Club members help a disabled resident. by designing, building and installing access ramp.
Members were able to apply their individual skills, from carpentry to painting.
Stories
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The 30th Taste of Hawaii was presented by the Rotary Club of Kapaa on Sunday June 2, 2019  |
Kapaa Club members get together on the second Saturday of the month for a community service project. Today we had TWO projects. Starting at sunrise, Chris Reyher and two of his workmen from STI Solar, Nathan and Joe, helped to mount all the sponsor banners at today's March for Babies. A community fundraiser, March for Babies raises funds and awareness for much needed care for infants born prematurely and their families. The participants meet at Lydgate Park and then go for a short walk around the park and return to the Lydgate large pavillion for breakfast, and other fun(d) raising activities.   Chris Reyher reaches to hang the banners and helpers Nathan and Joe make the work go even faster. |
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“Helping cool down our clubhouse is an awesome gift,” said Johnny Garcia, director of the B&G Club, Kapaa Clubhouse, located adjacent to the Bernice Hundley Gym on the Kapaa High School campus. “Cooling our Kapaa Clubhouse on hot days provides real comfort which allows the kids and staff to focus better on their activities.”
The Rotary Club of Kapaa have spearheaded yet another project with the Boys and Girls Clubhouse which they built back in the 90s. With the help of newest member Devin Ruiz from STI Solar, a solar A/C system has been installed at the clubhouse.
Full coverage and story can be found at our Garden Island newspaper  From L to R:
With help from friends From L to R, Johny Garcia, Boys and Girls club, Josie Cortez, President RCK, andDevin Ruiz, President STI Solar,
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At yesterday's Rotary Meeting we had the great honor to induct 4 new members to our club. We are excited to welcome these new Rotarians to our Kapaa club. Kudos and congratulations to sponsor, President Josie Cortez for her efforts to bring these dynamic community-minded individuals to our organization.
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The Rotary Club of Kapaa has a lot of tents. The tents are one of our assets to produce our well-known fundraiser, The Taste of Hawaii. We also use our tents to support local community events. We had a fun work day where we organized all our tent pieces so we can use them at the Heiva Festival, now celebrating its 15th anniversary.
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The Rotary Club of Kapaa Foundation continued it's three decades of service to Kauai by making a large contribution to a new non profit, Aloha Angels. Aloha Angels' byline is "Philanthropists Partnering for a More Perfect Kauai". Through a donation of over $59,000 along with matching funds from another local non-profit, the Kapaa Rotary's total gift to the new organization was $103,800. Through Aloha Angels, a donor advised fund at the Hawaii Community Foundation, the club’s foundation is using proceeds from previous Taste events to provide $700 to each elementary-grade teacher at Kapaa and Kekaha this fall, for classroom supplies and a field trip. It is also funding five new after-school clubs at Kapaa Elementary. |
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You’ve heard stories like this one before. Someone gets in trouble in the water, another person springs into action to save them. Who doesn’t like to hear about a hero who swims to the rescue? We do. But this story, like others, might not have ended well without the Rescue Tube Foundation on Kauai and the Kapaa Rotary produced water safety video. It’s easy to overlook those yellow tubes on the beach — until you need them. The Rescue Tubes are personal flotation devices used to assist distressed swimmers if no lifeguards are around. And there are some beautiful beaches on Kauai that are not protected by lifeguards. Here’s what Friday August 15th: A 63 yr. old man was snorkeling at Larsen’s Beach and got pulled out to deep, open waters. He tried to fight his way back but became exhausted. This is sometimes when a story ends badly. Not this time. The man’s 16-year-old son grabbed the Rescue Tube, swam out to his father and stabilized him. Together, they worked their way back in over the reef, suffering a few bruises and scratches. The wife later said her son couldn’t have saved him without the Rescue Tube There’s more to this story. The heroic teen knew to use the Rescue Tube because he watched the video about it at the Lihue Airport (pictured above). When he saw his father in trouble, he looked around, saw the Rescue Tube, grabbed it, strapped it over his shoulder as instructed in the video, swam out and saved his father. Wow. If you’ve ever wondered if these Rescue Tubes work, if they’re making a difference. if they’re really worth having on beaches around the island, you can stop. Since the first Rescue Tube was installed more than four years ago, about 100 saves have been reported. Without those tubes, we could be talking about people drowning instead of sharing heroic tales. (Picture above of the Hawaii 2014 Ocean Safety Statewide conference and there's a yellow rescue tube right in front) Sometimes, those responsible for a difficult undertaking are asked if it’s worth it. The answer is often yes, if it affects just one life. We’re talking well beyond affecting one life when it comes to the impact of The Rescue Tube Foundation. Same is true for the water safety video that loops endlessly at Lihue airport baggage claim. And this year, Kapaa Rotary intends to enhance the content displayed at the airport making it more effective. Locals know how dangerous the waters can be. Visitors do not. That’s why we encourage everyone to know where these Rescue Tubes are located and read the instructions for their use. It’s easy for most of us to dismiss any idea we might have to save someone. You can bet that teenager didn’t think he would have to rescue his father during their vacation on Kauai, but he took a few extra minutes to be prepared, just in case. Good thing. He made a difference. He saved a life.
