Dec 5, 2018 | Community
In December, Santa and his wife have a hectic schedule. Maui residents John and Lori Hughes, portraying Santa and Mrs. Claus, have been working for many years, directly under instructions from the North Pole. John Hughes, born and raised on Oahu, used to make appearances as Santa in the Kaneohe Christmas Parade. After moving to Maui in the late 90s, his Santa side awaited the right opportunity to continue volunteering. Lori Hughes, born and raised in Lahaina, always found ways to bring Christmas cheer by cookie baking, holiday decorating, even volunteering as a reindeer or elf for children’s events. Lori has contributed to the community for decades, volunteering her time—assisting the Maui Food Bank with distribution drives at Maria Lanakila Church, organizing food drives at her place of employment, reading to children in the Read Aloud America school programs, and much more.
“A few years ago, we decided to combine our volunteer efforts as Santa and Mrs. Claus,” said the Hughes, who now have authentic vintage Christmas outfits. “In collaboration with the Hansen family’s Annual Toy Drive, we made our first appearance benefitting the Friends of Children’s Justice Center. Additionally, we make appearances in the Kahului Library, the Kihei Library, the Maui Police Department’s Annual Children’s Holiday party, and other places in the community. In our Santa and Mrs. Claus personas we donate to the Maui Food Bank, lunch at Zippy’s, fill gas at Costco, pick up Christmas cards at Target, candy canes at Walmart, and visit local coffee shops. It takes people by surprise to see us out in the general public, not hired by the store, and not asking for money. We are simply humbled to have a moment with community members.”
Santa and Mrs. Claus concluded, “The magic we bring during Christmas ignites the spark to a child’s and adult’s imagination long after the holiday is over. It’s these moments of family and togetherness, smiles and laughter, that always live deep in our hearts. Santa and Mrs. Claus remind us to be kind to one another—that’s the most important thing. It’s all about love! Merry Christmas!”
Be sure to visit with us at noon on December 8th at the Kihei Library; on December 9th, 10am-2pm at Maui Makers to make toys and arts and crafts; and on December 23rd at 10am-1pm at the Westin Nanea to meet and take photos. Email mauisantaclaus@yahoo.com for more information.
Santa and Mrs. Claus
Nov 28, 2018 | Community, Small Business
Pamela Norris, a Maui resident and entrepreneur, has participated in numerous High Tech Maui business development programs offered by Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB). Norris, winner of the Small Business Administration’s 2016 InnovateHer Challenge locally hosted by MEDB, is the creator of ICEBUDDY™ Systems, Inc., a portable cooling system comprised of the QPACK and QOOLER that enables ice, water, medication, and emergency supplies to be stored and easily transported.
“My career has been dedicated to saving lives,” Norris explained. “I spent years as a first responder during natural disasters where I saw people lose their lives due to not having their medicine with them, not having food or water, as well as a lack of medical supplies. Seeing turmoil due to lack of refrigeration catapulted me to create the ICEBUDDY™ Systems to respond to unmet needs, and to save lives by prepositioning emergency preparedness products.”
Norris explained, “The QOOLER utilizes a patented, encased, non-toxic gel, which is capable of keeping its contents cold at the 36-46-degree range for 72 hours. That is three days of cooling capability without the use of ice or gel packs, that would otherwise melt and sweat on whatever is stored.”
The QPACK module is an innovative, modernized backpack meeting military specifications. Its unique flexibility enables carrying whatever is available, be it 120 ounces of water, a 10-pound bag of ice or a dozen 16-ounce water bottles. The built-in bladder and spigot allow access to water critical for life itself and necessary for taking most medications. It can be carried as a backpack, but it also fits on wheelchairs and walkers for the elderly and disabled. Rescue crews can airdrop medical supplies in difficult to reach terrain.
“Recently, the African American Heritage Foundation of Maui has collaborated with ICEBUDDY™ to provide free QOOLERs and QPACKs to needy citizens in Hawaii,” Norris noted. “They are seeking tax deductible contributions that will be used for this humanitarian purpose. We at ICEBUDDY™ Systems desire to make this revolutionary product available globally, particularly to vulnerable populations living on islands.” Visit www.icebuddy.net for information.
MEDB’s High Tech Maui business programs are focused on helping local entrepreneurs gain the needed edge and skills to succeed.
