The Salvation Army is collecting school supplies for our keiki. Please bring items or a monetary donation to our meeting this Tuesday, July 24th. The Salvation Army would like to have all items by the end of the week for distribution.
We were honored to have JaNeal Stevens, East Hawaii Director for the Special Olympics Hawaii speak to our club on July 17th. JaNeal brought Tasha, an athlete and her mother Katherine who is a coach.
Pictured: JaNeal Stevenson and Tasha, Tasha and Katherine
Special Olympics is founded on the belief that people with intellectual disabilities can, with proper instruction and encouragement, learn, enjoy and benefit from participation in individual and team sports, adapted as necessary to meet the needs of those with special mental and physical limitations. Special Olympics believes that consistent training is essential to the development of sport skills. In addition, competition among those of equal abilities is the most appropriate means of testing these skills, measuring progress and providing incentives for personal growth. Special Olympics believes that through sports training and competition, people with intellectual disabilities benefit physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually. Families are also strengthened; and the community at large, can participate in and observe an environment of equality, respect and acceptance. Special Olympics believes that every person with intellectual disabilities who is at least eight years old should have the opportunity to participate in and benefit from sports training and competition. Special Olympics also permits individual programs to accept children from ages six to seven for training, but these children may not participate in Special Olympics competition.
Special Olympics Hawaii FAQs:
Special Olympics Hawaii serves over 3,500 adults and children with intellectual disabilities, and special partners.
Special Olympics Hawaii offers training and competition in Basketball, Bocce, Bowling, Powerlifting, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, and Track & Field. Demonstration sports include Golf and Tennis.
Approximately 50 competitions are held yearly in the various sports for Special Olympics Hawaii. The two largest are the Holiday Classic, held in early December, and the Summer Games, held Memorial Day weekend. Over 800 athletes, from Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Kauai, Lanai & the Big Island participate in each of these competitions.
Special Olympics Hawaii receives no funding from the Kennedy Foundation. All money raised in Hawaii stays here to continue the efforts of making year-round sports training and competition available to children and adults with intellectual disabilities in Hawaii.
Special Olympics Hawaii depends on the efforts of over 6,000 volunteers yearly. Volunteers represent corporate sponsors, civic groups, military groups, or individuals. Volunteers serve in a variety of roles, from coaching to officiating, fundraising to Public Relations. Special Olympics Hawaii have jobs that take a 1-6 hour a week commitment to just coming out for the day.
To learn more about Special Olympics Hawaii, check out their website here and stay tuned as we work on service projects to support this organization in the fall.
Christine Waters received her Paul Harris pin and Brenda Ho received her Paul Harris +3 during our meeting on July 17th.
The Paul Harris Fellow recognition acknowledges individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of 1,000 to The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. The first Paul Harris Fellows include 1937-38 RI Director Allison G. Brush and longtime RI Treasurer Rufus F. Chapin, both for donations made in 1946. Mrs. Adan Vargas was the first woman to receive the recognition, for a gift made in 1953. Mrs. Harry L. Jones was the second, and one of only five people recognized for contributions made in 1957.
Early Paul Harris Fellows received a certificate of recognition. In 1969, the Foundation unveiled the first Paul Harris Fellow medallion at the RI Convention in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. Japanese metal artist Fiju Tsuda created the piece under the direction of then-past Foundation Trustee Kyozo Yuasa. Today, Paul Harris Fellows receive a certificate and pin.
Rotarians have a tradition of supporting the Foundation by honoring others. Ida LeTulle Taylor became a Paul Harris Fellow in 1978 when her husband, then-District Governor Vann Taylor, made a donation in her name in honor of their 34th wedding anniversary. The gift also made her the 25,000th Paul Harris Fellow.
At the International Assembly in 1979, then-RI President-elect James Bomar challenged each Rotary club to make one non-Rotarian a Paul Harris Fellow. The Rotary Club of Pikesville, Maryland, USA, responded by making a donation in the name of Mother Teresa in 1980. The entertainer Pearl Bailey also became a Paul Harris Fellow through a joint effort of the Rotary clubs in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Many other notable figures have been named as Paul Harris Fellows, including U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Russian President Boris Yeltsin, U.S. astronaut James Lovell, UN Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar, and Jonas Salk.
The number of Paul Harris Fellows reached the one million mark in 2006.
We kicked off our 1st Talk Story Thursday with a potluck at Reed's Bay. Every other month, on the 3rd Thursday we will hold Talk Story Thursday as a membership mixer so we can get to know fellow Rotarians and guests. There will be a $10 fee to cover heavy pupu's at the locations. Upcoming dates and locations are as follows:
Running For Grace, filmed in Hilo and featuring John Fitzgerald's horses, Ruby & Ehiku, will be playing at the Palace Theater July 27th-30th. John will have his horses at the Palace on July 29th at the 2:30 pm showing. Come show your support for this movie and John! Click the image below to watch the trailer.
