Page 5 - MidWeek Leeward - June 22, 2022

Pearl City’s Larry Veray, ‘Aiea’s Karen Higa Named Heroes
FROM PAGE 1
dent Charmaine Doran nom- inated him for the award, describing him as “diligent, effective, humble, a true leader and Mr. Aloha.”
this is a labor of love, and it’s blood, sweat and tears that she puts out there.
on projects throughout the years, and all of them, with successful outcomes.
other people will follow and see the value and how truly fulfilling it is, and as a re- sult, we’ll have kindness in the world, less polarity and more aloha,” shares Misalu- cha, who adds that her office sponsored and passed a bill to establish Hawai‘i Volunteer Week.
“In our communities on O‘ahu, the neighborhood boards are the hubs of activi- ty within their area — and in Pearl City, at the center of its neighborhood board is Larry Veray,” Doran states in Ver- ay’s nomination letter.
“She is not one of those who holds a position of re- sponsibility like a president of an association ... she just wants to do the work,” Mis- alucha adds. “I think that’s marvelous. I have so much aloha for her as well.”
“Karen is known to smile through all sorts of adversi- ty,” Tamamoto adds. “Kar- en’s volunteerism stems from her desire to create ‘a sense of place’ for all who live, work and play in ‘Aiea. She has been an integral part in supporting the intergen- erational vision of keiki and kūpuna — living together in the spirit of aloha and har- mony.”
“There are so many oppor- tunities to help others, par- ticularly in the midst of this pandemic,” she continues. “It doesn’t have to be a big-tick- et item or large actions. Many times acts of service can be bringing food to a sick neigh- bor or helping babysit some- body’s children so the couple can go out on a date.
“Larry has worked to up-
lift and improve our commu-
nity by championing many
noteworthy projects. When
the pandemic hit, Larry took Community Hero Award recipients. The program is put on by state Sen. Bennette to the streets to support nu- Misalucha and nonprofit Kanu Hawai‘i. Pictured are (from left) Keone Kealoha, merous testing and immuni- Kanu Hawai‘i; Misalucha; Veray; Higa; state Sen. Donna Mercado Kim and zation sites throughout the stateRep.AaronLingJohanson.PHOTOCOURTESYTHEOFFICEOFSTATESEN.
Spanning nearly two de- cades, Higa’s service in- cludes ‘Aiea High School’s band booster, the ‘Aiea Christmas parade and fun fair, Friends of the Library of Hawai‘i, the ‘Aiea Com- munity Association and, most recently, volunteering at the Loko I‘a Pāʻaiau fish- pond.
Its second year in prac- tice, the Community Hero Awards branched out this time around to incorporate two other regions: the Wind- ward side and Kaua‘i. Mis- alucha reached out to fellow legislators, state Reps. Lisa Kitagawa and Nadine Na- kamura, who helped honored volunteer leaders in their re- spective communities. (The winners are chosen by Kanu Hawai‘i.) Organizers hope to one day make the annual event statewide.
district. He has continuous- ly championed the cause of Sunset Memorial Park and has organized cleanups as well as organizational sup- port. He protects his com- munity, especially when the safety of the neighborhood is threatened. Whether the issue is fireworks, illegal racing, catalytic converter thefts or traffic safety, Larry can be counted on to be on the forefront of an issue.”
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“Characterized as some- one who gives tirelessly to community projects and programs, Karen likes to work in the background,” states ‘Aiea Community Association president Claire Tamamoto in her nomina- tion letter. “She rarely takes the credit but is such a ded- icated volunteer who has the fortitude to get things done. A practical and de- tailed planner, she has taken
“If we can cultivate that sense of aloha, that sense of service, even from a small, one-on-one standpoint, our community will really con- tinue to thrive and we will just have this caring, loving and rich community, so that no matter what differences we have, we can set that aside and see for ourselves what good, decent human beings we all are.”
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Area residents Larry Veray of Pearl City and Karen Higa of ‘Aiea were this year’s
BENNETTE MISALUCHA
Misalucha, meanwhile, recalls when she witnessed Veray’s impact firsthand.
and I was calling him to get the necessary agencies there to help. This man just goes beyond the call.”
“The one time when I saw him in action that I really admired him for was when there was a big flood,” she says. “They say every 50 years there’s a flood in Pearl City, and it happened. Larry was there early in the morn- ing helping to take care of things. He was calling me
Higa, meanwhile, is more of a behind-the-scenes pres- ence in that she doesn’t hold — nor seek — leadership positions.
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“If you look at the things Karen has been involved in, they are long-term,” says Misalucha. “You can tell
“I see like-minds and like- hearts in the community, and I feel that hopefully if we bring them to the forefront,
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