Rotary Club of Wahiawa-Waialua

District Governor
Eric Kaler

Volume 7 Issue 15 – October 17th, 2019

“Making a Difference in our Local and Global Communities”

President
Alexander “Alex” Kanamu

The strength of our Club lies in its members

Rotary YouthExchange
Service Above Self – Making a Difference

OCTOBER IS ECONOMIC ANDCOMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT MONTH
Ecotourism businesses empower women in
Costa Rica

During a trip to Costa Rica, my club members and I met
a member of the faculty at The Tropical Agricultural
Research and Education Center (CATIE) in Turrialba
who studies barriers rural women face in joining Costa
Rica’s fast-growing tourism business. Sitting with him
over coffee and learning about women’s struggles toenter the local tourism economy, we saw an opportunity
for Rotary to help.
We visited with women in three communities who had
started a small tourism business. Their focus was on
experiential, sustainable tourism: inviting tour groups tolearn about their history, plants, rainforest ecology,
wildlife, and culture from local residents.
Through a partnership between Rotary clubs in Denton,
Texas, United States and the Club Rotario de Cartago
in Costa Rica, we were able to implement three projects
funded through a Rotary Foundation global grant. The
projects training the rural women on how to support
tourism to benefit their communities. We also
refurbished a traditional Costa Rican house to serve asan eco-hotel and office, and built aquaponics gardens
for women in three communities to teach residents
about nutrition while feeding their families and tourists.
Denton, Texas is home to the University of North Texas(UNT), who partners and shares faculty with CATIE.
Graduate students from UNT study at CATIE throughthe Masters of Science in Sustainable Tourism (MIST)
program. MIST graduates share their knowledge ofRotary – 114 Years of Service to the World!

Editor – PP Geoff Horvathexperiential/ environmental tourism throughout Central
and South America and locally, in the Turrialba area.
A 77-year-old Sustainability House is located on
CATIE’s campus. This house is the heart and central
location of the offices and tour meeting locations forthe women’s tourism business and surrounding ruralcommunities. We refurbished the house with updated
electrical, plumbing, some minor structural repairs andnew paint inside and out. A team of Rotarians andInteractors from Wichita Falls, Texas, spent a week at
the Sustainability House in July working with local
members on these enhancements.

Sustainable House Team

After a series of community assessment interviews, it
was clear that there were about 20 women who
wanted be involved in tourism as guides and related
businesses such as restaurateurs, home stay hosts andcraft artisans who could make souvenirs. The women

The Rotary Club of
Wahiawa-Waialua

needed business, marketing, financial and social media
training to better connect with tour companies andtravel agents. Professionals from four Rotary clubs inNorth Texas created a curriculum and series of weeklong workshops to train the women in the identified
topics. Workshops were held on the CATIE campus. The
women attended a total of 100 hours of training overa 5-month period, with 63 hours of classroom and 37
hours of “in the field” tour guide training.

invaluable. Our local partners also helped navigatetransportation and lodging logistics, ordering materials
from the hardware store and paying bills.

Building an aquaponics garden

The women of RETUS – Network of Sustainable Tourism
Entrepreneurs

Early on, we identified that most of the women did not
speak English well enough to communicate with tourists.
In addition to the other training we included English asa Second Language courses. At the conclusion oftraining, each woman was partnered with a volunteer
Rotarian in the United States to speak several times amonth and practice their English skills.
We had three teams that traveled to Costa Rica fromJanuary through July 2019. Each team had a leader
from one of Denton’s Rotary clubs and a schedule tocomplete their part of the project: either training thewomen is tourism, refurbishing the Sustainability Houseor building the aquaponics gardens. Our host club in
Cartago and CATIE’s faculty and staff were

RI President: Mark Daniel MaloneyDistrict: Eric Kaler
Asst. Dist. Govt: Sonya Mendez
Club President: Alex Kanamu
PP: Lilette Subedi
President Elect: Keoni Ahlo
Exec Secretary: Alison Kanamu
Recording Secretary: Jackie Barnes
Treasurer: Kate Butts
Sergeant-at-Arms: Dr. Carver Wilcox
Asst. Sergeant-at-Arms: Austin
KanamuRotary – 114 Years of Service to the World!

