An Interview with Leslie Wilcox

Our “can do!” island culture values resourcefulness and cooperation when faced with challenges. “We know a guy” and where to get things, and have honed skills tūtū taught us. We don’t expect anything in return for helping out. “If can, can; if no can, no can.” We put ourselves to the task. PBS Hawai‘i (KHET or KMEB call letters in your guide) is our TV station. Our donations built it and it serves us. But don’t take it for granted.

Kawaiahaʻo Church – Keeping the Faith for 200 Years

In his epic historical novel Hawai‘i, James A. Michener created fallible heroes and villains who have lived in our memories for over 60 years now. But when the missionaries are interpreted in the norms of their times, the tenets of their beliefs, we see their abiding faith to bring the gospel of peace to Henry Ōpūkaha‘ia’s people. The fruits of their labor persist, and in 2020, we celebrate 200 years of teaching God’s word and singing sacred hymns that inspire faith, hope and love.

Choosing Peace: Our Care, Our Choice

Dying at home can be traumatic for loved ones. We long for a peaceful walk into a beautiful sunset. But most have never seen anyone die and that first indelible experience will stick with us. We may wish to die in our sleep, suffer an accident where we “never knew what happened” or drop dead while enjoying a favorite activity. But the odds are even — just as many people suffer and fight death to the last breath. Loved ones who witness such death throes simply don’t talk about it.

The Gift of Food

We know how food gets distributed at the market to people who can afford to buy it. For those who can’t, every day, a network of Hawai‘i nonprofits work together to collect food donations and deliver them to the hungry. They serve seniors on a fixed income, low-income families, disabled persons and homeless persons who may not be getting enough food to sustain health or the energy to work.

Maui Pink Paddlers Give Us Hope

Hope and togetherness for persons affected by cancer is Mana‘olana Pink Paddlers’ specialty. On Tuesday and Thursday mornings, cancer patients, survivors and supporters pull together, paddling their pink double-hull canoes across the ocean off Kīhei on Maui. Oct. 12 and 13 will be their 10th voyage and overnight on Lāna‘i with The Pacific Cancer Foundation’s Paddle for Life — not a race, but a fun outing

A Paddler First, a Cancer Survivor Twice

Tammy Osurman of West Maui has competed in 10 Nā Wāhine o Ke Kai canoe races — a grueling 42-mile paddle across the treacherous Kaiwi Channel from Moloka‘i to Waikīkī. This “Paddle Bunny” is in the canoe three days a week with the North Shore Renegades. Tammy has paddled in all 10 of the Pacific Cancer Foundation’s Paddle for Life: Voyage to Lāna‘i Events.

CITY MILL SENIOR VALUE

In July, City Mill Ltd. will celebrate 120 years of business in Honolulu. Their success is grounded in four generations of family wisdom. Our grandparents and parents loved shopping there, and today, we receive that same kindly respect and assistance every time we visit the store. Vice President Carol Ai May and President Steven Ai are the third generation of their family running City Mill. This brother and sister are also part of a group of family caregivers who assist their mother and stepmother, now in their nineties. Their family culture of helping others began in the 1890s.

I Ke Aloha a Nā Mele Kahiko o Hawaiʻi (“Because for the love of the old songs of Hawai’i)

It’s Sunday afternoon! “Welcome to ‘Territorial Airwaves,’” echoes the AM940 Hawai‘i announcer, followed by a long steamy blast of a cruise ship’s horn. And then, like a playful ocean breeze, the cadence of Harry B. Soria’s happy voice bids us e komo mai and stay awhile. Gently, he calls us back to simpler days with the hapa-haole and not-so-haole music of old Hawai‘i — passed down in families and among Hawai‘i musicians for a hundred years.

Medical Cannabis: A Therapeutic Resource for Seniors

Since 2017, licensed Hawai‘i cannabis growers have been formulating and dispensing medical products to qualified state-registered patients. A majority of their clients who are benefiting from cannabis treatments are seniors. Maui Grown Therapies dispensary in Kahului has been open over a year. Leading their Science & Medical Advisory Board is Dr. Andrew Weil, director of the University of Arizona Center for Integrated Medicine, an advocate for alternative medicine and an early pioneer in the research of medical cannabis.