Jan 2, 2013 | Community
From Makawao to Wailuku, Haiku to Lahaina, youth across the island are vowing to do their part to do better in school, show appreciation for family and contribute to their community’s welfare. Noa, 13, of Haiku, vows in 2013 to: “Do my homework earlier in the evening.” In Lahaina, 16-year-old Melissa said she’s been doing “really good” in her senior year but the stress and pressure has been overwhelming. “Basically I shouldn’t let the stress and pressure get to me. I should turn these problems into something positive and let them motivate me,” she said.
Kaitlin, 17, of Makawao, said as a high school senior she’s beginning to realize how much she takes her relationships with family for granted. “I really just want to spend time with them before I go to college, letting them know how much I care about them.” Demi, 18, of Wailuku, said she’s had to deal with the differences in personality with four siblings in her home. “We all tend to be really stubborn and never listen to each other,” Demi said. “We have to improve our communication skills and learn not to talk over each other.” Alisha, 17, of Paia, said she wants to show appreciation for her parents in 2013. “I know that my parents sacrifice a lot for me so that I may succeed, so in return I will make sure to do my part by doing well as a student and contributing to my family by doing my chores as well as thanking them for their support and help.”
In regard to contributing to their community, students were drawn to a variety of causes from caring for the homeless to mentoring younger peers. For Demi, she said she would like to engage in service projects such as beach clean-ups and canned food drives. Alisha said she’d like to continue volunteering at the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center, while Lola, 16, of Kihei, wants to pass on lessons about leadership. “I will mentor younger students at my school and encourage them to expand on their strengths and overcome their weaknesses that may stop them from reaching their full potential.”
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.”
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.
Oct 31, 2012 | Community
On November 6, General Election day, Stacey Moniz will show up at a Maui polling place, just as she has been for the last two decades. Not to vote, but to serve as a volunteer precinct official. “For me it’s the one civic thing I can do besides voting,” she said. As executive director for Women Helping Women, Moniz avoids all conflicts of interest by declining to endorse or campaign for candidates. What she does encourage is voting and volunteering at precincts in need of help with those who come to cast ballots. “Voting is a very, very serious thing and volunteering at a polling place can be enjoyable,” Moniz said.
A volunteer since 1990, Moniz has helped at polling places in Kihei, Paia and Wailuku. “I’m a volunteer at heart,” she said. Training for precinct officials is provided. Moniz said she’s particularly impressed with the state and county officials’ progress over the years in eliminating as many barriers as possible for voters to cast ballots. For example, precinct officials can provide pen holders and magnifying glasses for voters who need the assistance. If a person is physically unable to get out of a car at a polling place, precinct officials can bring the poll book and ballot to the person. “My goal is to help the voters go through the process as easily as possible,” Moniz said.
Qualifications for a precinct official include:
- Be 16 years of age on or before June 30, 2012
- Be able to read and write English
- Be able to lift 25 to 35 pounds; and
- Be able to attend a training session.
A precinct official’s day starts at 5:30 a.m. and ends between 7 and 7:30 p.m. A stipend of $85 for the day is provided to all precinct officials. For more information, call the Maui County Clerk’s Office at 270-7749 or visit: hawaii.gov/elections/volunteers.
Oct 24, 2012 | Community
Madelyne Pascua founded Dance International Production with the intention of perpetuating the Filipino culture on Maui. She continues to do that today, sixteen years after forming her dance troupe. The group’s repertoire also includes Hawaiian and Tahitian dances. Pascua earned a choreographer and director certificate from the Kalihi Palama Arts & Culture Academy on Oahu. She said her passion for dance dates back to the age of nine when she first arrived in Hawaii, learning Tahitian, hula and eventually Filipino folk dance.
She said she prefers an all-female dance troupe, but you need not be Filipino to be a part of Dance International Production. “I always tell my dancers, dance with your heart,” she said. Today, the group has 35 members ages 5 to 22. They perform once a month at the Maui Mall and two to three times a month at Whalers Village Shopping Center. In addition to private parties, Dance International Production has provided free performances at community venues including the Barrio Fiesta, Miss Maui Filipina Pageant, the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life fundraiser and the Maui Fil-Am Heritage Festival. Dancers in 2006 traveled to the Philippines to perform in five different towns, and earlier this year they shared Filipino dances at a Barrio Fiesta held at the St. Martin University campus in Washington state.
