May 30, 2012 | Community
Phyllis McOmber fights cancer with the same zeal she initiates community projects — fearlessly. Through it all, the 74-year-old organ player at the Lāna‘i Baptist Church says her faith in God sustains her. McOmber has been at the forefront of numerous Lāna‘i initiatives from building a preschool to opening a new health care center. She’s served on the Maui County Urban Design Review Board and the Lāna‘i Art Program board of directors. Her most recent project as an advisor to the Maui Hotel and Lodging Association netted $10,000 for the annual Lāna‘i Charity Walk.
A Florida native, McOmber moved in the 1960s to Lāna‘i where she worked as a college educator and created continuing education and university extension programs on the island. She founded the Lāna‘i Community Health Center, a project 10 years in the making. A temporary clinic site currently serves as many 900 patients a year, many of whom are uninsured. There are plans to build a permanent facility, but the project still has to raise another $5 million to go forward. McOmber said her volunteer efforts sprang from a motivation to support the community she lives in. “No matter how much time it takes, it’s been twice worth it,” she said. “Basically this is my home and I want to do everything I can for my home.” She said she appreciates recognition, but notes that many others join her in carrying out community projects. “Everything I’ve done, I haven’t done by myself,” she said. “Everything has really been supported by community needs and I’m proud of that.”
A survivor of breast and colon cancer, McOmber was being treated for bone cancer this year. She was diagnosed with brain cancer in early May. The day after returning home from radiation treatment on Oahu, McOmber said she felt weak but her spirits remained strong. “I don’t feel bad. I don’t hurt. … I have my faith,” she said in a phone interview. She vowed not to let cancer stop her from continuing to contribute at home. “I hope it doesn’t get me down. I don’t plan on it.”
May 23, 2012 | Community
Wailuku attorney Bill Kinaka donated his first pint of blood more than 20 years ago. He did so by brushing aside his fear of blood and sharp needles. He said he focused on the appeal that he was supporting: a blood drive for a young child with leukemia. “I was so afraid the first time but I couldn’t say no,” Kinaka recalled recently. He said his experience with the Blood Bank of Hawaii was painless and now he looks forward to every time he gets to donate. “It’s become so automatic for me.”
The Blood Bank of Hawaii distinguishes Kinaka as a century donor because he has given more than 100 pints of blood. Kinaka’s also helped collect 481 pints of blood and recruited 30 first-time donors, enough to save 1,443 lives, according to the Blood Bank’s estimates. “Bill is not only a century donor, he’s also a volunteer recruiter,” said Aaron Knapp, director of Donor Services for the Blood Bank of Hawaii. “Bill goes the extra mile, he goes above and beyond.” Depending on his work schedule, Kinaka will wear a shirt with the Blood Bank of Hawaii logo and carry with him written information about how to make a donation. “As soon as people ask, they’re trapped. … I’m a walking billboard for the Blood Bank.”
Separate from his Blood Bank support, Kinaka has volunteered for more than 30 years as a board member for Maui Adult Day Care Center, and Hale Mahaolu, a nonprofit that owns and manages low and moderate-income unit housing for the elderly and families. Kinaka, an Eagle Scout, said he vowed as a youngster growing up in Lahaina that he would do something to fight discrimination and honor the county’s senior citizens. “People didn’t used to give them much care or thought yet they are the people that made the community what it is today.” He said he’s very proud of the Maui Adult Day Care Center’s programs and the national recognition Hale Mahaolu has received for its housing projects.
Apr 25, 2012 | Community
High school graduating seniors Allyssa Ferrer and Roselyn Domingo had never paddled a canoe until a recent outing with the Kihei Canoe Club. “I thought it was a good workout,” Ferrer said. “It was really fun and it was a good experience to go out in the water and get exercise,” Domingo added. The two were among members of the Focus Maui Nui Youth Alliance who learned about the art of paddling outrigger canoes during a visit led by Deb Pearsall of the Kihei Canoe Club. With the support of Maui Economic Development Board, the Youth Alliance gathers monthly to explore and gain a greater understanding of key components in the Maui community.
