I had several people comment to me after the presentation Tuesday how impressed they were by Wendy Hensel and how well she has led the University of Hawaii through these difficult times since she became President only at the beginning of this year. We had a very robust turnout of more than sixty including Peter Grossman, Sam Haas, Hugh Damon, Jack Dwyer and Diana Voncina (formerly Sakurai), all of whom I was delighted to see after quite some time. We also had two visiting Rotarians from Germany, two visitors from the Rotary Club of Ala Moana and former Governor Neil Abercrombie join us. In addition, we noted that around a dozen members of the Club and companions are heading to Vietnam, including Reese Liggett, who was unexpectedly able to lead us in song after his plane to Hanoi had to return to Honolulu. Also, last Friday I attended an open house at Responsive Caregivers of Hawaii, along with our President Elect Carolann Biederman and Jessica Rich where we were greeted warmly by its President Michael Marsh and given a tour of the amazing facility and its programs, which includes helping us to care for Centennial Park.
Normally, at this point in my message, I try to include an inspirational message of encouragement to members of our Club, but this week I have a request. As noted above, we had amazing attendance at our regular lunch meeting, but almost a third of those who attended either signed up at the last minute or were walk-ins. While we very much encourage everyone to join us for lunches whenever possible, this last-minute surge created difficulties for the amazing kitchen and serving staff at the Pacific Club. Luckily, they were able to go above and beyond to accommodate us, but it caused an unnecessary amount of extra work and cost. So, my request is this – please sign up for lunch in advance when you can, either by pre-paying for the year/quarter or pre-registering by the Thursday before each lunch. Otherwise, you may need to be prepared to be turned away at the door if we cannot provide space or sufficient food for everyone, and none of us wants that.
Next week, Matt Cox, Matson Chairman and CEO, will be speaking to us about the impacts of tariffs on their business and Hawaii in general. Although several of us will be in Vietnam for our international service project there, I do hope to see many of you at the Pacific Club for fellowship and a wonderful, shared meal with another very relevant topic for discussion.
On Saturday, look for the tables under the tents, with buckets of flowers. Club 100 organizers will assign you to a section, hand you a map, bucket of flowers and flags and off you go, into history, in search of 100th Battalion soldiers. Volunteers are advised to bring sunscreen, a hat, and please stay hydrated. We’ll have water. And no worries, there will be plenty of folks available to help you, so just ask, if needed.
After decorating on Saturday, then the program on Sunday, it is time to lend a hand in cleaning up the gravesites on:
If you've registered for the 2026 Rotary International Convention in Taipei or if your just thinking about registering or you've been to multiple conventions and just want to learn more about this one... I'll attempt to answer all your questions and give you information that I hope will inspire you to sign up.
Rich Proctor
District Treasurer
District Governor Nominee
ATTENTION ROTARY CLUB OF HONOLULU!
We have been invited to attend the 77th Charter Anniversary of Rotary Club of Taipei!
If anyone is able to attend, please contact Lucci or your Admin for more information (there is a list we will need to compile and food to choose).
If you have a project you'd like to present, please complete the Project Recommendation Form and email to our Director of Community Services, Nancy HERE.
Do you have a speaker recommendation? If so, please complete theSpeaker Recommendation Form and send it to RCOH Administrator, Lee HERE. She will submit all forms to the Speaker Committee.
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