Mele
Kalikimaka!
The City and County of Honolulu Lifeguard
Christmas/Reunion/Fundraiser party was a total success! In fact it
was a sell out! 300 seats were sold at the first (and
hopefully annual) Christmas Reunion Party. Guest came from as far
away as Albuquerque, California and Makaha! (We're not sure which
took longer, the flight from Albuquerque or the drive from Makaha,
so we're giving equal travel credit!) There were guards in
attendance from the 1950's to the present. A great deal of
credit for the planning, and "implementation" goes to
Capt. Edmund Pestana and Patty Bruce, with the additional support
of Helene Phillips and Bianca Salazar completing the
organizational team. There are many mahalos to send out for
all those who donated to the Silent Auction and raffle, but a
special thanks to the incredible amount of support from
Robby and Carol Naish, David and Jeanette Dolman, High Surf
Accessories, the producers of Beach |
Patrol,
Quiksilvers' Glen Moncata, Artist Patty Bruce, Musicians
Mel Puu, Ernie Cruz, Boogie, Ralph Goto, MC Beau Hodge, Matt
Nakamura, The Chart Houses' Joey Cabel, Rick Williams and The
North Shore Lifeguard Association, Terry Ahue and the Hawaiian
Water Patrol, China Uemura, Corki's embroidry, Pastor
Dennis Sallas for his blessing and so many more. Mahalo for your
Kokua!
That
being said, I would be negligent not to add the clean-up crew; Capt.
Paul Marino, Jacob Ah Sam, Tony Strollo and Curtis Cuba.
"Tanks yeah, way to lift the sand and tear 'em
down!"
So
what about the party? Well it was a classic collection of old &
new, a collection of South, West and North Shores all together to
share stories, reunite and blend in a common cause.
Christmas brought us together, a brotherhood created the spirit, and
the love of what we do/did added to the bonding. There was
plenty of "Talk Story" a joke or two and even a costume to
promote the spirit of Christmas (I think).
|
|
| The
beauty of this party was not only in the sharing of stories but
also in the opportunity to assist one of our lifeguard
brothers. This years event was also used to raise funds
for Frank Gleason who has been battling cancer. You would never
know it by Franks perpetual optimism. Always the
"giver" it was tough for Frank to be the recipient of
this years till. But the gathering overflowed with support and
love for one of the all-time characters of the Ocean Safety
Department. Along with Pastor Sallas' blessing we all
continue to pray for Frank and in the spirit of Christmas giving
it was a blessing to be a part of this gathering to support him. |
|
There
are more Christmas Photos on the Photo Album Page.
|