Pamela Norris, Founder, ICEBUDDY™ Systems
Nov 21, 2018 | Community, Environment
In this season of thanksgiving, we can gain inspiration from Matteo Musso, a frequent visitor to Maui, is a 14-year-old author, speaker, yet mostly non-verbal autistic young man. After almost 12 years of silence, Musso found his voice by spelling his thoughts, one letter at a time, on a stenciled letter board called a flatboard. His inspired thoughts, wisdom, and tips on autism are now being shared with the world.
Musso has given presentations at the Maui Autism Center, the Wisdom Center for Autism, on Maui Source TV, and wrote an article in Maui Vision Magazine. His books, “I am Yours” and “Love Land” are available on Amazon. He also has a YouTube series, Mondays with Matteo.
“It’s been a long road that led us to the miracle of finally getting to know Matteo,” said his mom, Annette. “He was diagnosed formally at age three, and after many years of difficult therapies was introduced to the Son-Rise program. Through the Rapid Prompting Method, he learned to communicate using the flatboard, which acts as a conduit between his deep thoughts and the expression of them in an understandable way.”
Annette continued, “Amazingly, Matteo was able to tell us what he thinks his life purpose is. He said he agreed with God to be a voice for the silent ones on this Earth and to encourage all of society to stop judging each other and move toward total acceptance of our differences, to see them as gifts which can bond us together instead of separating us. We can lift each other up even though our minds work differently, and we experience life in varied ways. Our differences provide depths of perspective, giving us many gifts to share.”
In a message of thanksgiving, Matteo said, “If we desire beautiful and fruitful crops in our lives, we don’t get to be bystanders. Seeing the good is an active choice on our part. Search for the things that are beautiful in your day. Notice the beauty that’s around you no matter what’s going on. We can plan our healthy harvest, then harvest the happiness that we have nurtured—even through the storms.”
Through a recent miraculous discovery, his trapped intelligence released, Matteo now shares amazing insights of love, God, finding happiness, and the gifts of autism.
Annette Musso, Matteo’s Mom
Oct 24, 2018 | Community
The 5th Annual Made in Maui County Festival (MIMCF), set for November 2-3, 2018 at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center, is considered Maui County’s largest product show. This major event, featuring hundreds of Made in Maui County products, helps to grow the islands’ small businesses.
The MIMCF will be the first major, as well as the returning show, for many businesses that Maui Economic Development Board’s (MEDB) Innovation Series has fostered. “It is incredibly rewarding for us at MEDB to see all the workshops, boot camps, and Startup Weekends actually paying off,” said Gerry Smith, MEDB Director of Business Development. “MEDB regularly collaborates with local organizations focused on economic development. We all have the same goal in mind: the success and growth of small businesses on Maui.”
This year, Leanne Ohta and Ana Magarin, owners of Maui Sugar Mamas LLC, will join over 140 product vendors offering a wide variety of foods, produce, art, crafts, jewelry, fashions, furniture, gifts, collectibles, and more. Raised on Maui, Ohta, and Magarin have been best friends for more than 25 years and are both dental professionals — with a passion for baking.
“We create a variety of crispy cookies packed with flavor which are bite-size and melt-in-your-mouth,” Ohta and Magarin explained. “The flavors are unique. Our cookies are hand-scooped, baked, and sealed for freshness. Our year round selections include our Signature Chocoholic Chip, Coffee Lava, and Passion 8 Bliss. We offer specialty and seasonal cookies, and we create custom gift baskets, as well as party favors for different events and occasions.”
Smith added, “Ohta and Magarin, the Sugar Mamas, are amazing! They have a really good product and work hard. The Sugar Mamas utilized MEDB’s free one-on-one business consultations to work out their cost to manufacture their products, cash flow, the best price to charge, and their manufacturing capacity. The Mamas are an example of a Maui-based food entrepreneur doing it right. I encourage all entrepreneurs to explore MEDB’s free business assistance services and their workshops, and to attend the 3rd annual Hawaii Small Business Conference in 2019.”
Maui is fortunate to have MEDB providing amazing services supporting entrepreneurs, allowing us to see the bigger picture, be more business minded, and see that our dreams can become a reality. Come see us at the MIMCF!
Leanne Ohta and Ana Magarin, Maui Sugar Mamas
Oct 3, 2018 | Community
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. On Maui, the Mana’olana (“Hope”) Pink Paddlers, a group of cancer survivors and their supporters, bring cancer awareness through the art, the sport, and most importantly, the mana of Hawaiian Outrigger Canoe paddling. A 501(c)3 nonprofit since 2010, the Pink Paddlers are committed to educational outreach in the community as well as developing rewarding partnerships with the Pacific Cancer Foundation. The Pink’s original vision, to reach out to breast cancer survivors, now includes all cancer survivors and their supporters, regardless of age or gender.
