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PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Aloha my fellow members,
Hope your Halloween week went very well! It is November now! It is time for holidays and an opportunities to give back! Don't forget about our upcoming online Silent Auction which will be open fromNovember 16th - 20th! Thanks to everyone who contributed to our fundraising goal of $17,000 either through donating cash or silent auction items! I truly appreciate your help. You contribution will go a long way!
Our regular Zoom meetings have been successful as usual! One of the highlights of the last week's meeting was the induction ceremony of Cristiana Ercoli! Congratulations to Cristiana! We are all looking forward to get to know her better and Italian culture night with food and wine! :)
If you haven't joined our meeting in a while, please join us on Thursday nights, even for a few minutes just to say hi! See you on Thursday!
Mahalo,
Ary Radnaeva
2020 - 2021 President of the RCHS
UPCOMING MEETING - NOVEMBER 5- FOUNDATION SEMINAR
Please join us for our weekly meeting. This meeting will be only on Zoom! Our usual informal happy (half) hour begins at 6:00 pm, and the bell rings at 6:30 pm to formally start the meeting.
Our speaker this week is Richard (Rich) Zegar. Rich moved to Honolulu with his wife of 52years, Lee, in 1992, after a 23 year 10 month 4 day career in the U.S. Marine Corps retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. They lived in Europe for 3 years and Rich served another 4 years in various overseas posts, mostly in the Western Pacific and Asia , including Kuwait in the first Gulf War.
They migrated to Hawaii after Rich was offered a job by Pacific Building Corporation managing Airport Industrial Park, a large (1.2M sq ft) commercial project immediately Mauka of Honolulu International Airport. He handled leasing as well as construction of large office/warehouse facilities for UPS, Lockheed Martin and Hawaiian Airlines to name just a few. He decided to retire in December 2009. In February 2001, his close friend Hans Kolb brought him into the Rotary Club of Honolulu Sunset. Rich became involved with International Services and served as Director for several years before being asked to serve as Foundation Director. He is now in his 11th year in that post. Early in 2012 PDG Ayman El Dakhakhni asked him to join the District Foundation Committee as Annual Giving Chair, which he did for 3 years.
Laura Steelquist asked him to resume that post in 2019 which he did and is still serving in that post
He has been Rotarian of the Year 5 times and has been awarded the” 4 Avenues of Service Award” as well as “The Citation for Meritorious Service” the highest recognition from the Trustees of TRF. He is a 4th level Major Donor as well as a 13th Level White Hat. He has been a Bequestor as well as member of the Paul Harris Society since he joined Rotary in 2001.
To join the meeting via Zoom, please follow this link:
Dial by your location: +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma).
LAST WEEK'S MEETING -
OCTOBER 29
Our speaker last week was Kim Haruki, who told us about Central Pacific Bank Foundation's program called "Keep Hawaii Cooking." The program was created in response to the Covic-19 pandemic. Recognizing that the situation would be dire, the CPB Foundation created the program to help local families who would be food-insecure, and help local restaurants.
The program helped foot the bill for people who purchased food from local restaurants. The program was was an instant success. Its website had over 100,000 hits on the first day, and used up all of its allocated $100,000 in reimbursements in 48 hours. Needless to say, the volume was higher than anticipated.
After that first weekend, it set a new goal, of providing 10,000 meals, and reimbursing $300,000 in restaurant bills. It met that goal in another 48 hours.
The program achieved all this solely through social media and word of mouth. It used no paid advertising.
After that, other organizations put in funds to help finance the program's third phase, which was to provide "mahalo meals" to front line heroes, such as hospital workers. To accomplish this, the program asked its social followers to nominate front line heroes. From nominations, it selected fifty front line heroes to receive meals. The heroes received the meals, and the restaurants received payment.
What's next? The program hopes to provide support for emergency relief. It is planning to launch a program to support small business in general.
Every year our Club provides support to HUGS families. HUGS supports Hawaii's families with a child up to age 21 who has been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness or disease. This holiday shopping event gives an opportunity to HUGS families to shop for personal items at Walmart as these families face financial hardships of caring for a seriously ill child. There will be 3-5 HUGS families in need that are invited by HUGS.