Kihei Canoe Club’s community outreach projects have included providing canoe paddling experiences to Maui visitors and to residents with physical limitations. Pearsall said the club pays special attention to its youth crews, giving lessons on Hawaiian chants, star navigation and how outrigger canoe paddling was an integral part of the islands’ history. “The perpetuation of Hawaiian culture, that’s definitely a part of it,” Pearsall said. “For our young people it’s really about connecting with their ancestry, their heritage.” The Kihei Canoe Club has approximately 300 members, half of whom paddle competitively and the other half recreationally. “We encourage kids to get involved in paddling because ultimately, college scholarships are available,” Pearsall said.
Ferrer said she doesn’t think she’ll join a paddling club because her schedule is full of senior year activities. But both she and Domingo — lifelong residents of Maui — have acquired a better appreciation for canoe paddlers. “I give them credit and props, using the strength of their upper body and getting out there in the water is a lot of work, but a lot of fun too,” Domingo said. “I think everyone should try it out at least once,” Ferrer added. The youth also helped with replacing cushions in six of the club’s 14 or so canoes. Pearsall said she was glad to have hosted the Youth Alliance. “It was a great opportunity to meet them and get to how they feel about responsibility in their community.”
Apr 18, 2012 | Community
A retired optometric physician, Bernard Brown, now eyes guests at the Maui Ocean Center with smiles and warm embraces as he greets them to the island’s only aquarium. “The visitors who come to Maui are very interested in what the island has to offer, and I’m happy to tell them all about it,” he said. Brown, a part-time Wailea resident with another home in Salem, OR, has been volunteering during the winter season for six years. His most recent assignment has been to speak to the hundreds of visitors who arrive by bus to visit the Ocean Center. “I just want these people to feel real comfortable and glad that they’ve come to Maui,” he said.
Brown has won admiration for his welcoming mannerisms from visitors who offer tips (he doesn’t accept any) and from the staff at the Maui Ocean Center. This year, employees treated Brown and his wife, Selma, to lunch at the aquarium’s restaurant for their 66th wedding anniversary. The staff also writes mahalo notes to Brown each year. “Bernard is a treasure, always with a smile on his face and ready with a warm embrace … His contribution is greatly appreciated,” Maui Ocean Center General Manager Katie Zolezzi said. Selma Brown said she supports her husband’s volunteer efforts. “He’s great at what he does, and they treat him so well too,” she said.
Brown said that while he appreciates the compliments, he makes sure to give them right back. For example, when greeting Ocean Center visitors, he recognizes their bus driver who brought them to the aquarium. “No one seems to give them credit,” he said. He also praises each individual for taking the time to visit the island. “Vacation people are great. For the most part, they’re in a good mood. I love the downers too. I try to get them happy,” Brown said. “This is all fun and very rewarding for me.”
Mar 21, 2012 | Community
In a time when businesses are struggling, VIP Cash N’ Carry continues to increase sales according to Store Manager, Leila Maddela. The store in Kahului recently updated its digs, expanded its space, increased staff to 30 employees and added more retail to serve the needs of Maui families. The success comes from a commitment to provide “better value for your ohana” and a willingness to respond to a changing client base. “We adapted so we could serve household consumers, not just food service companies,” Maddela said.
Valley Isle Produce was established in 1951 by the late Roy Okumura and his wife, Lorraine, who still checks into the store along with her son, Nelson, who serves as the president of the company. As a division of VIP Foodservice, VIP Cash N’ Carry opened in 1986 with five employees, primarily offering products for foodservice customers and families hosting large parties. That changed in the last decade with a move to cater more to families, whether they were having parties or not. “Our customers are family to us. We know our regular customers and serve them with full hearts and a spirit of gratitude,” Maddela said. Since its client base is family, Maddela said the store also promotes family-friendly attitudes toward its staff, offering profit sharing bonuses, holding appreciation luncheons and supporting associates in their time of family loss. “We try to support each other,” she said.
Even in its success, Maddela said there is still much more to be told as she finds instances when people are surprised at the broad selection of retail products in the store. Its store name also appears to give the incorrect impression about forms of payments — VIP Cash N‘ Carry accepts cash, major credit cards, debit cards and checks. There are plans in place to open a second location in West Maui. “The future looks great as we continue to provide better value for the ohana of Maui,” Maddela said.
Mar 15, 2012 | Community
Youth Alliance members impressed an expert Maui County planner with ideas about how Wailuku could become a more thriving community. As the supervising planner for the County’s Long Range Planning Division, David Yamashita is charged with overseeing a project called reWailuku. The Wailuku Community Association, the County Planning Department and the Maui Redevelopment Agency coordinated “ReWailuku” as a means to collect community comments on plans to revitalize the historic town. Visiting the community design project gave the Youth Alliance members a chance to provide their perspective to the reWailuku team. “Adults and youth look at things in a whole different way. It was really helpful to hear from the youth,” Yamashita said.
King Duke, a junior at Maui High School, said: “The reWailuku event taught me a lot about how a community thrives. I really respect what they are doing with the fact that they are trying to remember what was good about Wailuku,” Taking its cues from the Youth Alliance, the reWailuku team plans to incorporate the idea of creating a place for young adults to gather and “hang out” in Wailuku, Yamashita said. “We call it the third place,” he said, adding that a person’s first place is home and the second might be school or the workplace. Yamashita said the purpose of reWailuku is to “create a Wailuku for the next generation.”
Having heard from both adults and youth in the community has helped the Planning Department come up with a solid plan for the Central Maui town. “Wailuku should be a walkable town,” Yamashita said. A public presentation on the reWailuku project findings will be made on March 28. More information is available at reWailuku.com. Duke said he and other Youth Alliance members enjoyed sharing ideas and envisioning the future of Wailuku. “Maui should keep its Hawaiian feel, a paradise of sorts where everything is beautiful and you don’t want to stop walking because there’s so many great places to go with such friendly people.”
Mar 8, 2012 | Community
Rick Rutiz with Hana School student, Christine Naihe.
Carpenter Rick Rutiz has developed an award-winning program that boosts self-esteem in Hana’s youth, while building much needed facilities in their community. The Hana School Building Program “Ma Ka Hana Ke ‘Ike” (“in working, one learns”) started 12 years ago with Rutiz guiding a small group of struggling high school students with a task to build a counselor’s office on their campus. From there, more students joined Rutiz’s program and they began tackling projects that required even more specialized skills such as artistic tiling, building with bamboo and renovating facilities to make them accessible to the handicapped. The program began with funding support from small contractors like Rutiz and has since won awards and grants from private citizens, government, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and private foundations.
Today, Ma Ka Hana Ke ‘Ike has graduated 100-plus students, many of whom have landed jobs in the construction field and others who went on to college, equipped with knowledge of how to use basic tools. “Many of our kids have not had an easy time in the classroom. But we found that through our program, they gained life skills, they built their self-esteem and they finally found something they can do and do well,” Rutiz said. “They have learned to find success in themselves.”
The newest component of the Hana Building Program features graduate apprentices who support Rutiz by mentoring younger students. “It’s just great to see them teach younger kids. Our apprentices are continuing to learn, but they’re also helping me with training so that we can perpetuate this program,” Rutiz said. “I’m very proud of my graduates. They’re incredible and most of them have surpassed what I thought they could do.” Rutiz said the program inspires him. “I get to work every day and see this lighting up of self-confidence and self-worth in my students. It’s awesome, absolutely awesome.”
