LIHUE — Kento Caya and Yvonne Johnson quietly closed the door to their van laden with foodstuffs in the parking lot of the Lihue Civic Center Tuesday.
They were leaving to deliver the food to the Loaves and Fishes food pantry program at the St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church after missing out on the county’s recognition program for volunteers as part of the National Service Day Recognition.
“Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. wanted us to come,” Johnson said. “But what’s more important? Getting the food for the people who need it or visiting the mayor? We’ve been doing this for 10 years — Tuesday, we pick up the food, and Wednesday, we distribute the food.”
National Service Day Recognition is an opportunity to thank volunteers, through the AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs, for their volunteerism and the impact it has on the more than 50,000 communities they serve across the country.
“You don’t hear their stories on the nightly news,” said Donna Olivas Kaohi, Kauai RSVP director. “But every day, they head out quietly and without fanfare to improve lives and strengthen communities. I am grateful for the dedication and sacrifice of these everyday heroes who are helping make our great country stronger, safer, and healthier.”
Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard said in her message, that the quality and fabric of a person, or measure of success does not consist of how many medals you wear on your chest, how many awards you’ve received, how much money you make, or the title next to your name.
“It has nothing to do with race, or gender, or rank, or religion,” she said in her message delivered by Kaulana Finn. “These qualities do not define us, or our success. It’s actually what is in our hearts, our motivation, why we do what we do every day — that’s what matters.”
Carvalho agreed.
“It’s not about the money,” he said. “I know. My grandma raised me, and I get chicken skin. It’s about the soda crackers and cocoa. It’s the love that comes with service. That is the impact it has on the community.”
Gina Okuda-Stauring is a paralegal with Legal Aid on an AmeriCorps contract.
“I moved back here from California with my children because my father was dying of cancer,” she said. “I was turned on to AmeriCorps by another AmeriCorps worker in the judiciary department. This is mostly volunteer work, but there are benefits. I am too old to go to college, but I found out I can transfer my credits to my son who was just accepted to college.”
Okuda-Stuaring said it was through AmeriCorps that she got to do outreach with the kupuna, many of whom became her good friends.
“There are so many wonderful kupuna out there,” she said. “And yet, this is my way of giving back to the community?”
Lt. Shawn Keoho of The Salvation Army, Hanapepe Corps relayed her saga of how kupuna volunteers banded together to help raise more than $14,000 through the Red Kettle campaign, the Salvation Army’s major fundraising effort in the year.
“They have the true aloha spirit,” Keoho said. “They would call their friends who in turn, called other friends. We had a party at the kettle sites with ukulele, singing, and even gentle encouragement to drop something in the pot. I am impressed with that kind of caring.”
In Hawaii, more than 2,300 people serve, with more than 690 being AmeriCorps members, and more than 1,600 older adults serving in Senior Corps programs such as Foster Grandparents, Senior Companions, and RSVP to strengthen the community.
Rogerlyn Kaneali‘i, a Foster Grandparent, said when she gets old, she is going to retire.
“But there is so much more out there,” she said. “If I live to be a hundred, there is so much to learn, just by volunteering.”
