A Really Warm, Fuzzy Ending
Wednesday - July 07, 2010
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Del.icio.usDear Pamela,
This letter is dedicated to the Aiea Engine 10 Fire Department. Much love to Greg Ikeda, Mel Oshio, Alika Garcia and Dean Hashimoto. I was attempting to save a newborn kitten trapped in our storm drain. She would have surely drowned. In the process my arms became lodged in the metal grill with the kitten in my hands. My circulation was cutting out. Yes, indeed, we both were trapped. My co-worker called for help and these four men did what they do best: rescue and save lives. In fact, the kitten is staring at me now as I write this letter of gratitude. It seems comical today, but on that day it was chaotic and scary. “Ahi” and I are so grateful to these men. May they be showered with infinite blessings for their undying sacrifice and dedication to others.
Julie Hayashi
Kaneohe
Dear Julie,
“I remember that Ms. Hayashi was adamant that she was not going to let go of the kitten,” says acting Capt. Mel Oshio. “We decided that the crew could free Ms. Hayashi and save the kitten by prying open the storm drain grill. Once we opened the grill cover, one of the firefighters grabbed hold of the kitten and Ms. Hayashi was then able to pull her hands free from the grill. We’re all very glad to hear that Ms. Hayashi has the kitten and that it is doing well.”
Dear Pamela,
We know that one way to strengthen our own growth and awareness is to help others less fortunate. In keeping with this, several Hawaii State Hospital patients recently donated $189 to the Hawaii Foodbank. How did they do it? By pooling a small amount of the stipend payments they could have received from their positive incentive programs.
Reward tokens are given to patients who participate in programs geared toward reaching their individual recovery goals. Their reward tokens can be exchanged for either food, apparel or items at the PIP store (Positive Incentive Program).
Since most of the patients at HSH have relied on the food bank in the past, two of the hospital’s nurse managers, Robert Burns and Mike Quinn, decided to speak with the patients regarding how to contribute to the Hawaii Foodbank. After these community meetings, most of the patients decided to convert a large portion of their reward tokens into cash to contribute to the food bank.
Through their generous gift, the patients feel good they are helping to support the Hawaii Foodbank. The people of Hawaii are indeed one ohana!
Dawn Mendiola
DOH, Adult Mental Health Division
Dear Dawn,
“Robert and I were fortunate to be the ones who got tasked with focusing on the food bank,” says Mike Quinn. “It was the nursing department’s kuleana this year. So we were lucky. It was a pleasant task tapping into our patient population. Quite a few of them have been dependent on the food bank, so it wasn’t difficult to solicit interest and donations.”
(If you know someone who deserves some Applause, send your letters to Pamela Young, MidWeek Applause, KITV, 801 S. King St., Honolulu, HI, 96813 or e-mail pyoung@kitv.com. Include your name, phone number and, if possible, the phone number of your “applaudee” so we can contact him or her.)
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