The biggest and most rewarding impact has been
empowering the women in the communities. They are
writing business plans, bringing other women into theirorganization and planning activities for tourists that
include festivals, fairs and cultural celebrations. They
stained the walls and painted the window sills andfloors in their office at the Sustainability House where
they elected a board of directors and host their
meetings. One woman who started an aquaponics
garden has already arranged field trips for children inlocal elementary schools. She proudly teaches aboutaquaponics and encourages the children to try her
produce. There is a pride in the communities that shows
through their meticulous maintenance: continued
repairs, new paint and welcome signs for travelers.
Posted on October 3, 2019 by rotaryservice
By Karen McDaniels, member of Rotary Clubof Denton, Texas, United States

Within D5K
None

Gerry (Geraldine) Kocher – Guest of visiting
Rotarian, Charlie Kocher
James Ching – Guest of visiting Rotarian, PP Thelma
Reyes Ching

PE Keoni Ahlo

Derek Conselva
Two questions and two answers.
What does the Rotary Foundation do?
The mission of The Rotary Foundation is to enable Rotarians
to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace
through the improvement of health, the support of education,and the alleviation of poverty

Why should I donate to the Rotary Foundation?
When you make a donation to The RotaryFoundation, you are helping Rotary members make adifference in the lives of millions of people around theworld, by promoting peace, preventing disease,bolstering economic development, and providing cleanwater and sanitation.

Oli – No Oli today

Outside D5K
Charles “Charlie” Kocher – RC of Brookings Harbor,
Southern Oregon.
PP Thelma Reyes Ching – RC of Central Davao City,
Mindanao, Philippines.
Thelma’s club has 35
members including two Past District Governors. Her
Club is in District 3860. RC of Central Davao City waschartered on August 25, 1975. The Club will besending 20 members to the RI 2020 International
Convention.

Rotary – 114 Years of Service to the World!

Hawaii Rotary YouthFoundation (HRYF)
The HRYF 2020 Scholarship program kicks off on
November 1st, 2019. Student have until Monday,
February 3rd to submit their applications to theirrespective Rotary Clubs.
Here is the timeline for the 2020 HRYF Scholarshipprogram:2019
Nov. 1st – Applications to High Schools/Clubs/Area
Chairs/websites
Nov/Dec – New ad in Mid-Week

The Rotary Club of
Wahiawa-Waialua

2020
Feb 3rd – Student deadline for applications to Clubs
Feb 22nd – Rotary Club interviews complete
Mar 2nd – Rotary Club selections to area Selection
Committee Charis
Mar 14th – Area Selection interviews complete
Mar 19th – Area Selection applications to HRYF office
Mar 30th – HRYF Final Selection
HRYF, through our media partner, Mana Means
Communications, will post HRYF Application
information on Facebook and Instagram, reaching as
many students as possible, while at the same time,reaching those areas that are underrepresented.

Recognitions for the week ending October 20th, 2019.

None

Spouse’s Birthday

None

Anniversaries

None

None

Rotary – 114 Years of Service to the World!

