Page 16 - MidWeek - May 24, 2023

16 MIDWEEK MAY 24, 2023
STORY BY
Tasha Mero
PHOTO BY
Lawrence Tabudlo
“I grew up with the saying that ‘to whom much is given, much is expected,’ so I’ ve always been involved in the community,” Lau shares.
development positions. She helps organizations elevate their fundraising revenues and raise money through various initiatives.
The Outstanding Mother Awards honors some of Hawai‘i’s most amazing ladies, celebrating their lives as businesswomen, community leaders and, most importantly, mothers.
She says her favorite part of being a mother is simply spending quality time with her family and knowing that her children have grown into car- ing people who strive to better their communities.
Within the community, Ventula-Honda serves on the boards of directors for differ- ent organizations and commit- tees, such as University Lab- oratory School Foundation and Kidz For A Cause. She’s also served
She’s always there. She always puts others be- fore herself. She loves
at a ceremony on May 28 at ʻAlohilani Resort. The event’s beneficiary is the American Lung Association in Hawaiʻi.
families health,” Haro says. “They’re the ones making the appointments a lot of the times. So, a lot of times — particu- larly successful women — put their own health care aside to work at their companies, take care of their children, etc.”
“They are definitely models for not just mothers, but for Lsociety in general. These are incredibly successful, accom- plished women,” Haro says.
on event
committees
for Susan
G. Komen,
Hawaiian
Humane
Society
and March
of Dimes. She’s also Mom to two children, and reveals motherhood has taught her that there’s nothing quite like offering unconditional love.
Connie Lau (center) enjoys being involved in the community. Whether working with her alma mater or helping the environment, she doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty. PHOTO COURTESY CONNIE LAU
companies, where she held various positions, including serving as president and CEO of HEI, CEO of American Sav- ings Bank, and board chair of ASB and HECO.
As one of the recipients of the Outstanding Mother Awards, Lau says she’s hon- ored to be recognized for her efforts as a businesswoman, community leader and, of course, mother.
A stalwart within the com- munity, Lau has chaired the board at her alma mater, Punahou School, while also serving on the advisory coun- cils for University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s Shidler School of Business and John A. Burns School of Medicine; Univer- sity of California Law School, San Francisco; and the invest- ment advisory committee for Kamehameha Schools.
“It was always a struggle to balance career, family and being active in the community, and this award recognizes and Vcelebrates the extra effort, grit and resilience that it takes for women to succeed in all three.”
entula-Honda has more than 40 years of experience in fund
unconditionally. Who is she? She is Mom.
Pedro Haro, executive direc- tor of American Lung Associa- tion–Hawaiʻi, hopes the event reminds everyone of the fact that in the islands, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women.
au began her career as a corporate attor- ney in San Francisco,
“I have three children and two grandchildren,” Lau says. “Motherhood made me a better corporate executive and person by teaching me how crucial it is to figure out how to inspire each individual — whether child or employee — to realize their best potential.”
While all mothers are worth celebrating, in this issue we celebrate four: Connie Lau, Ellie Ventula-Honda, Mariv- ic Dar and Su Shin. They are career-driven and communi- ty-centered individuals, and yet even they will admit to being mothers above all else.
Lau, Ventula-Honda, Dar and Shin were selected by the Hawai‘i Mother’s Day Council not only for their accomplish- ments as mothers and their work in the community, but to also help spread the nonprofit’s messaging of the importance of health.
and then
returned to
Hawai‘i to
join Hawai-
ian Electric
Co. Lau
retired in
2022 after 37 years with the Hawaiian Electric Industries
Ellie Ventula- Honda
This special group of wom- en will be honored with the Outstanding Mother Awards
“We wanted to find a way to be able to make sure that we were targeting women — par- ticularly mothers — with our messaging because mothers tend to be the gatekeepers for
Connie Lau
When life gets hectic, Lau reminds herself to take a mo- ment to breathe and re-center herself.
SEE PAGE 17