Drive Electric Week event is Saturday
Big Island electric vehicle drivers and dealers will be gathering this month to highlight the fun, clean-air benefits and cost-savings of electric cars. This is part of the fifth annual National Drive Electric Week. The event will include a display of the latest electric vehicles. Owners, along with some dealers, will be on hand to answer questions about electric vehicle ownership and driving experiences.
The Big Island event is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at The Shops at Mauna Lani. The event will include a display of the latest electric vehicles, including the Tesla Model S, Nissan LEAF, Chevy Volt, Volkswagen eGolf and BMW i3. Test drives or rides will be offered at the event.
For more information, call Noel Morin at 987-7428.
The Big Island EV Association is organizing this Hawaii Island event. The Shops at Mauna Lani is a local sponsor. Plug In America, the Sierra Club and the Electric Auto Association are national organizers.
For more information about the Big Island’s Drive Electric Week event, visit facebook.com/evhawaii/events.
Aloha Quilters of Kona meets Saturday
The monthly meeting of Aloha Quilters of Kona begins at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the Living Stones Church, 76-6224 Alii Drive, in Kailua-Kona.
The quilters work in both traditional and Hawaiian styles. The group meets informally on the third Saturday of each month to share old and new ideas and techniques and to promote the craft of quilting in the community. All are welcome.
For more information, call Eileen 328-8027.
Business accounting training is Thursday
Certified Public Accountant Dan Nutley with the national accounting firm Moss Adams LLP will present a cooperative business accounting training from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Anna Ranch in Waimea. Hosted by The Kohala Center, the training is intended for accountants, bookkeepers and managers and members of cooperative businesses. CPAs can earn up to six Hawaii CPE credits for attending the full-day course.
Full-day registration fees include lunch and are $40 for co-op members and bookkeepers, and $150 for CPAs. Half-day registration fees are $20 for co-op members and bookkeepers and $75 for CPAs. Participants may register online at koha.la/coopacct or by calling The Kohala Center at 887-6411 by Tuesday.
The training will provide an overview of cooperative business accounting and taxation. The morning session will provide an introduction to cooperatives, cooperative equity and cooperative financial statements, while the afternoon session will cover financing for cooperatives, pool accounting and taxation.
Nutley is a partner with the accounting firm Moss Adams LLP, where he leads the Food Processing &Agriculture Group for the California Central Valley office. He has provided business consulting and auditing services for agribusiness and cooperatives since 1976. He has served a variety of food processing and agriculture-related businesses including agricultural cooperatives, food and produce processing and marketing companies, and agricultural supply distribution companies, among others.
A cooperative is a business owned by and operated for the benefit of those using its services. Groups of individuals and businesses form cooperatives to meet common needs such as purchasing in bulk to secure better prices and consolidating marketing efforts to increase their purchasing power and expand their reach. Examples of cooperatives include the Hamakua Agricultural Cooperative, Waimanalo Market Cooperative, Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, Ocean Spray, Sunkist and Organic Valley.
Students invited to enter essay contest
The Hawaii Access to Justice Commission is sponsoring an essay contest for high school students titled “How to Inspire Fellow Students to Volunteer.” The essay contest is part of the 2015 Pro Bono Celebration honoring outstanding volunteer attorneys and law firms or offices, which have been selected by the various legal services providers.
The essay contest is open to students in grades 10 to 12. The deadline for submissions is Thursday. Three essays will be selected from the neighbor islands, and three essays will be chosen from Oahu. Each honored recipient will receive a $500 award for his/her essay.
Essay contest rules may be obtained from the commission’s website at hawaiijustice.org/hajc/access-to-justice-commission/2015-pro-bono-celebration.