By The Way

The Aloha Medical Mission, the Honolulu-based charity organization providing free medical care to numerous countries in Southeast Asia, is sending the first in a series of medical missions to assist Tsunami victims in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. The group of Honolulu-based physicians and nurses led by AMM Board of Directors members Vernon Ansdell, M.D. and nurse Lolita Ching left Honolulu last month to provide free medical and surgical care to survivors of the Tsunami. Dr. Carl Lum, Aloha Medical Mission volunteer, returned Jan. 20. Dr. Lum left Honolulu a few days after the largest natural disaster since Biblical times to lay the groundwork for this mission. This first mission consists of ten physicians and nurses from Oahu, Kauai, and the Big Island. All are veteran volunteers of previous AMM missions. The team will establish a base for future missions to Banda Aceh, Indonesia.

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The Better Business Bureau of Hawaii (BBB Hawaii), the leader in promoting and monitoring ethical business practices, is now accepting nominations for the 2005 Torch Awards for Business Ethics. The annual program recognizes businesses that have exceedingly high ethical standards and perform with excellence in business practices. For-profit businesses statewide may be nominated or self-nominate within the following categories: business individual, small business (99 or fewer employees), or large business (100 or more employees). There is no fee to submit nominations. “We encourage upstanding businesses of all sizes to enter the Torch Awards for Business Ethics, which honors and recognizes honesty, respect, and integrity,” said Anne Deschene, BBB Hawaii president and CEO. Nomination criteria and forms are available at www.hawaii.
bbb.org or by calling 536-6956. Entries are due on Tuesday, March 1st.

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The Space Foundation has established the Lucy Enos Memorial Scholarship for Teachers to create special professional development opportunities for teachers of Hawaiian or part-Hawaiian ancestry, or teachers working with students of Hawaiian or part-Hawaiian ancestry. The Scholarship provides for the selected teacher to travel to Colorado Springs and participate in the Space Foundation’s annual Summer Institute program. The courses cover topics ranging from rocketry and robotics to astronomy and living and working in space, and each is designed to help teachers use space themes in their classrooms to enable improved student performance in literacy, science, technology, engineering, mathematics and other subject areas. The teacher may elect to receive continuing education or graduate academic credit. Eligible applicants include any credentialed teacher working with students pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade who is of Hawaiian or part-Hawaiian ancestry, or who works exclusively or extensively with children of Hawaiian or part-Hawaiian ancestry.

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The Friends of the Library presented its annual “Legislator of the Year Mahalo Award” to Rep. Roy Takumi to recognize him as a true friend and advocate of the Hawaii State Public Library System during the non-profit organization’s annual awards event January 12. More than 75 people attended the breakfast, including many legislators and librarians. “Libraries are not just about the circulation of books, they’re about the circulation of ideas,” said Rep. Takumi, chair of the House Education Committee, when receiving the award.

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The City and County of Honolulu will hold its annual Lei Queen Selection Contest on Sat., March 5, in the McCoy Pavilion Auditorium, Ala Moana Park. The winner of this contest will be crowned as Lei Queen 2005 on Sunday, May 1. She and her two princesses will preside over the Lei Day Festival at Queen Kapiolani Park. This year, women who are 55 years and older (Na Kupuna) are eligible to compete for this honor. In the competition, contestants will be required to make and discuss the materials used in creating a lei, will make a brief speech in English, and perform a hula. All contestants must attend an orientation meeting at McCoy Pavilion on Wed. Feb. 9 at 6 pm. Applications are available in all Satellite City Halls and City Parks. Contestants must bring a completed application to this meeting or may submit an application by mail or in person to Arnold Galacia or Sandi Rosso, Lei Queen Selection Committee.

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Gerald Yamane received the “Agency Hands in the Community” award for his commitment to volunteering in the community. With this award comes a $500 grant from The Allstate Foundation for the Blood Bank of Hawaii where Yamane volunteers. Blood Bank of Hawaii fits perfectly with The Allstate’s Foundation’s safe and vital communities focus area, supporting programs related to catastrophe response and mitigation, youth anti-violence and revitalization of communities.

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Kona Brewing Co. at Koko Marina in Hawaii Kai raised $2,500 for Bishop Museum Association as part of its one-year anniversary celebration. The donation will be used to support Bishop Museum’s cultural and natural science programs that serve more than 300,000 visitors each year.

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The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded the Hawaii State Public Library System an $84,000 “Staying Connected” grant. The grant will provide three years of staff training for HSPLS’ information technology and front line staff.

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Congratulations to the Hawaii Jaycees celebrating its 60th anniversary. Consisting of 16 chapters throughout the state, with over 600 young men and women sharing the Jaycee experience, its mission is to provide young people between the ages of 21 to 39 the opportunity for personal leadership development through personal and professional growth, networking and community involvement.

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Although the Toastmasters unit based at the Battleship Missouri in Pearl Harbor, its members continue to meet half a world away while deployed in Afghanistan. Consisting mostly of members from Hawaii’s 25th Infantry Div., who have joined with the 18-member Battleship Missouri Club. Between six and 10 members participate in the Afghan meetings until the members are expected to redeploy to Hawaii in May.

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Kudos to Marriott International and its subsidiaries for quickly settling a federal harassment suit filed by a female former employee fired in retaliation for rejecting untoward advances. Marriott will pay the former employee $190,000.