“Our mission is to cultivate hope, health, fitness, and fun for cancer survivors and supporters, utilizing traditional Hawaiian outrigger canoes to encourage physical exercise, build confidence and lasting friendships,” said Mana’olana Pink Paddlers President, Mary Dungans. “We reassure, by example, that exercise can aid recovery and demonstrate that people living with this disease can lead full and active lives. Today, we have over 100 members ranging in age up into the 90’s and are still paddling strong!”
The Pinks hope to bring, not just paddling, training, and technique, but awareness of the sea, the wind, the life, the culture, and what’s on the horizon. Their sport is an invitation to strengthen body, mind and lasting friendships from paddling with a crew.
“When I moved to Maui, I wanted to contribute to my community and honor my parents, who both passed away from cancer,” Dungans explained. “I came to paddle with Mana’olana in 2010. I had no idea what a joyous and positive experience it would be! The Pinks welcomed me and made me feel included in something very special. To be able to paddle out into the ocean in the mornings, greet the day, say prayers for loved ones and kindred spirits and affirm our gratitude was the best medicine anyone could ever hope for. I was strengthened mentally, physically and spiritually. I realized my mission was to empower others to be happy and strong—no matter what obstacles come along.” For more information about the Pink Paddlers visit: www.manaolanapinkpaddlersmaui.org.
Survivor or supporter, all are invited to the Maui Canoe Club on Sugar Beach, just off North Kihei Road on Tuesday and Thursday at 8:15am.
Mary Dungans, President, Mana’olana Pink Paddlers
Sep 12, 2018 | Community
On September 29, Maui’s 25th annual “Saddle Up” St. Jude Trail Ride will take place. The spirited 10-mile ride begins at 9 a.m. It goes from Thompson Road to the Fleming Arboretum in the Pu’u Mahoe cinder cone, through private lands of Ulupalakua and OW Ranch. Horse and riders arrive at 8 a.m. at the Haleakala Ranch corrals on Thompson Road in Ulupalakua.
Thompson Ranch has organized Maui’s annual St. Jude’s Trail ride since 1992. “Having brought more than $360,000 in donations since our first ride in 1992, we feel compelled to continue our support of this charity that helps save the precious lives of children around the world,” said Toni Thompson, of Thompson Ranch. “St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital leads the way in understanding, treating and defeating childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. The money raised by events like this help ensure families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food.”
Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to more than 80% since it opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude freely shares the discoveries it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors world-wide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. “We have all been affected by cancer in some way or another,” said Thompson. “This event allows our community to come together to help push the childhood cancer survival rate to 100%. We encourage the whole community to donate to this extraordinary cause.”
A rider in this year’s Saddle Up, Taryn Bernabe from Makawao, said, “St. Jude is unique. Consistent with the vision of founder and entertainer, Danny Thomas, no child is denied treatment based on race, religion, or money. Thomas opened the doors to St. Jude in 1962 with the dream that ‘no child should die in the dawn of life.’”
Bernabe concluded, “It’s the most beautiful ride ever! The participants are riding above the clouds and looking down on the whole island.” For more information, call Thompson Ranch at (808) 878-1910.
The lunch is always incredible too! Riders are treated with the traditional cowboy stew made by Uncle Joe and his wife, Aunty Gwen De Rego. There will be door prizes and awards.
Taryn Bernabe, St. Jude “Saddle Up” Rider
Aug 29, 2018 | Community
Principal Chris Bachaus of Kula Elementary School had a vision. He began working on a project to help students that were struggling with STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) classes in the Kula community. “Many of our students weren’t getting the basic concepts behind their classroom-based lessons, so I decided to take it into the real world and teach them in a functional, project-based environment, a farm,” Bachaus said.
Principal Bachaus convinced the Department of Education (DOE) to allow him to use the six acres Kula School owns in Keokea to start an Agriculture (Ag) Science Program for his students. This property was the site of the old and historically significant Keokea School, abandoned when the current Kula School opened, in 1964.
“In past years, Kula has been involved in commercial agriculture and still has an economic dependence on farming,” Bachaus explained. “Many of these students have a strong connection to the land in their family life. By connecting them to their roots, we hope to reinforce the mastery of STEM technology through an Ag educational experience. This program is also a means to connect the students to their sense of place–they will learn responsibility and respect for the land and gain an understanding that will better prepare them as future decision makers and leaders in the community. Projects include growing plants, produce, a community lei garden, animal husbandry, and more.”
