My grandfather was a fisherman on the east end of Molokaʻi, in a small fishing village near Pūkoʻo. In the late 1800s, he helped build and maintain the fishponds that fed families along that coast for generations. His specialty was squid and octopus, and his knowledge of the many “squid holes” in the area became legendary.
But one of the things I remember most from the stories my grandmother told was what happened when he came home from the ocean. He would lay out his catch, set aside what his family needed, and then carefully wrap at least a third of what he had caught in newspaper. Those packages would be delivered to neighbors throughout the village.
He didn't do it because someone had asked. He didn't keep track of who owed him something in return. It was simply what people did.
My grandmother taught me the Hawaiian word for that practice: kahiau — to give generously with no expectation of return.
Fishermen shared fish. Farmers shared kalo, ʻuala, fruit, or whatever their land produced. Families looked after kūpuna, watched one another's children, and helped neighbors when help was needed. You shared because you were part of a community, and the strength of that community depended upon everyone looking after one another.
Nearly a century later, kahiau remains part of who we are in Hawaiʻi—and I believe it also describes Rotary at its very best. Every time a Rotarian gives a Saturday morning to a service project, mentors a young person, responds after a disaster, contributes to The Rotary Foundation, or quietly helps someone who may never know their name, they are practicing kahiau.
As we continue building a stronger District 5000, I hope we remember that our greatest strength will never be the number of meetings we hold or programs we create. It will be our willingness to give something of ourselves for the benefit of others.
And just as my grandfather could feed more than his own family by sharing what the ocean provided, imagine what becomes possible when nearly 1,400 Rotarians across our islands decide to share their time, talent, relationships, and resources. That is the Rotary I want us to build together.
Kahiau. Give generously. Expect nothing in return. And trust that when enough of us live that way, the entire community becomes stronger.
Me ke aloha,
District Governor Benson Medina
Kauai Disaster Recovery
Roads were blocked, including the main highway, from downed trees. There was extensive damage to commercial and residential properties. Hundreds of structures have been damaged. At current count 54 homes were severely damaged and 7 homes were destroyed, but reports are still coming in.
On Sept 26, Rotary members in Waimea helped West Side neighbors to handed out 300 bags of food, helped families apply for relief, connected residents with repair help, shared cleaning buckets and first aid kits from The Salvation Army.
Funds from The Rotary Foundation Disaster Grant will provide food for affected residents.
Oahu, Oct 17, 4-7:30pm at Makakilo Elementary School Cafeteria, 92-675 Anipeahi St. RC of Kapolei All in for Scholarships "Games with a Purpose". $30 pre-sale, $35 at the door. Halloween costume contest! Contact kapoleirotary.com or call 808 366-0802 for tickets.
Oahu, Oct 17, 5:30pm at Honolulu Country Club. RC of Waikiki. 20th Annual Extravaganza honoring David Livingston. Tickets $2000. contact James Pierce 321-591-6328. email jpierce@us.ibm.com (see flyer)
Maui, Oct 22, 5pm at St John’s Episcopal Church,8992 Kula Highway. RC of Maui PolioPlus Fundraiser. Bring coins. Bring a Potluck dish. Bring a gift or several for the auction. Please RSVP: 808. 430-0120, Heather Mueller
Oahu: Oct 24, 11am-5pm at the Waianae US Vets, 85-638 Farrington Hwy. A vaccine drive with JABSOM HOME Project, US Vets, Dept of Health. Collecting donated basic hygiene kits including shampoo, conditioner, soap, towels, etc, even some gently used clothes. James Ham, james.ham@gmail.com
Oahu, Oct 24, 3-5pm. RC of Ala Moana, Pints for Polio, a World Polio Day event at Off the Wall Craft Beer & Wine in Kakaʻako. $50 ticket includes pupus & $20 reloadable tap card.For information, contact Jim Williams: jimwill02@gmail.com or Konrad Ikei: Konrad.ikei@gmail.com
Oahu, Oct 30, 5pm cocktails, 6pm dinner. RC of Ala Moana's Rotareo Fundraising Galaat Alohilani Resort Waikiki. Net proceeds will support The Rotary Foundation, Rotary Club of Ala Moana Rotary District 5000 Foundation, and nonprofit honoree, American Cancer Society Hope Lodge. https://www.alamoanarotaryclub.com/
Events:
Big Island. Oct 24. RC of Kona Sunrise is partnering with Papa Kona Restaurant (75-5770 Ali'i Dr 1st Floor, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740) in honor of World Polio Day. This collaborative community event aims to raise critical awareness and funds to eradicate polio globally.
Rotary District 5000 is being recognized as an Outstanding Advocate for Children at the October 4th Child & Youth Day ceremony at the State Capitol at 11:30am. The Hawai‘i Children & Youth Day is a statewide celebration honoring keiki (children) and ‘ōpio (youth). Established by the Hawai‘i State Legislature in 1993, it recognizes the contributions of young people and promotes community engagement. In 1997, Act 30 expanded the celebration to encompass the entire month of October as Children & Youth Month.
Rotary's theme for October is Community Economic Development. Our members and our Foundation work to strengthen local entrepreneurs and community leaders, particularly women, in impoverished communities. The Rotary Foundation spent $9.2 million last year to grow local economies and reduce poverty.
Rotary and our partners have immunized over 3 billion children worldwide since 1988. Wild polio remains endemic in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and variant polio outbreaks threaten the progress we have made against the disease. We must also keep all other countries polio-free until we're certain it won't resurface. With your help, we can end this paralyzing disease for good. In collaboration with national governments, thousands of polio vaccinators, health workers and community mobilizers reach more than 370 million children every yearin more than 40 countries with over 1 billion doses of polio vaccines.
The Alzheimer’s walks: Maui- Oct 10, Kauai on Oct 14 and on Oahu November 7.Register at alz.org/aloha. The Alzheimer’s Walk in Hilo took place on Sept 19. The Waiakea High Interact students walked and the East Hawaii Rotaractors volunteered (pictured in white shirts)
Announcements: (Go to rotaryd5000.org for zoom links)
Nov 9: Save the Date for a Fabulous The Rotary Foundation Dinner with Rotary International President-Elect Larry Lunsford at the Hale Koa Hotel. Stay tuned for details!
Applications for District Governor 2029-2030 are now being accepted for interviewing on November 14th. Check with your Club President for details
Saturday, October 10, 9-10am. Annual District Grant Workshop to qualify for grants in 2027-2028. At least 2 per club need to attend this learning session, preferably the Club President-Elect along with anyone handling grant funds and projects funded by TRF funds.
Saturday, October 10, 10-11am. Global Grant Project Fair. Hear about global grant projects looking for funding. Club Pledges of DDF are due November 1.
Thursday, October 29, 5:30pm. Join us for a virtual International Service Exchange. Featured country is Vietnam. Learn about their culture and here about projects we have done in Vietnam.
We hope to see you there!
