status to help continue and expand our work,” Charlotte explained. “Our name, Somos Ohana Nicaragua, translated means ‘We are family with Nicaragua’.”
Charlotte continued, “For over 15 years, with our Nicaraguan participants and our generous donors, we have renovated and built schools, and volunteered in the re-construction of homes and medical care. Examples of our work include water systems, physical therapy services, bicycle grants to students with long commutes to high school, transportation for cancer patients to therapy venues, granting of college scholarships to students majoring in education and health services, and holding a summer day camp for special needs youth. We are deeply grateful for all the interest, and kindness of Maui residents who have volunteered and supported our mission. In any country, a good education prepares children for broader choices of employment.”
Somos Ohana Nicaragua board members added their thoughts, “It is important to witness the lives of others less fortunate and to help improve their lives,” said Edith Don. John Powley said, “I volunteer what I learned working with rural communities while in the Peace Corps. This includes providing clean water, healthy animals and drought-resistant crops.”
James Kahler, board secretary and retired physical therapist, continued, “I feel that I have gained more than I’ve given.” Judith Buettner, substitute teacher and board member, agreed, “I see us as planting a seed for change, for the good.”
Board member Mele Stokesberry concluded, “It’s really amazing that we get so much done with each dollar donated. We serve to fulfill basic human rights, in a spirit of compassion and service to humanity. In turn, we receive friendship, and learn from their shared wisdom.”
We are also working with the local Nicaraguan communities by educating for survival during severe drought that is changing lives in rural areas.
Dan and Charlotte Flavin, President & Vice President, Somos Ohana Nicaragua
Aug 7, 2019 | Environment, Events, Sustainability
The first community forum on 100% Renewable Energy: What Will Maui Look Like? took place recently at the Cameron Center in Kahului. Coming on the heels of the 2019 Hawaii Energy Conference and Exhibition, the standing-room only event, presented by Maui Electric Company (MECO) in partnership with Maui Tomorrow and the Sierra Club, outlined the challenges and some solutions for Maui’s renewable future.
“We’ll have different ideas on how to achieve our clean energy future,” said Sharon Suzuki, president of Maui County and Hawai’i Island Utilities. “Achieving the goal of 100 percent renewables by 2045 requires all of us working together. As Maui Electric starts to put more bids out to procure more renewable energy projects for the island, it will require informed energy developers, available land resources, and ongoing dialogue with our communities, regulators and government leaders.”
Moderator Mahina Martin, Manager, Government and Community Relations at Maui Electric, led the forum featuring the following panelists: Kumu Kapono’ai Molitau, Kumu Hula; Albert Perez, Executive Director, Maui Tomorrow Foundation; Chris Reynolds, System Operations Director, Maui Electric Company; Alex De Roode, Energy Commissioner, County of Maui; Dana Sato, Asset Management Director, Kamehameha Schools; and Rob Weltman, Chairperson, Sierra Club Maui Group.
Weltman said, “Maui can and must be powered by carbon-neutral, local, environmentally friendly technologies, including solar and wind. Contributing to sea level rise and extreme weather events through continued dependence on fossil fuels is not an option for our vulnerable island community.”
Perez described a community solar program. “The project provides solar energy to residential and commercial customers without access to privately-owned rooftop solar, including many renters and apartment dwellers.”
De Roode, on electrification of transportation, said, “Ground transportation today accounts for one quarter of Hawaii’s fossil fuels consumption and over one quarter of greenhouse gas emissions. MECO is focused on initiatives to advance the switch from gasoline to electric vehicles, helping to reduce Hawaii’s dependence on imported oil.”
Molitau and Sato agreed, “It is our malama ‘aina to care for the land− physically and spiritually. Together, we must understand the need to preserve and protect our natural resources for our future generations.”
As of 2019, private rooftop and utility-scale solar, biofuel and wind resources boosted the amount of renewable energy used to generate electricity in Maui County to 38 percent. We’ve exceeded the state’s goal of 30 percent renewables by 2020, lowered greenhouse gas emissions from our generators, and reduced the amount of oil we used.
Sharon Suzuki, President of Maui County and Hawai’i Island Utilities
Jul 31, 2019 | Education, Innovation
The annual EMER-GEN™ Program, introduced in 2018 as a joint initiative of the Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference (AMOS) and the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), was designed especially for those age 18 to 35 who are enthusiastic about a career in space. Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) created the two-day program with the help of advisors from industry, government, academia and non-governmental organizations. EMER-GEN offers mentoring with renowned space specialists drawn from an array of fields related to Space Situational Awareness (SSA) and Space Traffic Management (STM). Networking with other young leaders, the participants join in professional development and skill building sessions to enhance their success in a global space environment.
“Everything about the first annual EMER-GEN was extraordinary,” said Victoria Samson, Director, Secure World Foundation. “There were new ideas and perspectives on SSA and STM policy and challenges for young professionals and students to grapple with. It forced us all to look at things differently.”
Tom Kubancik, General Manager at L3 Applied Defense Solutions, said, “We are about to enter the commercialization and civil habitation phase of man’s space adventure and our young professionals need to take us there and keep us safe. EMER-GEN will ensure our thoughts and knowledge pass on to the next generation.”
Diana Agdeppa, a young professional working with the telescopes atop Haleakala said about her 2018 experience, “I appreciated the short courses offered at EMER-GEN including “Operational Analytics: Demystifying Machine Learning” and “Observing and Characterizing Space Debris”. After acquiring some general knowledge from both courses, I found how an Artificial Intelligence-based system may play a key role in SSA and STM. Considering the increasing number of spacecraft and satellites being launched into space, and how fast they are moving, it’s becoming more of a priority to predict collisions further in time with accuracy and precision. Additionally, we took part in a session where we assumed the responsibilities of key people involved in space policy which allowed me to see a bigger picture regarding SSA and STM. I’m looking forward to the next EMER-GEN!” The 2nd Annual EMER-GEN™ Program will be held September 15-17, 2019.
MEDB is happy to partner with SGAC to launch EMER-GEN™. This new program is designed to bridge the gap and nurture our young professionals, the future of space innovation and sustainability.
Leslie Wilkins, MEDB President & CEO