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On June 11th, a five person contingent from our sister club in HigashiOsaka Japan arrived on Kauai for a short two day visit.
Mr. Shoji Takenaka and Mr. Yoshiaki along with their spouses, Akiko and Atsuko, and Mr. Takenaka’s daughter, Kayoko journeyed here to discuss updates on both of our Rotary clubs, our plans for the club’s 30th Charter Anniversary celebration, and review and discuss the future activities between our clubs. Our Kapaa club will celebrate its 30th anniverary in 2015. Our HigashiOsaka sister club will celebrate its 60th Anniversary in 2017. Next year in 2015, our Japanese partners will be sending over several students for a week long youth exchange. Then, in 2016, we will have the opportunity to send some of our club's youth (children or grandchildren) to Japan. What a great opportunity for the kids on both sides of the world.
The HigashiOsaka club has 75 members and our sister club relationship was initiated by former Kapaa Rotarian Walter Omoto through Walter's relationship with a Rotarian in Japan. Our visitors enjoyed a dinner at the Courtyard by Marriott, a sightseeing tour of the NOrth Shore conducted by Vicky and Gary Masuoka, and attended the Smith's Luau in Wailua on Thursday June 12th. Our Japanese counterparts thoroughly enjoyed themselves on Kauai and look forward to Kapaa Rotarians making the journey to their country so that the Japanese have the honor to host us as well. Past President Takanaka (rear), daughter Kayoko, and Internationl Chair Mr Yoshiaki dine and enjoy at Courtyard by Marriott's Voyager Grill
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The Rotary Club of Kapa`a is gearing up for the 26th Annual Taste of Hawaii ,"The Ultimate Sunday Brunch™", set to take place on June 1, 2014. Taste of Hawaii was not only the first event of its kind in the Islands, it has consistently been a statewide favorite attracting more than 2,000 attendees annually.
Voted the "Best Community Event" on Kauai ten years running, the event will once again take place at Smith's Tropical Paradise in Wailua. Taste the best dishes from over 40 of Hawaii’s finest chefs. Indulge in the best micro-brewed beers from around the state of Hawaii. It’s unlimited food and drink along with 10 music ensembles performing on four stages around the lush, tropical paradise owned by the Smith Family. The event begins at 11:30 AM and goes til 3:30PM.  There’s a large silent auction as well in the Pavillion where you will hear the sounds of the Kapa`a High School Big Band and the Kauai Community College Jazz Big Band with Ms. Peggy Lake on vocals.
The Taste of Hawaii is produced by the Rotary Club of Kapa`a and the proceeds from the event fund the clubs ongoing community service activities throughout the island. Funds from the Taste of Hawaii support: Anahola Diabetes & Wellness Fair, Boys & Girls Club, Children & Family Services, Hale Ho`omalu, Kapa`a Elementary Adopt-a-Classroom program, Kapa`a Elementary PTSA, Kapa`a Middle School Robotics, Kapaa High School PTSA, Kapa`a Interact Club, Kanuikapono Charter School Playground and Classrooms, Kauai Lifeguard Association, Mokihana Swim Club, Rescue Tube Foundation, Scholarships for College and Vocational Students, Kauai Water Safety Video Project and more. For further information, contact Ron Margolis, Event Chair, 808-346-7095 or Darren Schneck, Ticket Manger 808-635-9421. |
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On February 22nd the Boys and Girls Clubs of Kauai held their annual Youth of the Year brunch at the Kauai Beach Resort. Our Rotary Club of Kapaa participated as a sponsor in this very powerful morning of listening to seven wonderful young adults share their journey of life and the value the Boys and Girls Club has created for them. After a short video, each of the students spoke from the podium and shared their personal stories.
