Weekly Newsletter

Newsletter for Week of August 6, 2025

Tim Hansen, President

 

Call to Order: Past President, Steven Sylvester for Tim Hansen

 

 

Pledge of Allegiance: Kaitlin Balmoja

Inspiration: Steven Sylvestor for Miyuki Lee; “To be kind is more important than being right.” ~F.Scott Fitzgerald

Guest: Jessica Thompson, President and CPO at Hawaii Island United Way.

Trivia Question: Who said, “What we’ve got to do is keep hope alive.  Because without it, we’ll sink.” Answer: John Lennon

 

Announcements:

Steven announced that Steve Jacunski has been at home, recovering from treatments due to a bout with cancer.  Please reach out to Steve and his ohana in your thoughts (and prayers.)

James Tyrin – Our 25^th Annual Oktoberfest Committee meeting will be held, soon. Letters to sponsors will go out next week. Silent auction donations needed. Sponsor levels; Gold, Silver & Bronze. Other sponsors for tables; Emerald & Saphire levels. Contact James with any questions you may have. Contact Bryan Lindsey and/or Dwayne “Mookie” Mukai for volunteer opportunities at our 25^th Oktoberfest event.

Alan Okinaka reminded the members about World Genki Ball Toss, to be held at Liliuokalani Gardens on 8/7/25, Thursday, 4-5pm.  Meet at the Waihonu Pond. Remember to practice “Genki Hou” yell, because that’s what you shout with every Genki Ball tossed! Water testing shows significant improvement in the oxygen level and reducing the sludge, so that sea creatures are able to thrive in the pond.

Club Anniversary: Tom Whitthans, 7/29/09   Sponsor: Carol Van Camp

Wedding Anniversaries:  Janell & Bruce Kuamo’o – 7-25-15; Bryan & Lori Lindsey - 8-3-85

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Happy Dollars:

$20 – Steven Sylvester shared about the fun his son, Wyatt had at the Volcano run. Steven also spoke to Steve Jacunski and said he’s in good spirits!

$20 - John Gapp that his house in Keaukaha on the bay, “had dodged a bullet” from the tsunami. John thanked Pres Tim Hansen, who is away on the mainland, and extended the offer of his house, in the event John & Mo needed a place for refuge.

$10 – Tom Witthan’s house is located on the pond on Hilo Bay. Due to the tsunami, there was water damage to his house, downstairs, with water rising up to the door knob!

$10 – Anita Cunningham was the plus one date, at her sister's 50^th Hilo High Class Reunion. They had a blast!

$5 – Sharon Scheele – for the club members who attended the Jr. Achievement Hall of Fame banquet, where past RCHB member, Lee Wilson was one of two that were honored.

$10 – Ken Barnes – for his brother, Tommy, aka his “dad’s favorite son” and his two kids that were visiting.

$20 – Bryan Lindsey for the 4 puppies their Corkie gave birth to.

$20 – James Tyrin, for his 2-week vacation spent with his family, in Las Vegas and California. His oldest son played in a basketball tournament in Vegas & Calif. and his family saw Shohei Ohtani play a Dodger game at the stadium in L.A. Also, his son Luke got his driver’s license!

$2 – Alan Novak asked James Tyrin (who’s an insurance agent,) if his auto insurance was going to go up with his son now driving. James said no. The state of Hawaii doesn’t charge for extra drivers.

$10 – Art Taniguchi for the successful memorial service in the name of Peace. Also, happy to see Charter Member, Preston Barnes at our meeting with his son, Ken.

$5 – Lorraine Davies – Bryan Lindsey came to our meeting last week when we were dark and texted her this message; “I got caught in a quantum vortex while I was sleeping that propelled me into a parallel universe, where the parallel club was dark…and Lorraine knew exactly what he was talking about. It seems Bryan is a fellow Trekkie and read Omni magazine in his youth. (Lorraine is also a Trekkie and speaks the same language!)

 

$20 – Alan Okinaka – With 37 trillion human cells, each human cell is made up of 100- trillion atoms.  It is amazing that something happens, and we have consciousness and awareness of our presence and others. AI all gave the same answer…no one knows why. So, as we sit in this room one of the greatest mysteries of the universe is going on inside of us. 

$20 – JoBee Balberde-Kamalii – A gazillion atoms returned to campus last week and it was a joy to hear the peals of laughter from the elementary students, watching the middle school students walk around like they think they know, the high school students looking at them thinking they don’t know and the adults knowing that they all have yet to learn! 😊

 

Guest Speaker:  Art Taniguchi.

His focus was on Peace. He asked us to close our eyes let us quiet our bodies and minds: “Peace comes from within, do not seek it without.” ~Buddha

This year marks the 80^th Anniversary of the Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and well as the end of WWII. His presentation coincided with Peace Week.

On December 7, 1941, the Japanese Imperial Military launched an attack of Pearl Harbor which killed 2,403 soldiers, sailors, sailors and civilians and injured an additional 1,178. 129 Japanese soldiers were also killed.

On August 6 and 9, 1945, the United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  The bombings killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, most of whom were civilians and remain the only us of nuclear weapons in and armed conflict.

 

Each year, the East Hawaii Hiroshima Kenjin Kai partners with Hilo Hongwanji on August 6^th or on the closest Sunday to hold a Memorial Service in the name of Peace and pray for worldwide peace. After the service, everyone is invited to fold paper cranes in the name of peace and 1,000 cranes in the name of peace and 1,000 cranes are strung and presented to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.

The folded paper cranes have become an international symbol of peace. And it originated with the story of a young girl named Sadako Sasaki, who was two years old when the atomic bomb was detonated in Hiroshima. She was a vibrant energetic and athletic child, and it came as a shock to everyone when she contracted leukemia at the age of 12.  She learned that in Japanese legend, cranes live for a thousand years and if you fold one crane for each year of their life, your wish will come true. Sadako started folding cranes hoping that her wish to recover would come true, but unfortunately, it did not. Sadako asked herself, “How can I make the world a better place while I’m still alive?” She wanted to leave the world a more peaceful place and she shared those thoughts and feelings with her friends and family. Though Sadako did not know the impact on the world when she died, Sadako did make the world a better place. He resilient spirit and her origami cranes inspired her friends and classmates to raise money for a monument for Sadako and the children who died because of atomic bombings. Since 1958, thousands have visited the statue of Sadako in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. Sadako’s figure lifts a large paper crane overhead.  Inscribed at the foot of Sadako’s statue is a plaque that reads; “This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace in the World.”

September 22, 2012: One of the original paper cranes folded by Sadako was donated to the USS Arizona Memorial, as a gesture of reconciliation. The crane was presented by Sadako’s brother. He gave a very moving speech in which he cited the two tragic events: the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the detonating of the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.  He mentioned that in America the battle cry was “Remember Pearl Harbor” and in Japan it was “No more nuclear weapons.” 

Rotary Club of Hilo Bay has had a sister-club relationship with the Rotary Club of Higashi-Hiroshima since the year 2000.

 

Door Prize Winner – Janell Kuamoo won Kau Coffee, provided by Miyuki Lee

4-Way Test: Janell Kuamoo

Meeting adjourned at 8am.

Aug 13 – Michelle Flemming

Aug 20 – JoBee Balberde-Kamalii

Aug 27 - Deborah Beaver

Sep 3 – Chester Cabral

Sep 10 – Virginia Juettner

Sept 17 – Steve Jacunski

Sept 14 – Patrick Bodell