HI
PE Keoni Ahlo gave a HI $5 for Doc Lynn Goya
giving him the right perspective, with his busy scheduleand all that he is doing within the community. Also, forhandling some of the administrative stuff on our
ClubRunner site.
Doc Lynn gave a HI $5 for completing and publishing
our new Club brochures. They are very classy! Thanks
for all the hard work, Doc!
Visiting Rotarian Charlie Kocher gave a HI $5 for all
the fun he and Gerry had since being in Hawaii, visiting
our Club, and making him and Gerry part of our
Ohana. They had a blast exploring the North Shore,
and Wahiawa to see what these areas had to offer.
They found some great Spanish Rolls, Mochi Waffles,
and a lot of other ono grinz!
Derek Conselva gave a HI $5 for a safe trip andreturn form Bali for our President Alex, Club Secretary
Alison Kanamu, and PP Lilette Subedi. From thevideos posted by Alison, they are really working hard!
Kate Butts gave a HI $5 for Doc Lynn working so hardon our Club brochures. A work of art!
Doc Carver Wilcox gave a HI $5 for the adventures
he, his wife, and children had in Bali a few years ago.
The Sacred Monkey Forest was the best. They were put
in an enclosure with tons of monkeys. The monkeys
would sit on their shoulders. To get them off, you had
to lean over so they would slide off. You were told totake off glasses and other loose objects before goingin, or the monkeys would take them. However, if thatshould happen, you could always exchange the item
for a banana!
PP Doc McKenzie piggybacked on this to tell us when
he went to the Navy Hospital in Subic Bay, Philippines,
he had an encounter with some monkeys. He laid his
briefcase down for a second and a monkey camealong, snatched it and took off. Doc gave chase andwas able to get it back, after a grueling fight (not!)From PDG Nalani Flinn
Kahauiki Village – Help Needed

Monkeying around or Monkey Business!

No Trip Reports

ROTARY MINUTE
Did You Know?
That every continent has a Rotary Club? You canexperience new Rotary cultures by visiting other clubs
around the world!
This means, that no matter where you are in the world,
you have a family nearby!
During Rotary International’s annual convention, you
can travel around the world without leaving theconvention venue! This year the RI International
Convention will be held right here! Talk about nothaving to travel far for a worldly experience!

Rotary – 114 Years of Service to the World!

Thank you, for the sterling effort put forth on the last
increment’s gifting of welcome packages for the
residents moving in August. The residents that
benefited from Rotary’s generosity were very, very
grateful. The next increment of 36 residents will movein mid-November, and another 30 in December and wewould like to provide these new residents with awelcome kit as well.
If your club would like to participate, you can assemble
kits for 2 units (or more) or, if it is more convenient foryou, make a monetary donation and we will purchasethe items. The estimated cost for the 2 kits runs around$120. The welcome kits will be delivered to the newresidents with a “donated by…” label to recognize
those individuals and clubs that donated.
Monetary donations: By Nov 1, send checks payable
to District 5000 Foundation and mail to: c/0 45-675
Luluku Rd, Kaneohe, HI 96744) with “Kahauiki” on thememo line.
Assembled welcome kits Drop-off on November 11,
between 8am and noon: Kahauiki Village, at 2475 N.
Nimitz Ave., between Sand Island and Keehi Lagoon.
In addition, thanks to all of you, District grant funds will
be used to purchase much needed storage units for the
next 30 units. On November 11, we will be assemblingthese storage units, collecting and distributing thewelcome kits and doing some landscaping. If you
would like this opportunity to join in on this project,please let me know where you’d like to help and if yourclub will be able to bring a welcome kit or two. Anyone
needing a Rotary Gives Thanks project may join us at
Kahauiki Village. Come and make new friends
working together and Making a Difference. Welcome
Kit:

The Rotary Club of
Wahiawa-Waialua

Sincerely,
Nalani Flinn
Kahauiki Village Liaison
If you have any questions, please contact me
at roadrun703@aol.com.

Traci Takehara – Donor Recruitment and AccountManager – Blood Bank of Hawaii. Traci was justassigned as account manager for our area.

*Gently used is fine
Aleeka Kay Morgan – Community Development
Manager – Aleeka will be filling out her application
for membership with the RC of Hickam-Pearl Harbor.

Nov 7 – Lucy Ahn and Lisa Levine –Executive Director
and Director of Development, Oahu SPCA.

You are invited to our ClubRunner web site,
https://wahiawawaialuarotary.org/, for dates, Bio’s
and pictures for the above speakers. Just click on the
Calendar dropdown menu, then select Speakers.
While there, take the time to explore our site!

Nov 14th - Janine M LeGrand - Health-Education
Ministry in Uganda

PP Geoff Horvath is working on getting dates for the
below Powerhouse speakers!
Kamila Bernhard, MS, RD Dietitian, and Sheryl
Yoshimura, MPH RDN, LD, CDE, CRS, Special Projects
Manager from Wahiawa Health, to talk to us about
diabetes.