“This is not a DOE funded program, so it must be completely funded from outside sources,” said Bachaus. Financial support has been given through numerous community businesses and private donors. Recently, the Upcountry Children’s Giving Circle (UCGC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, provided the Ag program with a 10-passenger van that was donated to them by Goodfellow Brothers.
Lesley Alexander Castellano, President of the UCGC Board said, “UCGC pays the insurance and maintains the van for Ag project activities. We are committed to the success of the Kula Ag Science Program and to bringing resources to support this exciting new program and maintaining the traditions of Kula agriculture.”
Donations and volunteers are continually needed for the Kula School Ag-Science Program. For more information call (808) 876-7610.
Chris Bachaus, Principal, Kula Elementary School
Aug 22, 2018 | Community
Teens Cook with Heart, a six-week school program initiated by the American Heart Association (AHA), teaches students how to prepare nutritional meals to embrace a healthier lifestyle. Mentored by volunteer chefs, the program culminates with a teen Iron Chef cooking competition.
“Studies show that youth who are involved in preparing their own meals are more likely to eat nutritious foods,” said Eve Bondar, AHA Development Manager. “Moreover, the lessons get youth excited about trying new foods and encourage them to share this passion with their own families at home, thus expanding the program’s reach to the larger community. The wide range of healthy cuisine taught in the classes includes fresh fruits and vegetables for use in smoothies, salsas, dressings, chili, guacamole, and fresh fish.”
AHA volunteer chefs explain food safety to students, such as how to use a knife properly, and how to swap out harmful ingredients for healthier ingredients. “The goal I hope to accomplish through teaching and mentoring is for our youth to realize that as we go through life, we must be aware of the things we put into our bodies,” said Executive Chef Ryan Luckey from Leilanis on the Beach. “This is a concern because obesity in childhood has more than tripled and youth are currently at high risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”
Private Chef Rob Mason agreed, “All the participating chefs help to inspire the students to hone their skills and harness their creative talents in the culinary arts. I believe in consistently building strong relationships with regional farmers, artisans and purveyors, and making lasting contributions to the Maui community.”
The AHA program currently supports over 400 students on the West Side, and a crowdfunding site has been established to increase the reach of the program to more children on Maui. Each $2,500 raised allows another class to be included in the program for the 2018-19 school year. Tax deductible donations can be made at heart.org/MauiKids. For more information call Eva Bondar at (808)212-4861 or email Eva.Bondar@heart.org.
I am committed to sustainable local agriculture and the Farm to Table Movement.
Executive Chef Ryan Luckey, Leilanis on the Beach
Jul 25, 2018 | Community, Events
Maui residents Dr. Tom Vendetti, Robert Stone, and Keola and Moana Beamer recently received an award for “Environmental Activism in Film” at the 2018 Taos Film Festival in New Mexico. The award, inspired by the power of films to make positive changes for humanity, coincided with Earth Day. The theme of the 2018 festival was “Finding True Happiness in an Unsettled World”. Dr. Vendetti, Director of Mental Health Kokua, is also an Emmy award-winning director for his documentary films that lead to social change. “We are honored to receive the filmmakers’ activist award recognizing the mission to preserve the environment,” said Vendetti. “In my early twenties, I was convinced that finding the meaning of life was the path to happiness. So, I envisioned my own life as a quest.”
As a doctor and seeker, Vendetti made a multitude of documentaries in the psychological and environmental arena, which brought him insights that later extended into a fascination with other cultures and belief systems. Vendetti still works in mental health. However, his first visit to the Himalayas sparked his other career as an Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker.
Robert Stone, an Emmy award-winning director, producer, writer, and cinematographer, and Vendetti have traveled around the globe, co-producing seven films that have gone on to air on the Public Broadcasting System. Additionally, they founded the Angkor Wat International Film Festival in Siem Reap, Cambodia. “Through telling simple stories that open the heart and emotions, we have raised awareness of the sacred in everyday life,” said Stone. “We simply want to make a positive difference that will help all of us.”
Keola Beamer is a multi-award-winning musician, legendary slack key guitarist, and world-renowned Native Hawaiian musician. His wife Moana has expanded her role in his performances through dance, chants, singing background vocals, and playing several ancient Hawaiian percussive instruments. Together, they have been traveling with Vendetti and making films that bring Hawaiian music and dance to the world.
My cause for years has been promoting happiness, as both a psychologist and a filmmaker. Our latest film Tibetan Illusion Destroyer creates awareness of the illusions that cause human suffering.
Dr. Tom Vendetti, Mental Health Kokua, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker
