Nov 10, 2011 | Community
Members of the Focus Maui Nui Youth Alliance kicked off the 2011 program year by carrying out a key strategy in protecting the island’s natural environment. With the help of adult environmental experts and volunteers, the high school students combed Kamaole III Beach Park in Kihei while engaging in lessons about the importance of sea birds to Maui’s natural habitat and assisting in catching and banding shearwater chicks in burrows by the beach. The event held on October 22 also covered activities on the scientific significance of beach dunes and what kind of community action is being taken to protect and preserve the island’s sandy shores.
“The kids were great,” coastal geologist Tara Miller Owens said. “I think they learned a lot. Hopefully they’re going home and teaching their families.” Jay Penniman, manager of the Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project, said he felt hopeful after receiving help from the students with catching and banding the young sea birds. “We need to be teaching our young people about the ʻāina (land) and how to take care of all the species that live here.” Also on hand were community activists Bob and Lis Richardson who spoke about creating the volunteer organization The Dune Restoration Project.
For Owens, it was key that the youth participating in the event understand the beach processes and the importance of healthy dunes. She said discussions about dunes brought awareness to those who can do something about it in the future. “When you’ve grown up on this island, sometimes you think things are obvious but that’s not necessarily so. I’m glad we were able to raise awareness so they can take action,” she said. Penniman shared the same sentiments, saying he hopes the students will contemplate studying the importance of preserving natural resources, perhaps even undertaking a college degree program to learn more. “The more we understand how our environment works, the better we can be about protecting and preserving,” he said.
Nov 3, 2011 | Community
Continuing our series on newly appointed County Department Directors, reflecting the role of government in responding to community values and needs.
Maui County Finance Director Danny Agsalog left his native home of the Philippines in 1979 to establish a new life on the Valley Isle. His work experience started with two jobs, one as a full-time supermarket stock boy and a part-time restaurant dishwasher in Wailuku. That led to enlistment in the United States Air Force and then the Air National Guard, followed by enrollment and completion of studies at the University of Hawaii at West Oahu in 1995. These experiences eventually led to two years of service as County Budget Director during Mayor Alan Arakawa’s first term in the early 2000s. Now, Agsalog has been tapped to work as the Finance Director, overseeing approximately 156 employees including those in the Division of Motor Vehicle and Real Property Taxes.
Agsalog calls his career and education journey “nontraditional” but one that involved a lot of determination and desire to serve the Maui community. “I’ve always loved Maui. Maui is no ka oi,” he says. In regard to direct service with the public, Agsalog explains he has invested money and time into customer service training and management workshops for DMV employees. He says public perceptions and feedback have improved since the work force training was offered. “It’s really about how you deal with people and just talking to the staff about the importance of customer service has helped.”
In the Real Property Taxes Division, Agsalog gives credit to staffers for their due diligence that has reduced appeals from as many as 2,000 last year to less than 800 this year. “I will not take the credit for this. We have a lot of professional people making great effort to getting things right the first time.” The purchasing section of the Finance Department has also made strides. Agsalog says employees there deal with Maui County contractors, monitoring work orders and ensuring that any changes are justifiable and necessary. “I want to be accountable to the people of Maui,” Agsalog said. “It’s important we evaluate what we’re spending and hold ourselves accountable because it’s the people’s money.”
Oct 27, 2011 | Education
Retired educators Pat and Richard Endsley of Lahaina have built an after-school tutoring project that serves more than 300 children a year in West Maui. They say they could not have achieved success without the generosity of some 100 adult tutors and 70 high school students. They also give credit to their major sponsors — the County of Maui, Susan Bendon and her family in Paia, Debbie and Stuart Katz and their nonprofit Beyond the Rainbow and Aina Nalu. The Rotary Clubs in West Maui have also chipped in money and the Old Lahaina Luau and the Ritz-Carlton have provided volunteer tutors.
“You have to have a whole gamut of people who will help you,” Pat Endsley said. “Without them we could not do this.” The tutoring itself is free. In addition to being tutors, the Endsleys oversee other duties including tutor recruitment and training, ordering of books and supplies and maintaining a budget. The tutoring project costs approximately $26,000 to operate but none of the money is used for salaries. Expenses covered by a County grant and donations from businesses and residents include bus transportation, snacks, books and other tutoring supplies for the students.
Pat and Richard Endsley welcome volunteers from the Kaunoa Senior Service Volunteer Program while also being participants themselves. They say the majority of their tutors are retirees, of which only a handful are experienced in education. In addition, Lahainaluna High School students also help 4th-graders with math assignments. While the tutoring program focuses on skills in math and reading, the Endsleys were able to fulfill Pat’s dream to add extracurricular activities including lessons in history, ukulele and other creative arts. “To me the program’s perfect now,” Pat Endsley said. The Endsleys started ‘Wednesday Is Tutoring Day’ at one school in the year 2000 and have expanded it to three days of the week at all four public schools on the West Side.
Oct 20, 2011 | Community, Events
At age 25, Ashley Takitani says First Friday in Wailuku has given her the encouragement and affirmation to establish a career in her homegrown community. Takitani works as the marketing director for Maui Thing, the retail store, while also serving as a volunteer on the Wailuku First Friday Committee. Saedene Ota, the owner of Maui Thing and Sae Design, and her staff are active supporters of First Friday in Wailuku. Takitani, a 2004 Baldwin High School graduate, spent about six years away from home, going to school and working in Los Angeles. She jumped at the chance to work with Ota, an award-winning designer involved in many civic activities including the role of University of Hawaii Regent.
First Friday in Wailuku features an evening of entertainment and live acts, local food, art, jewelry and fashion on a block on Market Street. Attendance at First Friday has grown from a few hundred to as many as 4,000 in one night, Takitani said. Maui Thing designed one of the first flyers to attract both residents and visitors to the event and then sponsored the first live band performance at the attraction. “We offer something for family and friends to do on a Friday night,” Takitani said. The 10 or so merchants who put on the event have found that their businesses get a jump start every month by holding the event. “It just does wonders and gives us a really great start to our month,” Takitani said. The merchants have also been happy to welcome other local vendors to showcase their wares and also make money. “First Friday is really all about community. It’s what Maui is all about, we support each other.”
Takitani said the event has proven to her that she can thrive in a career here at home and believes the same can happen for her contemporaries. “Something like First Friday is enticing for young people. The island has grown so much and it’s made it a lot easier to come home,” Takitani said. “When it comes down to it, it’s so much fun and everybody can really have a good time.”
Oct 13, 2011 | Education
Science teacher Maggie Prevenas working on location at Portage Glacier, AK
Award-winning science teacher Margaret “Maggie” Prevenas shares her passion for learning by escorting her students outside the classroom. “As a teacher, I need to bring my students outside and into their environment so they can really see how it works,” she said. Over the course of one school year, the Kalama Intermediate School teacher and a colleague took 7th graders to the Waihee coastline and a protected reserve to see and study first-hand the richness and resources of the land and ocean in the area. This particular exercise was made possible through a Ke Alahele Fund grant administered by Maui Economic Development Board. Prevenas deemed the project “wildly successful,” particularly with “rascal” pupils who turn into engaging students. “Outside in the environment, they are wizards, they are leaders,” she said. “Not all kids are going to be scientists but science is going to play an active role in their future on Maui and they can learn how to be good stewards of their environment.”
Prevenas continues to improve her eight-year teaching career by learning more about how she can best serve her students. Earlier this year, she was awarded an Endeavor Fellowship with NASA. The project provides live, online training for K-12 educators who are working to earn a certificate in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education from Teachers College, Columbia University in New York. “I’m trying to understand how my students learn so I can light their fire and get them to take over stewardship of the Earth and the environment they live in,” she said. Her lessons in Waihee have focused on global climate and ocean acidification. Prevenas’ mantra has been “let no child be left inside” which represents her stance that students learn best by engaging and connecting with the world they live in. “They all get to see how unspoiled, how beautiful Maui truly is and then they can become aware of this when global climate changes happen.”
Oct 6, 2011 | Community
Continuing our series on newly appointed County Department Directors, reflecting the role of government in responding to community values and needs.
