About Town | 8-8-12

SS Kauai survey presentation
is Thursday

Join Hans Van Tilburg as he discusses Hawaii’s maritime heritage and the underwater archaeological survey of the SS Kauai, which sank off Mahukona, Thursday in Waimea.

The free presentation will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Thelma Parker Memorial Library.

The presentation follows University of Hawaii Marine Option Program divers, led by NOAA’s Maritime Heritage Program staff, spending 10 days surveying the wreck site of the old Inter Island Navigation Co. vessel SS Kauai at Mahukona.

The ship went onto the reef in a late December 1913 and was declared a total loss. The initial archaeological study was completed in 1993. The 2012 survey provides a snapshot of how these wrecks change over time. The survey also serves as a training course in the methods of underwater archaeology. The wreck site lies within the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.

With the completion of the Hawaiian Railroad in 1882, Mahukona became the primary transshipment point for the surrounding plantations. The wreck of the SS Kauai and her sister plantation steamship SS Maui at Makalawena provide a glimpse of the plantation period that shaped our island more than a century ago.

Hawaii’s long seafaring history has left a legacy of shipwrecks beneath the waves. Many of these around Hawaii Island reflect fishing (sampan) and plantation-era (local steamship) activities. Maritime archaeology provides a tool for documenting these sites and understanding part of our special maritime heritage.

For more information, call Justin Viezbicke at 327-3697, email him at justin.viezbicke@noaa.gov or call the UH Sea Grant office at 937-9800.

Volunteers needed for SOWH Cop On Top event

The Hawaii Police Department will reach new heights Sept. 28 through 30 to support Special Olympics West Hawaii, a year-round program dedicated to helping children and adults with intellectual disabilities improve their quality of life through sports.

Volunteers are needed to solicit donations and give information about Special Olympics at the fundraiser. Shifts available for volunteers are: from 6 to 10 a.m., 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 6 to 10 p.m.

For Cop On Top, local police officers will spend Friday through Sunday on scaffolding at the Walmart on Henry Street in Kailua-Kona. They will rally support and drop buckets below to those passing by for donations to Special Olympics.

All funds raised stay in West Hawaii and are used for the local Special Olympics program. Cop On Top is the organization’s biggest fundraiser of the year. Special Olympics West Hawaii is a nonprofit organization funded by donations.

The organization helps athletes develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with fellow athletes, families and the community. Its teams compete in area games on the Big Island and Maui in order to qualify for the State Games on Oahu, where Special Olympics teams throughout the Hawaiian Islands compete for medals.

For more information, call Sandie Dela Cruz, SOWH assistant area director, at 987-5057 or West Hawaii Area Director Dave Ross at 345-1344.

SHRM Big Island Foundation workshop slated for Aug. 22

The Society for Human Resource Management will host a foundation workshop Aug. 22 at the Royal Kona Resort in Kailua-Kona.

The half-day workshop titled “Teamwork and Service, Island Style” will provide practical and memorable protocols, tools and metaphors to boost teamwork and deliver world-class service, island style. The workshop is designed for all levels of employees needing to boost teamwork within their organization or enhance customer service, whether internal or external.

The workshop also provides a unique perspective for anyone seeking to understand and bridge the behavioral and cultural differences that exist among each other and within our communities.

Among the concepts that will be taught during the workshop, which runs from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., are:

c The importance of developing a three-way blended culture in today’s global economy.

c How understanding and practicing the true meaning of “aloha” can enhance your business relationships.

c How to provide unsurpassed quality to your customers.

c What the two core characteristics are that every team player must exhibit.

c The key ingredient all individuals must include in serving others.

c How to increase productivity with limited resources.

c How to thrive during times of difficulty or uncertainty.

c What every team must ultimately aim to achieve.

Glenn Furuya, founder of Leadership Works, will be the workshop’s presenter. Born and raised in Hilo, his Eastern heritage, island upbringing and Western education form a unique three-way blend — a confluence of ideologies — critical for success in today’s global economy.

Furuya is a certified Social Styles and Hay Assessment trainer. He has trained with some of the top seminar and business leaders, including W. Edwards Deming, who is the father of the quality movement in Japan; worked side-by-side with numerous leaders and organizations of all sizes and industries; and has been featured in a series of leadership vignettes on KHNL’s Monday Morning New.

Cost for the event is $100 for members and $150 for nonmembers.

Reservations should be made by Aug. 17 to Jackie De Luz Watanabe by email at jdelus@teamdeluz.com or by calling her at 974-2237.