Even after husband Wes Kaui did much of the paperwork and legwork to nominate wife Trinette Kaui for 2001 Hawai’i Mother of the Year honors, she was hesitant about going along with the idea. Until she read the nomination letter
Even after husband Wes Kaui did much of the paperwork and legwork to nominate wife Trinette Kaui for 2001 Hawai’i Mother of the Year honors, she was hesitant about going along with the idea.
Until she read the nomination letter written by their son Donovan, 15, who is attending Kamehameha Schools on O’ahu.
After she saw that from-the-heart effort from her eldest son, she reluctantly went along with the nomination notion. And on Sunday, the property manager and broker in charge of the Alexander & Baldwin Inc. A&B Properties’ Koloa Estates office was named 2001 Hawai’i Mother of the Year by the Hawai’i Association of American Mothers Inc. (AMI).
“I am truly humbled by this honor,” Kaui said yesterday.
She said her mother, mother-in-law and her friends who are moms are all positive role models she emulates.
“I don’t think I’m the best mom in the state,” she said, though younger son Dustin Kawika, 11, who calls his mom “Sweets,” begs to differ. “He said, ‘Sweets, you know you are the best mom in the whole world.’ I said, ‘You know, Kawika, I could never be a mom if I didn’t have you.’
“There are so many great mothers, especially on our island.”
Asked the most important thing about being a mother, she responded, “To me, it’s your commitment and unconditional love for not only your children, but your spouse.
“There are great single mothers out there, but I think that by having a supportive spouse you have a solid foundation,” she said. “And for us, we’re so grateful, we’re so blessed, to have everything. My family, Wes and I, we’ve got good kids, good family and everything. And I think, having that here on the island, especially all of the support with the families, and the love we’re surrounded by, is just number-one for us.
“And our children are our priority. I mean, we’ll do anything for them,” Kaui continued. “But, also, we try to raise them to be respectful, be honest, be truthful in whatever they do, to be clean, take care of their bodies, don’t do drugs or swear. Education is also a big part in our lives with the kids.”
The Kaui children are also urged to “be humble and always be prayerful. I think that’s very important for us, because we know in this day and age, we can’t do it alone,” she said. “We always tell our sons, whenever they’re in a crisis and they feel like they’re at the end of their rope or we’re not there for them, to always pray. And that will help them.
“And always to be grateful, that the two most important words are ‘thank you,’ and by saying ‘thank you,’ it shows a sense of respect as well as being educated.”
Kaui said “external forces and peer pressures” make it hard “to instill values in kids. And even though we’re both working, we try to spend every extra minute we have with them. It’s quality versus quantity, I think. We really spend quality time with the kids, we love them so much.
“I don’t think I did it alone. I think we always go back to our parents and our mothers and what they instilled in us. We can’t do it alone.”
As 2001 Hawai’i Mother of the Year, Kaui will go statewide promoting the importance of motherhood.
“I think just fostering the commitment of motherhood and the importance of it” is crucial, she said. “If I can spread that message across the state, I think then I’ve done my part. It’s a tough calling.”
Wes Kaui started the ball rolling when he read in the newspaper of the search for candidates. Up to the day the form had to be postmarked, Trinette was still saying, “‘Honey, I don’t think so.'”
Still, she dropped it into the mail box and found out before Sunday’s AMI annual awards ceremony at Pearl Country Club on O’ahu that she was the winner. Lianna McMillan, AMI president, made the announcement.
Since a family member cannot nominate a mother for the honor, A&B Properties vice president Tom Shigemoto signed his name to the 15-page nomination form. Letters of recommendation from Kaua’i County Mayor Maryanne Kusaka, Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School principal Maggie Cox, and Bishop Richard Sheldon of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints supported her, too.
Kaua’i had never heard of AMI before. Now, she plans to help start a Kaua’i chapter, as well as carry out a project here for the organization, possibly getting the island’s Rotary clubs to team with the YWCA women’s shelter or Salvation Army to help young mothers.
“I have a lot of work ahead of me,” which, she says with a laugh, she’ll accomplish in her two minutes a day of spare time.
She is president of a program at her church that offers activities to children from ages 2 to 12. A Kaua’i native and graduate of Kaua’i High School, Kaui also serves on the State Highway Safety Council, Salvation Army Advisory Board, Kaua’i Board of Realtors, Kaua’i Medical Clinic board of directors, Kaua’i Workforce Investment Board and Contractors Association of Kaua’i.
She is also a member of the Rotary Club of West Kaua’i, Job Service Employer Committee, West Kaua’i Agricultural Farmers Association and Kamehameha Schools Association of Kaua’i.
Kaui earned the state title based on her qualities and achievement as a mother, contributions to the community and career and personal accomplishments.
As the state winner, she will go with her mother next month to Portland, Ore. for the National Mother of the Year Convention. Wes will stay home to watch the kids, she said.
At the O’ahu ceremony Sunday, attended by her family, her mother, Tom and April Shigemoto and some of their A&B colleagues from O’ahu, Honolulu City Councilwoman Rene Mansho presented plaques to Kaui and Kathy Ho of Pearl City, named 2001 Young Mother Representative for Hawai’i.
Ho is the wife of Kyle Ho. They have two children. She is related to Lehua and Alroy Enos of Kaua’i, and will also travel to Portland next month. She graduated cum laude from Brigham Young University Hawai’i at Laie, with a bachelor’s degree in special education.
Staff Writer Paul C. Curtis can be reached at mailto:pcurtis@pulitzer.net or 245-3681 (ext. 224).
