A MESSAGE FROM
PRESIDENT CAROLAN BIEDERMAN
Aloha mai kākou,
The first meeting of our new Rotary year was filled with fellowship, learning and good cheer. We enjoyed a presentation by John De Fries, Executive Director of the Maunakea Stewardship & Oversight Authority, who provided his insider’s view on the Mauna Kea controversy and the progress that’s been made to bring people together. Youth Service Director Greg Lui-Kwan awarded our Club’s $5,000 Hawai‘i Rotary Youth Foundation (HRYF) scholarship to Emily Morinaka, a recent St. Andrew’s Priory graduate. Emily eloquently expressed her gratitude and her plans to attend U.H. Mānoa to major in biology.
Visiting Rotarians included Nagae Shizuka from the Fukuoka Heisei RC, our Friendship Club, and Derek Conselva from the Wahiawa/Waialua RC. We were happy to welcome back Alice Tucker, Amanda Ellis, Don Anderson, Haumea Ho, and Hiroko Dewitz – you’ve been missed!
It was my pleasure to recognize our new Officers and Directors, and to briefly share my vision, goals and dreams for 2026-27. If the energy in the room on Tuesday was any indication, we are off to a great start. As Club members, you generate the ideas, resources, excitement and momentum. Together, our active participation and shared commitment will drive the continued success of our Club.
Remember, there is no meeting at the Pacific Club on Tuesday, July 14. Instead, we’ll get together for fellowship during Restaurant Week. There are three different dates, times and locations: Lunch at Tiny Pyramid, downtown on Nimitz on Monday; dinner at the Original Roy’s in Hawai‘i Kai on Wednesday; and lunch at the Uahi Island Grill in Kailua on Thursday. Details and registration are in the links below.
Our next Pacific Club meeting is Tuesday, July 21 with Ray Vara, President & CEO of Hawai'i Pacific Health, who will be speaking about HPH’s proposed new partnership with HMSA.
Mahalo nui loa,
Carolann Biederman
President
The Rotary Club of Honolulu
1451 Queen Emma Street