How: For COVID-safety purpose, shopping will be done in 3-5 groups with no more 7 ppl in total, including the family from one household. For each family we need 2 Rotarians to assist with shopping. Everyone must wear masks and maintain social distancing. No lunch will be provided.
Please sign up by emailing to the Project Lead - Community Service Chair, Glen Bailey, at baileyg001@hawaii.rr.com.
UPCOMING COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT IN DECEMBER - PLEASE SIGN UP!
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is NOW! This year, join us as Rotary Gives Thanks by planting 5,000 Hawaiian Native trees to combat climate change!
Our COVID Strategy:
The planting area at Gunstock Ranch is 5 acres! This gives us ample space to socially distance in the vast, open-air area. Furthermore, each tree will be planted in a pre-dug hole that is 10 ft apart from each other! Planting will be coordinated with regards to teams and planting zones. The number of participants in a team will depend on the current guidance by the government (ie. no more than 5 per team). Only one team will be present on each planting zone and will be planting in the same direction as the other teams. This will decrease the likelihood of teams of being in proximity of one another.
What: Each person will plant 10 trees. These trees will never be cut down or sold for profit.
How: Holes are pre-dug! Training, equipment, parking, and directions will be provided.
Please sign up by emailing to our Club's President and Tree Planting Ambassador Ary at radnaeva.aryuna@gmail.com& let her know about the shift preference and number of people in your group.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Maureen Conwell writes:
Aloha All-
I was born and raised in Michigan in the suburbs of Detroit. I am one of 6 kids and the product of a Catholic upbringing. My twin sister Colleen and I are in the middle of the pecking order. I guess you could say Real Estate is in my blood. I got my license in 1988 when I was just 19 years old and started working for my father who was the broker of a small regional firm. 3 years later, as soon as I was eligible, I tested for and received my Broker's license. After building my first home and my father's retirement, I began a long career working for builders and developers in the luxury new home market. I was blessed to be able to work with many professional athletes and business leaders during this exciting time. When the real estate market crashed in 2007, building came to a screeching halt. I sadly left real estate and became a District Sales Manager for AFLAC. While I enjoyed working with the people, insurance was never my passion. In 2010, thankfully building began again in Michigan and I returned to my former position. I continued in the industry until my company was purchased by a much larger corporation. It was then that I decided to return to my roots in the resale home market. Around the same time, my twin sister got licensed and we began working together as the Twins Team at Keller Williams. She had helped her husband grow one of the largest automotive photography businesses in the world but that was never HER passion. With that company basically on auto pilot she was free to pursue her own career. We have enjoyed much success in Michigan.
We have both traveled to Hawaii many times over the years and growing our business here has been a goal for the last few years. It's our happy place! Her youngest daughter is pursuing a degree in aviation at WMU. She, understandably, will be staying in Michigan until her daughter graduates. Her goal is to fly for Hawaiian Airlines and she is already being actively recruited. Eventually, they will all move here. In the meantime, my goal is to grow a small real estate team here in Honolulu. Our business is relationship based. Our clients become friends and our friends become clients. We are both very firm believers in the idea of "paying it forward". Community and family are the foundation of everything we do. We are blessed and believe in sharing our blessings through community outreach and service.
I am very excited to join this group of like minded, ethical professionals and I look forward to earning the right to call all of you friends.
With warm aloha,
Maureen
ROTARY MOMENT
Virtual Rotary Choir keeps the music going...
By Bonnie F. Sirower, past district governor of District 7490 (New Jersey, USA)
A lot of Rotary members are not aware of the opportunities they have to dramatically increase their friendships and connections through a Rotary Fellowship.
I first joined the International Fellowship of Rotarian Musicians (IFRM) at the 2005 Rotary International Convention in Chicago. I was drawn to their booth in the House of Friendship by the number of people having fun singing to the accompaniment of a pianist. I joined the fellowship right then and there and for several years, participated in the Rotary World Choir at conventions during the Interfaith Service on Sunday mornings. What a beautiful way to be together – making gorgeous music with people who had previously been strangers.
