What a great start to the new year for Membership! We added 3 new energetic, committed, and active volunteers this summer.

Geno Godinet joined our ALH membership in June but has been a supporter for years. He is the owner and President of Access Lifts of Hawaii, Inc. located at 1525 Young Street (across from 7-11). Years ago, he found out we paid metered parking and offered his spaces on Saturday when the office is closed. He's been a frequent shopper (knows us all) and although he works full-time, you'll find him putting in hours whenever he has any spare time. Great to have Geno aboard!

Carol Larson Jones is a neighbor to several of ALH members and friend of Ellen Dihel. Carol is a retired Professor Emeritus at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona. She is interested in the Operation Wildlife Program because she loves animals. She has volunteered as a docent at the Honolulu Zoo for years in the primate and Kipuka areas and is a foster caregiver for the humane society, so educating children about endangered animal and preserving the environment fits right in. Great to have Carol aboard!

James Quinn came to us and "hit the ground running!" He gained experience while volunteering at the Mother Rice Thrift Shop for years before it closed. When his neighbor and friend, Ron Richey, talked to him about becoming a community volunteer, he came to orientation and started within the next 2 days. We are very fortunate to have his experience and expertise upstairs. Great to have James aboard!

Geno Godinet

Carol Jones

James Quinn

 

The ALH monthly meeting will be held on September 13, 2017 at the Outrigger Canoe Club (OCC).   Miho Teipei is our member host to the club. The meeting will begin at 10.30 AM.

The menu options include:

a) Hamburger Sandwich with Cole Slaw

b) Mahimahi with Hapa Brown rice with vegetables

c) Papaya with Curry Chicken Salad

Please RSVP with menu choice no later than September 4, 2017 so we can confirm the menu with OCC. You may call or email Geri Johnson at Tel. 745 4411 Geri.johnson7@gmail.com

 

This is the beginning of my second year as Treasurer and I'm still having a ball. There is nothing like hands-on experience to help one understand a job. Margie Van Swearingen has been not only Finance Chairman but my Assistant Treasurer, and has helped me so much along the way. Sandy Wells, another Asst. Treasurer, has been the money menehune every week, efficiently depositing the money generated by our amazing Thrift Shop and making sure that the coin change bag for the downstairs workers has enough in it to keep the shop operating smoothly every week. Ellen Wilson, Asst. Treasurer #3, monitors our work and brings her extensive accounting experience to bear when we need it, especially at tax time, which is now. 

I will be reporting on our financial position at the next Regular Meeting at the Outrigger Canoe Club on Sept. 13th, however, we have not been idle this summer. Our CPAs, Choo, Osada and Lee are busy working with and for us, preparing our tax return, which I will submit to the Board of Directors at our first Board meeting on Sept. 6th. Our lovely, simmering savings bonds are also quietly increasing in value, and are now worth $49,056. 

For Operation School Bell this year, we are purchasing t-shirts for students at 26 qualifying schools and anticipate clothing students chosen by the faculty from qualifying schools at Walmart (Ke'eaumouku and Kapolei) stores this year.

All of our notification letters for both the t-shirts and the Walmart events have been sent out and our first in-store shopping event was held this Saturday, August 26th at Ke'eaumouku with 4 schools participating. We clothed approximately 180 students at                                      this event.

The We Care Program will continue with the same projects as last year as we go forth into the new year.:  Malama Bears, Lullaby, Next Step Shelter, Next Step Kokua, Shriners, Youth Outreach, and Hale Kipa.  Anyone not already working with these projects but interested in helping, or if you just want more information on them, please contact me ( Jane Winslow) to obtain the name of the project coordinator. Melanie Wogan delivered 50 bears to Shriners Hospital on 18 August as part of the Malama Bears Project which she coordinates. She also coordinates the Youth Outreach Project. Melanie would like some help with the deliveries. If you can help, please contact her. Sandra Nada, a new member, has proposed adding baby quilts to the Lullaby Project packages. The quilts would be provided by a quilting group with which she is acquainted.  Sounds like a good idea to me. We will discuss at the next We Care Program meeting and see what we have to do to make this happen. The next bagging party for the Lullaby-Layette Project will be at Mary Kay Junk's house in October at a date to be determined. Our next We Care Program meeting will be held in early September in the Thrift Shop meeting room at a date to be determined. Carol Jones, a new Assistance League member, has contacted me and offered her help with the We Care Program projects. Thank you Carol! Looking forward to another Great Year!

OWLS have been busy this summer. Our first meeting in June was important to our committee as we voted unanimously to end our weekly Honolulu Zoo commitment for Park Headquarters, a sad but necessary move so we can have more time to work with the Honolulu schools and the neighbor islands as well.
We cleaned out the Operation Wildlife closet and set up for next year. On August 2 we cleaned and re packed the suitcases for the year and Arden ( Moore)has repaired the artifacts. New tags will be made for those artifacts that need them. We had a fun day and welcomed Carol Jones to Operation Wildlife. Peggy Monell has been a great new addition as well.
Gerri Migita has worked on the updated script and Ronnie (Wassill) is working hard on the photos to accompany the new script. 
Six schools have asked about our presentations and the Waimea trip is set up to go the end of September.
We invite anyone who would like to be at our first presentation to check our calendar on the bulletin board upstairs. 
Aloha, Betty

Here's a photo of the Operation Wildlife ladies in August taking a break from a long day of organizing, repairing, repacking, relabeling, and generally working hard preparing for this year's impending Endangered Species presentations:

Left to Right: Arden Moore, Carol Jones, Kathy Takemoto, Andrea Cyriacks, Cathy Young, Ronnie Wassill, Marge Fabre, Betty Parinas (Chair), and Miho Teipel.

Tutorial Meeting for all tutors and interested members  will be held  after  the September luncheon!!!  Hope that will work for everyone.

    

September is that time when we have our Kokua with Aloha Kala (KWAK) fundraiser in conjunction with Foodland's "Give Aloha" program. Members are really faithful about making their donation at their local Foodland or Sack 'n Save, using their Maka'i cards, during the month. We just got news from Foodland about an additional way to enhance our donations this year. If people bring in a reusable bag, they usually get Hawaiian miles or a 5-cent credit. During Give Aloha, they can elect the 5 cents to go to their favorite charity. Great way to get friends and neighbors involved. They might give more!This year, let's each try to get friends and relatives to help us. Foodland enhances our donations by adding to them. This means more keiki get new school clothes, more new mommies get layettes, more books are available for Tutu's literacy program, more bears comfort children in trauma, and children throughout the islands get to hear about animal preservation through our Operation Wildlife program.

If you think those "Pennies for Programs" cans of coins don't add up, I just deposited $141.00 in pennies, nickels, dimes,  quarters and even a few one dollar bills. That will pay for two middle school students to buy new school clothes at Walmart on August 26th. We have also submitted an entry into a National Assistance League contest at the upcoming Conference in September where we might receive a reality grant of $1,000 for Operation School Bell. We are competing with 119 chapters, but it never hurts to ask.

We want to keep the FUN in FUNdraising, so let's all KWAK in September.

                 

Thank you letters for non-monetary donations were sent to Bonnie Price for the many items donated from the Michael Haig Estate, Davidean Young for the many items that she donated to us and to VANs Ala Moana for the shoes and other assorted items they donated to us. 

 Get Well Cards were sent to Raynette Scruton , Cat hy Ong , and Debbie Muirhead who were all recovering from surgery in July.