Happy New Year! It has been a pleasure serving as your President! As we enter the second half of our Rotary year, I want us all to reflect on the wonderful things we've accomplished in these first six months. We’ve experienced tremendous growth in membership, increasing our ‘ohana by 37%. We’ve also launched a new Interact Club at Kahuku High School and are slated to award our first Hawaii Rotary Youth Foundation Scholarship in early 2019. Our community service and fundraising committees have planned a full calendar of events to engage our membership and create a sustainable supply of resources to fund our projects. We've lead Rotary's presence at events like NAMIWalks and Honolulu Pride. Also, we’ve identified non-profit partners, like Hawaii Health and Harm Reduction Center and Ho’ola Na Pua, to support mental illness, homelessness and sex trafficking – causes important to our membership. All of these things are possible through your efforts and support.

The holidays brought a time for us to really showcase our giving spirit. During the months of October, November and December our membership went into overdrive. We rallied the troops to support our member, Kathleen Merriam, as she lead the NAMIWalks event which benefits the education, advocacy and support of persons with mental illness and their families. Our members collected over 4 boxes of canned foods during our monthly meetings to aid the growing need at the Hawaii FoodBank. 

On November 24th, we partnered with our friends from the Rotary Club of Kahala Sunrise to do a Rotary Gives Thanks Day Project at Kahala Nui. To show support for our Kupuna, we spent the day painting the sets and making costumes for their annual theatrical production. 

Also, the holidays wouldn't be the same without the iconic Salvation Army bells. On November 30th, our Club joined three other downtown Honolulu Clubs at all four-corners of Bishop and King Streets to participate in a Rotary Bell Ringing Contest. Each Club was assigned a corner and asked to raise as much funds possible within an hour. Although our Club didn't raise the most money, our team of eight carolers provided the most holiday cheer by serenading those who passed by - decked in Christmas swag.

I've said this many times before but I truly believe our Club has something special. When someone joins the Rotary E-Club of Hawaii they gain a new extended 'ohana that supports them in ways no other networking organization can. Along with the community service aspect, our Club has a thriving vocational and social benefit. We've successfully grown our monthly Happ-E Hour mixer from a modest gathering of five members to a pau hana which hosts upward of fifty members and guests. 

There was no shortage of fellowship and giving in December as we provided our members with two opportunities to gather and be merry. Our Secretary, Jennifer Li, led our fundraising efforts with the creation of Happ-E Holidays - a fun Christmas-themed twist on our monthly socials. The fundraiser to benefit our first International Service Project in the Philippines was held at Mistletoe Tavern in Downtown Honolulu on December 5th. The event was a huge success and we anticipate it becoming a annual project for our members.

We culminated our year with our first Annual Holiday Family Dinner at Harbor Restaurant. Our members were able to gather one last time before the year ended to share in the fellowship of our 'ohana. ​

August is Membership and New Club Development month and we're celebrating our members! This month we welcomed two new members Tanya Pascua and Darren Kasai. 

​Tanya is a Wealth Associate at First Hawaiian Bank and has over 9 years of experience in the financial services industry. Tanya was born and raised in Hawaii. Outside of work, she loves spending time her with son, Calem. She enjoys outdoor activities, sky diving, ATV riding, and going to the beach. She has been a tremendous addition to our Club, already volunteering at our Kahauiki Village landscaping project and attending the Ho'ola Na Pua Luau fundraiser within her first 30 days as a member. 

​Four years ago I had the pleasure of walking into my first Rotary club meeting. At the time the experience was a mixture of excitement and nervousness. Rotary offered so many opportunities to network and be a positive force in our local community. Through the years I've had the pleasure to be mentored by some of the best in our district. People the likes of Past District Governor Clint Schroeder, Assistant Governor Laine Kohama, Assistant Governor Ray Paler, Past President Capsun Poe, and District Governor Win Schoneman. These fine individuals have given me a broader sense of the importance of Rotary. They inspired me to think different - to think BIGGER. Through their guidance I've embarked on a new chapter in my Rotary journey as President of the Rotary E-Club of Hawai'i. 

This Rotary year's theme is Be The Inspiration. For a few months I pondered how I would implement this theme into my year and make it tangible for our members. Then an epiphany happened, I realized I need to be inspired, in order, to be the inspiration. But then the thought came to mind, "what about Rotary inspires me? And, what does that mean for our club?" 

For quite some time I sat on those questions, then a week ago we conducted our Change of Leadership Ceremony and at the ceremony PDG Clint Schroeder said something that stuck in my mind, "everyone joins Rotary for different reasons." This one simple statement inspired me to reflect on our current membership. I asked myself, "why did each of our members join the Rotary E-Club of Hawai'i?" I started jotting down reasons: networking, fellowship, community service, purpose, convenience of being a hybrid E-Club, a fun membership, Happ-E Hour, monthly speakers, and 'ohana - the list went on. I looked over the list and it finally clicked. One word stuck in mind, 'ohana. That was it, the Rotary E-Club has become my 'ohana. That's what inspires me to do what I do in Rotary. 

The people we connect with and the bonds that we create in Rotary, within our club and beyond, is what makes this experience so special. When we do service projects or gather for a social, it is our hope that we connect with others. Over the next year, it is my hope and goal that we build and strengthen our 'ohana and through that we will Be The Inspiration for other clubs and our community.