Page 6 - MidWeek - Sep 22 2021

6 MIDWEEK SEPTEMBER 22, 2021
Encouraging A Sense Of Community
Aloha Darah,
I would like to write this letter of commendation in apprecia- tion of three District 2 Com- munity Policing Team offi- cers regarding their role in a successful outreach effort that occurred at the Karsten Thot Bridge in Wahiawā.
time in Wahiawā. Officers Ar- lene “Kuu” Ah You, Timothy Iinuma and Richard Fikani displayed professional and courteous behavior, but above and beyond that, they served and protected with aloha.
with those living in homeless- ness where stigma and NIM- BYism (not in my backyard) remains the norm. Healing the divide between home- lessness and community will be difficult, but officers Ah You, Iinuma and Fikani give me hope that together we can get there.
ganizations are living tes- taments that kindness and compassion are still perpet- uated and demonstrated in their selfless actions.
Aloha Darah,
I’m so glad there is a col- umn such as yours because it helps me be grateful for the many blessings I have. I have been going to exercise class in Wai‘anae for over 30 years. Our instructor, Ms. Flo Pell, is a retired speech pathologist on our coast. We have been blessed because she doesn’t charge us anything to attend, and now with the pandemic, we still have classes and all of us seniors get to socialize with our masks on, exercise
to keep us healthy and learn a lot of great things. We are blessed to have Flo help us keep in shape, live longer, raise our serotonin (happy chemicals) levels and stay healthy. Mahalo, Flo!
Lily Cabinatan Wai‘anae
Aloha Lily,
We are all blessed with Flo in our state. She humbly says, “I’m not that athletic, but they asked me to lead the class so I did. We’re all seniors from the Wai‘anae community, and we’ ve all known one another wheth- er it be through the DOE, church or just living in the area. I also give them ma-
terial about eating well, ex- ercising, information about cancer, diabetes and heart disease. We also have a sub- stitute, Joan Peters, who is a retired University of Ha- wai‘i professor. We all stay safe and keep our masks on and walk together. What I have learned is that social- ization is crucial during this pandemic.”
Is there someone you’d like to thank? Email your letters to Darah Dung at mahalo- nuiwithdarah@gmail.com. Include your name, phone number and, if possible, the phone number of the person
The effort that included state and city entities, leg- islators, landowners, pro- viders, volunteers and those experiencing homelessness resulted in the successful re- unification of a homeless vet with his family after 13 years apart, as well as maximizing the HONU Project during its
Homeless services are of- ten daunting and contentious with intense emotion on all sides, so when these officers continuously serve with com- passion, humility and kindness and are still able to consistently produce successful outcomes, I strongly believe their story should not only be told — it needs to be celebrated.
These officers represented the department with integrity and distinction, and I am hon- ored to serve alongside them in our fight to end homelessness.
These officers never forget that human dignity matters, especially when interacting
Dear Nicky,
Nicky Winter Wahiawā
I completely agree with and echo everything you say. These officers and or-
you’ re thanking so contact him or her.
she can
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