Ron Mizutani, President and CEO, Hawaii Foodbank
and Laura Kay Rand, VP/Chief Impact Officer, form
the Hawaii Foodbank to talk to us about this great
program. Ron assumed his position of CEO in April
2018. Ron and Laura are the Foodbank Dynamic Duo!

Pastor Anke Flohr, Executive Director of Pacific
Health Ministry. Pastor Anke is a fellow Rotarian fromthe RC of Kaneohe

Rotary – 114 Years of Service to the World!

Oct 20 – Strike Out Polio bowling fundraiser hosted
by Rotary Club of Downtown Honolulu. The event
will be held at Aiea Bowl and will start at 1:00 pm
and end at 3:00 pm. Cost is $700 for a team of 6.
Since the RC of Downtown Honolulu challenged us,
during a live stream on Facebook, President Alex has
accepted the challenge. He will pay for the team, so
is looking for 6 terrific bowlers. If you don’t bowl, comeout and support our Club. The food at Aiea Bowl is
terrific!
Oct 24 – World Polio Day
Oct 24 – Club Board MeetingOct 24 – ROTAR-OKE – Sing! So, They Can Dance
Event, at Nocturna Lounge at restaurant row,
Waterfront Plaza, 500 Ala Moana. The event starts at
4:30 pm and ends at 9:00 pm
Oct 26 – Make a Difference Day at Waimea Valley –Starts at 8:00 am.

Oct 26 – Rotary Youth Leadership Award Camp
planning meeting at 9:30, 677 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite
109.
Nov 2 – Lake Wilson Day
Nov11 – Wahiawa Veteran’s Day Parade
Dec 12 – Al Wonder Christmas party

No announcements

PRIDE IS CONCERNED WITH WHO IS RIGHT.
H U M I L I T Y I S C O N CE R N E D W I T H W H A T I S
RIGHT.

Ezra Taft Benson
Charlie Kocher – “A Passion for Youth”

When was the Postal ZIP Code introduced in the U.S.?
(Answer can be found just below the Ace of Hearts)

The End Polio Now Piggy Bank, was passed aroundfor the END POLIO NOW Contest, which started on
October 1st until November 30th. Members fed the pig
with $5, $10, and$20 bills.
We collected $26.60 today for a total of $196.21!
Members are encouraged to designate their money tothis effort.

Rotary – 114 Years of Service to the World!

Charlie Kocher was gracious enough to talk to us about
his and Gerry’s passion for youth, and more
specifically, the Rotary Youth Exchange Program.
Charlie joined Rotary in 1980. One of the reasons hejoined was the Rotary Youth Exchange program.
Charlie was the District Director for District 5100’s
Youth Exchange program, and works with other youth
exchange programs, one 500 miles from home, in the
Washington State area, a long-distance partnership.
But, before we get started with Charlie’s story, here issome background on the Rotary Youth Exchange
Program.

“Rotary Youth Exchange builds peace one
young person at a time.”
History of Rotary Youth Exchange
Like many Rotary International programs, Rotary YouthExchange began with only two clubs. The first official
documented Rotary exchanges were initiated by the
Rotary Club of Copenhagen in 1929 and involved only
European participants. These European exchanges
continued until World War II and resumed in 1946 at
the end of the war.
Exchanges between clubs in California and Latin
American countries began in 1939, and exchange
activities spread to the eastern US in 1958. The firstmulti-district youth exchange was formed in 1962 as

The Rotary Club of
Wahiawa-Waialua

several East Coast clubs and districts joined together toform the Eastern States Student Exchange (ESSEX).
In 1972, the Rotary International board of directors
agreed to make youth exchange an official programof Rotary International. The program is stilladministered by clubs, districts and multi-district groups
and has grown to include more than 60 countries andmore than 6,000 students each year.
Students learn a new language, discover anotherculture, and truly become global citizens. Exchanges forstudents ages 15-19 are sponsored by Rotary clubs inmore than 100 countries.
While in the U.S., the year-long Rotary YouthExchange program was created in 1958 in Lake Placid
at a Rotary Governors assembly. ... Since its conception
80 years ago, the Rotary Youth Exchange program
has expanded rapidly to exchange 9,000 students
annually between 80 countries.