The Youth of the Year Academy, Naea said, is open to all high school students on Kauai and usually meets once a week from October to February. Throughout the formal program youth participants are taught interviewing skills, poise, public speaking techniques and how to dress in a professional atmosphere. Toward the end of the program, each of the island’s three clubhouses in Lihue, Waimea and Kapaa pick two candidates, who compete on Oahu to become Kauai’s representatives in the state’s Youth of the Year competition. As a part of the state competition, eligible students who have been members of the Boys and Girls Club for at least two years and are high school juniors or seniors complete three-minute interviews, write two essays, and submit transcripts and letters of recommendation. The Youth of the Year finalists from Kauai who were selected for this year’s state competition are Grace Peralta of the Lihue clubhouse and Luke Rita of the Kapaa clubhouse. Luke sat at our table and told us if we had any questions about Boys and Girls Club just to ask. Luke is an inspiring young man and we wish our Kapaa Clubhouse winner the best of luck in the state competition. The winners of that competition will be announced at the Youth of the Year Luncheon on March 8 on Oahu.There were no losers at the Youth of the Year. Each one of the candidates was clearly a winner.
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At this week's meeting we had a great presentation on process maps from new member Bill Hooker. Bill spent the last ten years of his career developing quality systems using process mapping for General Electric. Bill has generously offered to develop process maps for this year's Taste of Hawaii 2014. Bill explained that we need to define process owners and figure out who is responsible for which process. Given that this year we will be without our equipment chair from the last five years, and our tent chair since forever, there seems to be a genuine need for organization and process definement so our club can develop a sense of teamwork and workability for our legacy event which has many complex logistics.
Process mapping is defined as Structural analysis of a process flow by distinguishing how work is actually done from how it should be done, and what functions a system should perform from how the system is built to perform those functions. In this technique, main activities, information flows, interconnections, and measures are depicted as a collage on a large sheet of paper, with different colored 'Post-it' notes or slips of paper. This graphic representation allows an observer to 'walk-through' the whole process and see it in its entirety. By overlaying this model on our event we will have a system that allows for easy transfer of functions from year to year and member to member. As a club of less than 30 members, Bill thinks we will really benefit from organizing Taste of Hawaii in this way and is willing to meet with each process owner to help develop the process guidelines. Download the presentation from our clubs website
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Angela Augustin and Christian Naea were our guest speakers at our first meeting at Brick Oven Pizza in Wailua . The room was packed as Christian explained the YOUTH OF THE YEAR Contest which the Boys & Girls promotes yearly. The B&G Clubs on Kauai serve over 1000 clients between their 3 clubhouses. YOY (Youth of the Year) is an academy and competition that is held statewide. Each clubhouse selects 2 candidates to enter the academy and then compete in a variety of categories. Candidates are chosen based on leadership skills, dedication to the club, service to the community and academic standing. With the help of Toastmasters mentoring, each candidate preps to deliver a 3-minute speech about what the B&G Club means to them. The candidate must also write an essay and participate in the "dress for success" clinic at Macy's which helps them select their outfit for the competition. Angela explained the B & G program "formula for impact":
Kauai has highest rate of teen suicide and teen pregancy in the state. B&G Clubs are committed to making a difference and improving so of these gruesome stats for Kauai's kids. The budgets for B&G's work has been severely reduced over the last five years.This year, to help raise funds, the Kauai clubs are having a big event. We have been invited to be a sponsor of this event and Jakki Nelson, our Community Service Director, is reviewing the sponsorship package for the upcoming Feb. 25th event t the Kauai Beach Resort from 10AM to 12 noon.
 2013 Youth of the Year Candidates |
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At last week's meeting, we had a presentation from Norrisa Lyn Ahlgren who works as a Certified Diabetes Educator with Kauai Medical Clinic. Norrisa shared her experience of working with Dr. Tyler Chihara, the island's well-known foot specialist and the many encounters Norrisa had with feet challenges from Diabetic patients. This led Norrisa to want to do even more to help her patients. Eventually Norrisa attained her CDE and now participates in Diabetes education and Diabetes clinics island wide.
Norrisa shared the most recent statewide data about the disease and mentioned that 1 in every 4 dollars spent on health care in America is spent on Diabetes. You can download Norrisa's presentation which has lot of facts from both the national and statewide Diabetes Organizations. AS part of our community service projects for 2013-14, our Rotary Club is planning to partner with Norrisa to produce a wellness fair with health checks and educational sessions to further educate the public about their options to combat this debilitating disease. The first event is tentativey being planned for August 26th, Sunday, at the Anahola Neighborhood Center. More details to follow...
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