To be a part of Dance International Production, performers are exposed to dances from several cultures. “This enables the individual to learn and respect different cultures,” Pascua said. In addition, Pascua encourages her dancers to attend college and has awarded $7,000 in scholarships during the last four years to nine of her dancers. Pascua said she hopes to have continuous income from performances so that more college scholarships can be provided. Dance International Production is also aiming to have a studio with a library so that both members and non-members can learn more about world cultures.
Oct 17, 2012 | Community
Four of the nine seats on the Board of Trustees for the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs will go before voters during the Nov. 6 general election. A fifth seat, representing Moloka‘i and Lana‘i, is uncontested, so the incumbent, OHA Chairwoman Collette Machado, has no opponent on the ballot. All registered voters can vote for candidates in this year’s contested OHA races; they are the residency seats for Maui, Kaua‘i-Ni‘ihau, Hawai‘i Island, and one at-large seat. The trustees serving on the O‘ahu seat and three other at-large seats are not up for re-election this year.
Eight candidates are seeking the Maui residency seat on the OHA Board of Trustees. In November 2011, when former Maui trustee and retired 2nd Circuit Judge Boyd Mossman resigned from his OHA seat to take an unpaid position as leader of the Mormon Church in Kona, Gov. Neil Abercrombie appointed Carmen “Hulu” Lindsey in January 2012 to serve out the remainder of Mossman’s term. The eight candidates running for the Maui OHA seat in November are: Johanna Ku‘ulei Shin Amorin of Kihei, Glenn G. Au of Wailuku, Rose Duey of Wailuku, Doreen Pua Gomes of Kula, Dain Kane of Wailuku, Ke‘eaumoku Kapu of Lahaina, Carmen “Hulu” Lindsey of Makawao, and Kaulana Mossman of Kula. There are 11 candidates vying for the Kaua‘i-Ni‘ihau seat, three for the Hawai‘i island seat and six for the open at-large seat. For more information, visit http://www.oha.org/ka-wai-ola/decision-2012
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs functions as both a government agency with a strong degree of autonomy, and as a trust. OHA’s own website states that its “purpose is to provide the opportunity for a better life and future for all Hawaiians.” OHA’s mission statement: “To mālama (protect) Hawai‘i’s people and environmental resources and OHA’s assets, toward ensuring the perpetuation of the culture, the enhancement of lifestyle and the protection of entitlements of Native Hawaiians, while enabling the building of a strong and healthy Hawaiian people and nation, recognized nationally and internationally.”
Sep 19, 2012 | Community
With public help and government support, Maui Invasive Species Committee has made inroads in its work to eradicate annoying coqui frogs. Since 2006, 11 of the 17 Maui populations of coqui frogs have been silenced, according to Lissa Strohecker, MISC outreach and education specialist. A crew of five people work weekly from 1 to 11 p.m. staking areas, mostly in East Maui, to eradicate the frogs. “We’ve had quite a bit of success,” she said. “The landowners are always happy when we can get rid of them.” For each populated area of coquis, there are as little as 20,000 to as many as 90,000 frogs per acre.
Experts say the coqui frog was accidentally introduced into Hawai‘i from Puerto Rico sometime in 1988. The coquis’ mating call has become a noise nuisance, reaching up to 90 decibels, equivalent to the sound of a lawn mower. “They start calling in the late afternoon and continue all through the night,” Strohecker said. Aside from the noise, coqui frogs pose a risk to the environment because they eat Hawai‘i’s unique insects and spiders. Scientists have expressed concern that an established coqui frog population could be a food source should brown tree snakes ever make their way into the islands. “It also has an impact on tourism,” Strohecker said. While most reports of coqui findings are in East Maui, MISC worked diligently with Ritz-Carlton Kapalua to get rid of coqui frogs reported by the hotel.
Dale Castleton, owner of Dale Castleton Plant Nursery in Kihei, was one of the first businesses to enroll in MISC’s voluntary coqui-free nursery program. The requirements for participation include agreeing to treatments of citric acid and regular inspections. “It was a lot of work, but it was worth the time to be free of coqui frogs,” Castleton said. To date, there are nearly 40 participants in MISC’s coqui certification program. Strohecker said MISC’s staff depend on visitors and residents to call them at 573-6472 whenever they hear the coqui frog. A location is declared coqui-free one year after callings are silenced.
