A little bit of light in a long year
We’ve all seen the stories. A new coronavirus variant is bearing down on the globe. Countries are curbing travel again. The pandemic feels like a neverending cycle of sickness and shutdowns.
Two years in, we’ve all got pandemic fatigue. That’s why I’m especially grateful these days for the people in our community who never tire of doing good. Every year around Christmastime, readers nominate and our staff votes on the “People Who Made a Difference,” an annual feature that started out naming newsmakers who made a difference — not always in a good way — though eventually it morphed into a yearly celebration of people doing good deeds throughout the year.
The very first “People Who Made a Difference” launched in 1994 on New Year’s Eve, and since then has spotlighted dozens of individuals and organizations who spend countless hours of their own time filling needs and bringing hope.
This year’s winners have been doing just that, from Hana to Honokowai.
The Perry sisters of Project Ho‘omana took a substance abuse awareness campaign and turned it into a broad community effort to bring food and supplies to East Maui residents in the pandemic.
Steven Calkins of Hungry Homeless Heroes Hawaii tapped into the generosity of the community to whip up meals for the unsheltered from donated goods and garden-grown veggies.
Adrienne Laurion of Special Olympics Hawaii personally delivered sports equipment and coordinated virtual fitness classes for athletes stuck at home.
Ekolu Lindsey of Maui Cultural Lands inspires volunteers to stay connected to the land — and helped funnel pandemic relief funds into temporary conservation jobs for people out of work.
Upcountry Strong — described as both a nonprofit and a movement — has joined the forces of caring community members and businesses to distribute about 45,000 pounds of food.
They are, for most of the year, unsung heroes, and we know there are so many more.
To the people who keep this community afloat in good times and bad, who operate behind the scenes and never ask for recognition, mahalo nui loa from the bottom of our hearts. You shone brightest when Maui needed you most.
■ Colleen Uechi can be reached at cuechi@mauinews.com.