Former County Council Member Jo Anne Johnson says she uses her knowledge of the governmental budgetary process and desire to lead by example to advance the mission of the County of Maui Department of Transportation. Johnson’s department manages one of the fastest growing transit systems in the United States — more than 2.5 million passengers use the public transit system each year, according to Johnson. “Transportation impacts the lives of everyone here in Maui County and especially those who are mobility challenged, so what our department does impacts the overall quality of life for all. We will always try to improve on that quality of life to the best of our ability and within our financial means.”
Johnson says one of the biggest challenges her department faces is the government’s dwindling financial resources. “We have to work more creatively in the area of finance to meet the growing needs of the people in the area of transportation. The old adage of ‘doing more with less’ has never been more relevant in carrying out the goals of the department.” Johnson says she takes a team approach to her job, seeking input from the people closest to the issue. “My basic philosophy is one of leading by example…My personal values are governed by my sincere desire to treat people honestly and respectfully and to do the best job I possibly can for the people of Maui,” Johnson says.
Johnson was married for more than 30 years to the late Jim Johnson who died of complications due to Parkinson‟s disease. She recently married Rabbi Larry Winer, whom she dated more than 35 years ago and reconnected with after Jim Johnson’s death. In her spare time, Johnson enjoys going to the movies and listening to music while she’s on the treadmill. She and her new husband also like to travel around the island and take in Maui’s sights and events. “I love my job and it is simply a continuation of my role as a public servant for the people.”
Sep 29, 2011 | Community, Events
Roy Silva has accepted the role of Maui Fair Director for the first time this year. “I’ve always loved the fair. I think it’s the greatest tradition Maui has,” he says. A former county employee, Silva served for nine years as its Parade Committee chairman. As Fair Director, he takes charge of all the committees and dozens of volunteers who operate the event starting Thursday and running through Sunday at the War Memorial Complex in Wailuku. As many as 5,400 participants including five grand marshals, Hawaii Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz and Mayor Alan Arakawa are scheduled to appear in Thursday’s parade, scheduled to begin at 4.30 p.m.
Silva said he wanted to serve his community in a unique way and took the opportunity to lead the Fair when he was offered the chance. This year’s Fair theme “A Timeless Tradition” represents what the event has meant to the thousands who have come to enjoy rides, learn from exhibits, indulge in local food and support nonprofits that use the Fair to raise money. “The Maui Fair is the oldest family tradition on island. You just can’t beat it,” Silva said. “There’s always a chance you’ll run into someone you know or haven’t seen for a long time.”
FOCUS MAUI NUI will be at the Fair again this year, gathering the opinions of the community with its Annual “Pulse of the People” 2011 Poll. FOCUS MAUI NUI is a voice, a plan, a vision for Maui County’s future created for and by the people who live here – people like you. Participate in the process by letting your views be known. Youth Alliance members and other volunteers will be on hand to help gather your points of view. Visit FOCUS MAUI NUI at the Entrance Lanai of the War Memorial Gym during Fair hours.
Sep 22, 2011 | Environment, Events, Small Business
This year’s Advanced Maui Optical and Space Technologies (AMOS) Conference provided an unmatched opportunity for Maui Oceanit Program Manager Curt Leonard. “To remain relevant in any business environment it is important to maintain close ties with “old friends” from industry while at the same time exploring new companies and emerging technologies,” Leonard said. The AMOS Conference is a program of the Maui Economic Development Board, whose mission includes taking innovative actions that strengthen existing industry as well as diversifying through new opportunities. The event held in Wailea earlier this month drew more than 600 participants from across the United States and countries such as Spain, Germany and Italy. The growing interest in the event is testament to its worldwide reputation as the premier space situational awareness conference in the world, taking full advantage of its location on Maui and the island’s cutting-edge telescopes atop 10,000-foot Haleakala.
