LIHU’E — Volunteerism took center stage as 2001 Governor’s Kilohana Awards that celebrated the spirit of Hawai’i people and the work they do as community volunteers. Kauai’s celebration Tuesday at the Kaua’i War Memorial Convention Hall featured 29 honorees in
LIHU’E — Volunteerism took center stage as 2001 Governor’s Kilohana Awards that celebrated the spirit of Hawai’i people and the work they do as community volunteers.
Kauai’s celebration Tuesday at the Kaua’i War Memorial Convention Hall featured 29 honorees in youth, adult, senior, business and project categories. Top honorees in each category will be honored on O’ahu at festivities celebrating the state’s leading volunteers on April 27.
For Kaua’i, Ben Miller, a junior at Kapa’a High School, topped the youth division of six nominees. Miller, a Hoike Teen TV producer since he was in the eighth grade, was acknowledged for his work in taking a leadership role in promoting tobacco-free messages to teens.
A childhood dream of a place of beauty surrounded by green and bright colors drove Waimea native Brian Yamase to mobilize a corps of volunteers to clean up vacant lots, install sprinkler systems, move boulders, mow grass and plant.
Years later, Waimea is now an “oasis of love from all the residents,” earning Yamase the top honor in the Kaua’i adult category, Kilohana Awards officials said.
Tours of duty on every veterans’ board and committee to advance veterans’ causes statewide is part of Ed Kawamura’s belief in “veterans helping veterans.”
For 10 years, Kawamura was involved in construction of the Kaua’i Veterans Center on Kapule Highway, and award nominator Diane Mikami said, “Ed’s efforts to work for the island’s youth and elderly have touched the lives of all in the community.” That effort yielded top recognition for Kawamura in the senior category of the Kilohana Awards.
Community service was the key to a pair of Kauai’s resorts tying as the top business. The Hyatt Regency Kaua’i Resort and Spa and the Princeville Hotel were recognized for their community partnering.
The Hyatt’s partnership with Koloa Elementary School has the resort actively participating in the School Community Based Management Committee, career education day, and mentoring and tutoring students while donating incentives, prizes and even washing, ironing, and repairing May Day costumes.
On the other side of the island, the Princeville Hotel has been involved in Star Care for the Community involving the Prince Albert Music Festival, Ocean Festival for the Kaua’i Food Bank and the Kaua’i Plastic Recycling Project.
The hotel also sponsors the Mini Indy Grand Prix race, the Kaua’i United Way, the ThinkQuest Class, blood drives and the holiday-season Festival of Lights.
The Adopt-a-Cop project provided 68 hand-held radios for each officer on the Kaua’i County Police force and earned Dr. Greg Smith and his brother Shawn Smith, a police officer, honors for Kauai’s top project.
Concerned that police officers had to respond to calls without a radio during shift changes because of a shortage of the equipment, the brothers involved all segments of the community to procure radios.
Mary Matayoshi, director for the Kilohana program, pointed out how ‘ohana is the extended family, the foundation of Hawaiian society.
She said growing kalo (taro) is a metaphor for building a caring family.
The makua (parent) extends new side shoots — keiki, or children. Standing together, they form the family, the ‘ohana.
The keiki are carefully nurtured and protected until they can be planted separately as new kalo; as a family branches into new generations.
The Governor’s Kilohana (Excellence) Awards Program uses kalo as its symbol because volunteers are like standing kalo, who by their generous spirits and civic acts, protect keiki and care for their community, Matayoshi said.
In addition to the outstanding volunteers, a special commendation from Governor Ben Cayetano was presented to Shelly and Ajia Gabriel, a mother and daughter who, while taking one of their frequent morning walks, happened upon a victim of the treacherous currents at Kealia Beach.
Risking their own lives, the pair worked at trying to save the victim.
Despite being unsuccessful in their rescue attempt, the women stayed with the victim’s family, offering comfort, care and aloha through the tragic ordeal, Kilohana officials said.
These actions were brought to the attention of the Kilohana committee after the victim’s family wrote to Kaua’i County Mayor Maryanne Kusaka.
The committee selected the mother and daughter as being symbolic of the type of caring and aloha the family said it received from numerous people on the island following the tragedy.
Hours of community service as well as active participation in the awards program provided Tuesday afternoon’s celebration with a host — B.B. Choi — and a special surprise commendation to FM97’s general manager, John Wada, and the station’s promotions director, Diane Mikami on behalf of the governor and the Kilohana program.
The presentation was done by the governor’s Kaua’i liaison, Roy Nishida.
Staff photographer Dennis Fujimoto can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253).