Charlie’s Story
It all began when Charlie’s Father, a Marine, fighting
in the Pacific during WWII, came back. He thought
there had to be a better way to maintain peace andlive without war. So, he and his wife started an
exchange program by bringing two Japanese students
over to the U.S. to learn English and American culture.
While growing up, Charlie experienced meeting
students from Japan and other countries. It took him
awhile to really appreciate what this type of program
could do in cultural exchanges as well as getting abetter understanding of other people and their culture,
to celebrate these differences.
When Charlie had an opportunity to participate in thisexchange program, he and Gerry hosted students fromaround the globe, becoming like family with long
lasting ties.
Students from Brazil, Chili, Japan, Europe and otherparts of Asia, graced their home as exchange students.
They have attended weddings, graduations, etc. of thestudents they hosted. Both Charlie and Gerry consider
all these students as part of their extended family. Of
course, Charlie’s and Gerry’s children got involved withthe program too.
After studying abroad, their daughter decided to finish
her education in Hawaii. Their daughter was supposed

Rotary – 114 Years of Service to the World!

to graduate from the University of Hawaii, with anadvanced degree, but a horse-riding accident put an
end to that. But the family had fun coming out to
Hawaii anyway!
Gerry also has a passion for the exchange programand has been a partner with Charlie in hosting thesestudents, some 45+, form around the globe. She is amother, counselor, confidant, friend, and cheerleader
to these students.
Gerry told us that the best exchange is a one-on-one
exchange. It makes it easier hosting a foreign student
in your home.
As Charlie said, It’s all about the Kids
If our Club would like to get involved with the YouthExchange program, Charlie is more than willing to aid
and guidance to us.

Ace of Hearts

Marie Abatayo with the Ace of Spades

Today, the magic number was held by Marie Abatayo. She
was so very close. She had the ace, but the wrong suit andcolor, the Ace of Spades! She had a choice of classic Rotarypins to choose from, as a consolation prize.

Answer to the Weekly Quiz: July 1st, 1963

(Go to our Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/groups/9628629737
49303/ to view all pictures.)Charlie and Gerry Kocher arriving

Gerry and Charlie Kocher

Rotarians enjoying lunch and fellowship

President Alex enjoying the special fish dish

Visiting Rotarian Thelma Reyes Ching

PP Doc McKenzie here!

Pineapple by

Guest of Rotarian, James Ching with Member, Derek Conselva
More good food and fellowship

Rotary – 114 Years of Service to the World!

The Rotary Club of
Wahiawa-Waialua

Charlie viewing our new Club Brochure
Doc Carver Wilcox introducing our guests

PP Thelma Reyes Ching telling us about her Club

Banner exchange. This is the first new banner given to aninternational visiting Rotarian

Doc Lynn Goya’s HI $5

Rotary – 114 Years of Service to the World!

Charlie’s HI $5

Gerry having fun with Charlie’s HI $5!

Derek Conselva’s HI $5

Kate Butts’ HI $5

PE Keoni Ahlo’s HI $5

Doc Carver’s monkey HI $5

Full podium

Rotary – 114 Years of Service to the World!

PP Doc McKenzie’s Monkey and Pig story!

It’s either my way or the highway!1 NOT!!!

Charlie telling us about his Youth Exchange experiences

Yes, that’s my number!

The Rotary Club of
Wahiawa-Waialua

PE Keoni and an Ace of Hearts check – 17 cards left!

One of Marian’s Catering Servers, May

Yes, the Ace is still there!
The meeting room

Where are you, you elusive Ace of Hearts?

Okay, Meeting over!

Rotary – 114 Years of Service to the World!

The buffet line

Its great being President Elect!