Oceanit typically sets up an exhibit booth during the conference to help facilitate introductions to the company’s capabilities and serve as an ice breaker for business development discussions. Leonard said the event also gives Oceanit a chance to give back to the local community. “As a company we are committed to making a difference in our community, a mantra that is woven into Oceanit corporate fabric,” he said. This year Oceanit volunteered staff to guide students making a tour of conference exhibits and attending a session with an astronaut. “This is a huge hit with middle school students and Oceanit is proud to play a small role in a wonderful opportunity to expose and encourage Maui students to consider career paths in science, technology, engineering and math,” Leonard said. He added that part of Oceanit’s vision is to contribute to a thriving technology industry in Hawaii, to diversify its economy, and ensure that students who go into science and technology fields have a place to work in Hawaii. Oceanit’s Maui office has expertise in optical sciences and design, robotic systems, and consulting engineering; it currently has a contract to evaluate Kahului Harbor shoreline protection options to prevent beach erosion.
Sep 15, 2011 | Community, Sustainability
Every day of the year, volunteers dish out food at Hale Kau Kau, the island’s only daily soup kitchen. The volunteer force is an integral part of the nonprofit’s mission to feed the hungry and the homeless, according to its Executive Director, Monsignor Terry Watanabe. He also serves as the pastor of St. Theresa Church where the kitchen operates 365 days of the year. “I think there’s a real sense of caring in South Maui, people really want to reach out and do something tangible.” Watanabe said. The soup kitchen off Lipoa Street marks its 20th anniversary this year. Watanabe noted that dozens of people — residents and visitors to the island — have contributed their time and talent to be sure that the kitchen never closes, not even for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
One of these volunteers is Gail Mitchell, who began donating time to the program 18 years ago while making family trips to Maui. When she retired here 8 years ago, she became even more involved in working in the kitchen and making deliveries to the homebound — the elderly, the sick and disabled — people who might not otherwise get a hot dinner. “My faith in the mission of the church is all the motivation I need,” says Mitchell. “Feeding the hungry fulfills such a basic human need. The bonus, for me, is working alongside other volunteers who really have a heart, and working with great kids doing community service, whether for school requirements, legal obligation, or to earn food stamps or housing assistance.”
Coordinators estimate they’ve served more than a million meals since Hale Kau Kau’s opening. In its outreach work, Hale Kau Kau collaborates with churches in South Maui to regularly collect and distribute nonperishable canned food and other items. The Hale Kau Kau program has only one paid full-time staff member, a lead cook and two part-time paid employees. “The rest is done by volunteers. People are generous,” Watanabe said. “Our hearts go out to the people we serve and to those who make Hale Kau Kau successful.” Food donations, monetary contributions and volunteer manpower are accepted at Hale Kau Kau year round. For more information, call 875-8754.
Sep 8, 2011 | Community
Parents at Kamali’i Elementary School in Kihei know that teachers don’t educate alone, and that’s why a group of them are launching a new tutoring program this month. It’s called “Study Buddies,” and instead of getting assistance with homework after school, students will be able to get help before the school day begins. “Children who are having difficulty finishing homework, grasping certain basic core concepts or those who need to practice with their reading or math skills can take advantage of this program,” said Rachel Christopher, one of the parents behind Study Buddies.
The program involves two volunteers per day devoting 25 minutes a morning from 8 to 8:25 a.m. Monday through Friday. As the program progresses, more volunteers may be needed.
Study Buddies does not replace after-school tutoring assistance nor the work of community volunteers and parents during the school day. Christopher, the mother of two children including a 4th-grader at Kamali’i Elementary, said she understands that it’s difficult for teachers to allot individual quality time with each of their students. “Children who are struggling often consume more of a teacher’s time, which leaves less attention for the rest of the class,” Christopher said.
The goal of Study Buddies is to help struggling students finish their homework and build their skills in the areas of reading, writing and math. Christopher said she believes every child deserves the opportunity to tap into their potential, but not all are able to because of varying situations including the lack of one-on-one time to build confidence in their academic skills. Study Buddies will be open to all grades. Tutoring will be conducted in the school library. Once the program gets under way, Christopher and the same group of parents hope to start a math club to support basic concepts and core math skills. To volunteer for Study Buddies, contact Rachel Christopher at 385-8885 or email at racheken[at]hawaii[dot]rr[dot]com.