Once the COVID-19 pandemic hit and we lost our opportunity to sing together at the Honolulu convention, the leaders of our fellowship decided to start a new Zoom project to engage members through music. With social distancing, Rotarians were looking for ways to connect during social distancing. In early April, the fellowship decided to perform music together in a virtual choir. Our Virtual Rotary World Choir, under the direction of John Ackenhusen, a musician who lives near Seattle, Washington, USA, now meets online every Saturday morning. Our members receive rehearsal material in advance, and then converge via Zoom to listen to the accompaniment and sing their parts. We then email our voice memos to John, who uses digital audio and video work stations to put the four-part harmony pieces together so that they are synced perfectly.
We have already engaged more than 25 Rotarian musicians in at least 12 countries. Over our brief history, we have recorded 13 songs, all of which have been posted on Facebook. The songs have ranged from hymns to popular music like Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” “Let There Be Peace on Earth,” and sillier songs like “All God’s Critters Got a Place in the Choir.” On off-weekends, when we are not recording, we sing songs from the Rotary Song Book, composed mostly of popular pieces, such as “Let Me Call You Sweetheart.” (That was the first song ever sung at a Rotary meeting.)
Any Rotarian, Rotaractor, or spouse of a Rotarian can join, by signing up on our website The Rotary Virtual World Choir has become like a second Rotary club to me; I look forward to seeing my new friends every week. It continues to engage Rotarians as more musicians discover the group. Some of my fellow singers have even appeared as presenters at my own Fair Lawn Sunrise Rotary Club, sharing their experiences with this fellowship and others. You can listen to our songs on the IFRM YouTube Channel.
President Ary Radnaeva
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK
“There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.”
The pictures below are from a meeting in August 2012.
Follow Us
Links
Check out the menu at http://www.himalayankitchenhawaii.com. To order take-out order, please call at 808-735-1122. Don't forget to mention "ROTARY" and email a photo of the receipt at rotaryhonolulusunset@gmail.com. By ordering food at Himalayan Kitchen, you are not only supporting the restaurant, but also our Nepal Global Grants for this Rotary year! See more information below.
NEPAL PROJECTS
by Arjun Aryal
Currently, there are three active projects in Nepal. One from the last year that has been approved and fully funded (GG1988399). Two of them (GG2117300 – Hospital equipment and GG2118290-Education focus) are almost ready to be submitted. These two projects will be sponsored by D5000 and will receive roll-over DDF from DG Naomi.
Fourteen D5000 contributing club payments, D5000 cash contributions (earthquake relief fund) and the local host club in Nepal already made the payments and all the contribution was sent to the TRF grant management center, Chicago. This grant will provide clean drinking water to 120 families who now have to hike over 4 hours to fetch drinking water.
2. GG2117300 - Dhading Hospital medical equipment and training (RCHS)
This Global Grant will provide Emergency Room and ICU equipment (ventilator, ultrasound, and other related equipment) to Dhading hospital. The hospital serves over 250k people of this remote Dhading district and 45+ Health posts and health centers feed into this hospital. This is the only hospital designated by the Government of Nepal to manage Covid-19 in this district but it has no proper equipment. Dr. Paul Maroz communicated with the hospital and verified the need and ensured that the hospital has expertise to use the equipment. Estimated budget is $60k
3. GG2118290 - Improving Basic Education in Nepal (D5000 sponsored)
This is a centerpiece of D5000 international service project sponsored by DG Naomi. This project will supply science lab equipment to promote career-focused high-school education and provide teachers training and adult science literacy. The focus is on so-called lower caste or untouchable children and seeks to empower them through basic education. D5000 Rotarians will have the opportunity to visit the schools and be involved in the project, tentatively in Oct 2021, assuming the situation will be improved). Estimated budget is $45k.
to Honolulu with his wife of 52years, Lee, in 1992, after a 23 year 10 month 4 day career in the U.S. Marine Corps retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. They lived in Europe for 3 years and Rich served another 4 years in various overseas posts, mostly in the Western Pacific and Asia , including Kuwait in the first Gulf War.
