Rotary Club of Honolulu Sunset Weekly newsletter

President's Message

Aloha fellow Rotarians and members of the RCHS,
 
We are almost done with the first month of the Rotary year. I must say it has been challenging for me but at the same time inspiring to work closely with the Board members of our Club. For the last few weeks our Board has been working hard to identify our new year strategic goals and action plans as well as to make sure our Club opens up safely during this pandemic time. The last two in-person/hybrid meetings that we hosted at the Waikiki Yacht Club were challenging due to some technical difficulties. I apologize for the inconvenience it might have caused during our meetings, but it is a work in progress. These challenges showed me the commitment and integrity of our members who are willing to step up and be a part of the solution. That's what Rotarians are all about! So, I am grateful for everyone's support and confident that we will be able to overcome these challenges and make sure that everyone has an opportunity to join our meetings and stay connected! Stay safe and aloha!"
 
Mahalo,
Ary Radnaeva
2020 - 2021 President of the RCHS

Upcoming Meeting - July 30, 2020 - Zoom Only!

Please join us for our weekly meeting on July 30th. This meeting will be only on Zoom! No in-person meeting at the WYC. 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 guest speaker is District Governor Naomi Masuno, who will be sharing her vision as a DG for this Rotary year.
 
Naomi is a member of the Rotary Club of West Honolulu and has been a Rotarian since 2002. She served as East Honolulu Club President 2006-2007, District Awards Chair 2008-2014, District Secretary 2014-2015, District Treasurer 2016-2018, as well as serving on numerous District Committees. She is committed to supporting the District and Club leadership to carry out the mission of Rotary.
 

She recently retired from Bank of Hawaii. She is a graduate of the University of Hawaii, with a major in Accounting. She and her husband, Dean, and their two sons have participated in numerous Rotary projects.

To joining the meeting via Zoom, please follow this link:
 
Meeting ID: 835 710 4992
Password: 1234
 

Dial by your location: +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma).

Last Week's Meeting - July 23

Our speaker last week was Dr. Hong Jiang, professor
in the University of Hawaii's Geography program.
 
She spoke about China, and what will become of Hong Kong and Taiwan. She gave us a brief history of Hong Kong, from its days as a British Colony under a 99-year lease, though its reversion to Chinese ownership in 1987, explaining to what led to the recently-enacted Hong Kong Security Law. 
 
She explained that Britain laid a good foundation for democracy in Hong Kong, and that the Hong Kong Basic Law adopted in 1997 provided that Hong Kong shall enact laws on its own. The Chinese government promised that China and Hong Kong would be "one country, two systems." However, the Chinese government never fully allowed Hong Kong the autonomy it had promised, which led to ongoing protests, followed by grater and greater crackdowns on the people of Hong Kong by the Chinese government.
 
She painted a grim picture of the current state of affairs in mainland China, rife with corruption, "patriotic" education, and violations of human rights. The future of Hong Kong, though by no means certain, may also be grim. Is Hong Kong becoming part of China? Arrests have already started. Books critical of the Chinese government are being removed. 
Jerry Taniyama received a gift from James Ham for his service as a 2019-20 Board member.
Arjun Aryal was recognized as a Rotarian of the Year for 2019-2020. Congra-
tulations! 
Zoom participants paying close attention to the speaker's presentation.

Rotary Moment

Sharon Ehrhorn shared a Rotary Moment:
 

A few weeks ago the Rotary Foundation Trustees and Rotary International Board of Directors have both unanimously approved adding a new area of focus: supporting the environment. 


Karen Kendrick-Hands - Communications Director, Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group (ESRAG) answers to the question:

How does the environment fit into Rotary’s areas of focus? 

Any project in any area of focus will benefit from having environmental sustainability as one of its watchwords. It’s a lot harder to supply clean water to people if your watershed is compromised— if your river is full of industrial, human, and animal waste. Basic education and literacy is a challenge when kids are sick because the school well is contaminated. Health is affected when insects carrying diseases expand their geographic range due to changing climate patterns. Water wars and climate refugees will make achieving peace and conflict resolution more complicated. Economic development is slowed when there’s not adequate energy. Rotary would do a huge service to the world if it moved every water project from a diesel pump to wind or solar. That’s a project that’s scalable.

https://www.rotary.org/en/5-questions-about-environmental-projects-karen-kendrick-hands

Member Spotlight

Aloha!

I am Patricia Nevada,  ready to serve in our board as Youth Service Chair . Thank you for your vote of confidence.  

Five years ago in November of 2015, I participated in one of the service projects as a guest because it was near my house. The Honolulu Sunset Rotarians rang the bell to solicit monetary donations for Salvation Army at Bubbies Ice Cream in Hawaii Kai.  After that, I attended a few meetings then subsequently  joined the club.  Aside from my brother-in-law , Jim Hoban being President that year, I was attracted to the camaraderie within the club’s members.  The club’s meeting place, WYC,  was also a plus.

The food was ono at the WYC and the speakers were pretty good too. The meetings are only an hour and I get to see my sister.  I also like the structure of Rotary.  I like that everywhere I travel, I can join a meeting and meet other Rotarians.  

In my past life, I was a baker with hotels, Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott and Ritz Carlton.  When my family and I moved to Hawaii in 2002 from California, I started a small wedding cake company.  

When I got tired of that, I took classes online and got certified to teach students with special needs in the Department of Education.  This fall, I will be teaching Special Education at Lunalilo Elementary School .  My students will be kindergarteners, first graders and second graders.    

I love teaching and can’t wait to meet my students despite our current CoVid situation.

I was born in Chicago, Illinois, lived in the Philippines, California, New Zealand and Hawaii.  Our three children are grown, Patrick who lives in Brooklyn is 26, Timothy who lives in San Francisco is 25 and Michelle , who will be going to college just turned 18.  When I am not teaching, I am Church, or in the ocean or reading or cooking Filipino food . But because I am on the board this year, looks like I will be doing a lot or Rotarying. 

Aloha,
 
Patricia
President Ary Radnaeva

Thought of the Week

Try to be a rainbow in someone else's cloud.
                                                      - Maya Angelou

Upcoming Events
District Governor Naomi Masuno
Zoom only
Jul 30, 2020
6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
 
Jessica Lani Rich
WYC & Zoom
Aug 06, 2020
6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
 
Edwin Hawkins, Dept. of Economic Development
WYC & Zoom
Aug 13, 2020
6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
 
View entire list
Executives & Directors
President
 
Immediate Past President
 
President Elect
 
Treasurer
 
Club Service Director
 
Community Service Director
 
International Service Director
 
Vocational Service Director
 
Youth Service Director
 
Foundation Giving Chair
 
Membership Chair
 
Club Trainer
 
Public Image
 
Sergeant at Arms
 
Social Media Director
 
Past District Governor
 
Past District Governor
 
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Club Information
Honolulu Sunset
Thursdays at 6:30 PM
Waikiki Yacht Club
1599 Ala Moana Blvd.,
Honolulu, HI 96814
United States of America
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In late June our Club honored the Executive Director of Honolulu Zoo, Linda Santos, with Vocational Achievement Award. If you would like to continue supporting the Honolulu Zoo Society, consider becoming a member. Check out the link here.
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