Feb 29, 2012 | Community
Bob and Barbara Spaulding
Husband and wife Bob and Barbara Spaulding deliver hot meals every Sunday, nine months out of the year, to South Maui’s homebound, frail, elderly and disabled. The Spauldings are amongst 28 volunteers who regularly transport cooked meals-to-go from Hale Kau Kau, a soup kitchen aimed at curbing hunger on the island. On each trip, the Spauldings deliver food to as many as 15 homes, taking the time to visit with grateful recipients who are unable for various reasons to shop or cook their own meals. “It’s extremely rewarding to know we feed not only their basic needs, but the soul as well,” Bob Spaulding said. “I realize sometimes it’s the only human contact they have that day,” added Barbara, Spaulding’s wife of 55 years.
The Spauldings say in the 10 years they’ve delivered meals, they’ve experienced great support for the work they do. “Whenever we’ve needed to make a left turn on South Kihei Road, someone gives way. It’s the Maui way, others make allowances so you can do what you need to do,” Mr. Spaulding said. Since the fiscal year opened on July 1, Hale Kau Kau has prepared more than 34,000 meals, a 13 percent increase over the same time period the year before. About three-quarters of the last six month’s meals are served out of a kitchen at St. Theresa Church in Kihei; the rest were delivered to the homebound. The meal program for the homebound has been in existence for about 12 of the 20 years Hale Kau Kau has operated.
Hale Kau Kau’s major fundraiser of the year takes place Saturday at the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort and Spa. The event features live and silent auctions, a buffet dinner with no host bar, and entertainment by local performers Louise Alborano and Tarvin Makia opening for headliner Makana, Hawaii’s youngest slack key guitar master. To attend the fundraiser or make a donation, call 875-8754 or e-mail: hkkmaui@yahoo.com or hkkmariet@gmail.com
Feb 8, 2012 | Community
Fire Chief Jeff Murray
Continuing our series on newly appointed County Department Directors, reflecting the role of government in responding to community values and needs.
The son of a retired corrections officer and preschool teacher, Maui County Fire Chief Jeff Murray is living a lifelong dream to serve his community in a very special way. “I love my job,” Murray said. In his position, Murray leads a staff of 300 uniformed firefighters and 12 civilians and oversees a budget of $29 million. A 1983 graduate of Maui High School, Murray began his career as a firefighter when he enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1984 and served in places like Texas, Illinois, South Korea and Honolulu. He returned home in 1989 and has since worked in practically every fire station on Maui. Murray is married, has four children and enjoys surfing, diving, fishing and baseball.
He brings to work a number of values instilled in him while growing up on Maui. These include integrity, compassion, professionalism and a sense of community. Murray said he prefers to seek input from staff before making decisions. “I like to look at things from all aspects. For the most part, I like to have as much participation as possible.” But as a leader when he’s pressed, he’s not afraid to trust his experience and instincts and make timely decisions on his own.
Murray says the best thing that residents can do to assist firefighters and other emergency responders is to post visible signage on their homes and provide clear and specific directions to their addresses. He said he’s not aware of a situation when a delayed response caused major damage or any loss of life. “We shouldn’t have to wait for a situation like that. We always want to be proactive.”
The Maui County Fire Department responds to a range of calls from fires to ocean and mountain rescues to the safe containment of hazardous materials. Firefighters are also dedicated to educating the community about fire safety. They conduct regular safety briefings with private companies and they reach thousands of school-aged children every year with fire station visits and Fire Prevention Week activities.
Phyllis McOmber fights cancer with the same zeal she initiates community projects — fearlessly. Through it all, the 74-year-old organ player at the Lāna‘i Baptist Church says her faith in God sustains her. McOmber has been at the forefront of numerous Lāna‘i initiatives from building a preschool to opening a new health care center. She’s served on the Maui County Urban Design Review Board and the Lāna‘i Art Program board of directors. Her most recent project as an advisor to the Maui Hotel and Lodging Association netted $10,000 for the annual Lāna‘i Charity Walk.
