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Hawaii Lions host WisingUP fundraiser kick-off at Sub-Zero Wolf showroom
On
November 2, 2005, Lions Clubs International District 50 - Hawaii officially
launched their fundraiser using WFI's WisingUP—A
Youth Guide to Good Living at the Sub-Zero Wolf Showroom in Honolulu. The
1,850-member statewide Lions District with 64 clubs on all the major Hawaiian
islands intends to sell 10,000 copies of WFI's character-development handbook as
a fundraiser to support its
youth-development and other charitable activities. For every book sold at
the $15.00 retail price, the Lions will receive $7.50 from WFI.
The event attracted some 50 local leaders, including Mr Breen Harimoto, chair of the State Board of Education; Mrs Betty White, principal of the state's largest girls school, Sacred Hearts Academy; Mr Burt Tomita, principal of Damien Middle School; Ms Mollie Sperry, head of the Academy of the Pacific; Ms Anne Harpham, senior editor of the HONOLULU ADVERTISER; and Ms Kayla Rosenfeld, news director of Hawaii Public Radio. Mr Roy Nishida, Governor of Lions District 50 and head of the Garden Isle's anti-drug program, flew in from Kauai to attend the event.
The ceremonies began with an "oli," a traditional Hawaiian chant, offered by Professor Jon Osorio, director of the Center for Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa, who later sang a contemporary Hawaiian song. After this oli, an interfaith invocation was offered by Sr Joan Chatfield, MM, president of the Institute of Religion and Social Change; the Rev Irene Matsumoto, Tendai Buddhist priest and minister of Palolo Kwanon Buddhist Temple; Fr Donald Merrifield, SJ, president and chancellor emeritus of Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles; and Bishop Stephen Randolph Sykes of the Inclusive Orthodox Church. Both the Rev Matsumoto and Bishop Sykes are members of the WFI Board, with Bishop Sykes serving as Board secretary.
The brief program, emceed by Mr Bernard Ho, recently retired executive vice president of Hawaii Medical Services Association (HMSA) and past governor of Lions District 50, included remarks by current Lions District Governor Nishida; Lt Gen Hank Stackpole (USMC ret), president emeritus of the Asia Pacific Center for Strategic Studies and WFI Board member; Ms Sheena Payton, senior at Waldorf High School of Honolulu and WFI Board member; and the co-authors of "WisingUP"—Mr M Jan Rumi and Dr Reynold Feldman.
Keynote remarks were offered at the beginning of the program by the Honorable Mufi Hannemann, mayor of the City and County of Honolulu, who among other things said, "I love this book!" (See accompanying photograph.) And, "I wish I'd had a bunch of copies of 'WisingUP' last week when I addressed the Leos [high-school division of Lions]. I would have given one to each of them." Mayor Hannemann is himself a Lion.
After the program, those present socialized while enjoying heavy pupus [hors d'oeuvres] prepared on the spot by Sub-Zero Wolf's demonstration chefs and wine and champagne generously contributed by the company. A few people were also seen checking out the S-ZW's high-end kitchen equipment.
All in all, it was an auspicious kick-off for both the Lions' fundraiser and WFI's newly published youth guide.