December 2022 Gleanings
Note from the Editor
Happy holidays! We’re entering the New Year having honored our Torch of Light recipient, elected a new slate of officers and planned our first Newsmaker luncheon of the year. Better get your tickets fast! Details below.
We’ve also added a new feature: Members’ Corner. That’s where we highlight honors, member appearances and career changes. Every BIPC member can be involved! Have something for Gleanings? Email me: nclauer@gmail.com.
Your BIPC Board – most of them plus guests! (l‐r) Vice President Tiffany Edwards Hunt, Torch of Light honoree Sen. Dru Kanuha, outgoing vice president Karin Stanton, Director Ross Wilson, President Michael Phillips, Treasurer Bob Duerr, Director Patsy Iwasaki, Secretary Nancy Cook Lauer, Director Royelen Boykie, past, past President Lara Sonada. (not shown, immediate past president John Burnett). Photo by Councilwoman Ashley Kierkiewicz.
Sign up now for first Newsmaker Luncheon of 2023
Patricia Tummons to speak Saturday, Jan. 14 at Restaurant Kenichi in Hilo
Join the Big Island Press Club for a behind-the-scenes look at how Hilo journalist Pat Tummons dug into shady dealings in the county Office of Housing and Community Development and broke the news about a scheme that cost the county $10.9 million in affordable housing credits and ended with the indictments of a county employee and several others in the community.
In announcing the charges this past summer, U.S. Attorney Clare Connors praised the reporting by Tummons' nonprofit newsletter Environment Hawaii that first raised red flags about the scheme and, Connors said, led a county employee to alert the FBI.
Tummons, a BIPC president many years ago, came to Hawaii in 1985 on a Gannett Fellowship to do a year’s graduate work in Asian Studies at the University of Hawaii-Manoa. In 1989, she decided to leave St. Louis and relocate to Oahu, where she hoped to sell freelance articles about the environment. At the time, there was not a lot of interest from commercial publishers in the subject. So, in July 1990, the first edition of Environment Hawai`i appeared. Since then, it has not missed a single month of publication. A full archive of every one of the thousands of articles that have appeared in its pages is available online, free of charge, at www.environmenthawaii.org .
The event, scheduled for 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Restaurant Kenichi at 684 Kilauea Avenue in Hilo, is BYOB. BIPC members are donating wine and beer to the event, free with luncheon while supplies last.
Guests are requested to park in the county lot across the street at Aupuni Center, a parking is limited near the restaurant.
Tickets for this event are $30 for members and $45 for non-members. The lunch will include a buffet menu of delicious food: white rice, steamed vegetables, potato-mac salad, panko furikake salmon, boneless Korean chicken. Non-alcoholic beverages are also included.
TICKETS MUST BE PURCHASED BEFORE JAN. 6, 2023 OR WHILE SUPPLIES LAST.
You can go to https://www.bigislandpressclub.org Click down to "News & Events" on the menu that's in the upper right corner and select "Events."
Make a difference! Sponsor a student pursuing a career in communications
Each year, the BIPC Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, awards thousands of dollars to students pursuing journalism and related degrees in higher education. But we need donations like yours to keep awarding scholarships.
The Springly platform makes it easy to donate to the Big Island Press Club Scholarship fund; both club members and non-members can contribute simply by hitting the “Give Now” button on our website at bigislandpressclub.org. The website offers the ability to donate a onetime contribution or you can set up monthly, quarterly, or annual recurring donations. And because the foundation is a nonprofit, your contribution should be tax deductible. (Consult your tax professional for advice.)
The website will also generate an emailed IRS-friendly receipt you can use for your records.
As you think of your end-of-year charitable giving, we hope you consider the Big Island Press Club Scholarship Foundation!
BIPC Scholarship success stories, l‐r, Lara Sonoda, John Burnett, Rosannah and Lichen Forster. (Nancy Cook Lauer)
Join a committee
BIPC has a number of committees, all charged with enhancing the voice of media in various areas. You don’t have to be on the board to make your voice heard and ensure good representation of the public and the press in so many important areas. Please consider your time commitments and ask to become involved in these committees: Outreach, PR/Marketing, Events, Social, Newsmaker events, Education and Governance. Just reach out to one of the BIPC board members listed below for more information.
If you have the time and commitment to attend a monthly board meeting and participate in projects and lead committees in between, please contact a board member for consideration.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Catch the latest news, updates and photos from BIPC members
Facebook: http://www.bigislandpressclub.org/
Twitter: @BIPressclub
Instagram: bigislandpressclub
MEMBERS’ CORNER:
Tracking the comings and goings, the kudos and events of all BIPC members. Please send contributions to nclauer@gmail.com.
BIPC Director Royelen Boykie held her first gallery event showcasing photos she's taken around the Big Island. Titled "Hawai`i Island: Ethereal/Luminous," the November show at One Gallery on Hilo Bayfont was attended by a number of BIPC members.
Kudos to Lara Sonada as she rockets up the career ladder, most recently named Vice President at First Hawaiian Bank and Team Lead of Commercial Banking Group for Big Island . Sonada, a former BIPC president, also was feted as Hawai‘i Island 2022 Young Professional of the Year by the Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce.
Please send us more! nclauer@gmail.com
Don’t forget your dues!
Dues are the lifeblood of our organization and are especially needed as we transition into the new year. If you’ve not paid your 2022 dues yet, please consider doubling your payment to take care of 2023, too! Use the Springly platform, or send a check to : P.O. Box 1920, Hilo, HI 96721. Mahalo for your support.
Time to sign up for Springly
If you haven’t yet, please register on our Springly platform.
IMPORTANT: Create your online & membership account on our new website at www.bigislandpressclub.org !
1) Click on the “JOIN US / MEMBERSHIP” links on the website.
2) On the page that describes the different membership types (Professional / Associate / General / Senior / Student), click on the yellow “APPLY” button. Even if you’ve been a member forever, you still need to “apply” to be one on Springly.
3) Complete a new membership by typing in your first name, last name, and type of membership you have/want for 2022. Press the yellow “CONTINUE” button to continue your application ‐or‐ click the red “Add a Membership” button if you wish to add additional memberships beyond your own, such as for a spouse, co‐worker, or business partner.
4) Create a password for your email address and click “Save”. The password must consist of at least one number, one lowercase letter, one uppercase letter, one special character among: * ! ? # ; % $ ^ : / $ @ and must be at least 8 characters long. Click on the yellow “SAVE” button to save your password and continue.
5) Now it’s time to provide some required and optional information as part of the membership process. You have the option of uploading an optional profile picture that will be used on the website once you register. Then provide your landline or cell phone, birthday, and mailing address. Please also complete the Additional Information fields; describe your position and employer or school, or note retired, briefly describe your job responsibilities or journalism interest, list any social media profiles the Club should follow of yours, and then type out your full name to confirm you’ve selected the proper membership category type. Last, it’s time to pay dues:
PAYING DUES FOR 2022:
‐If you have already paid your dues for 2022, select “OTHER” and our treasurer will confirm the files and process your membership. You will get a follow‐up email from Springly, our new website platform, that you’re good to go. When it is time to renew dues, the website will alert you and you can process your payment online.
‐If you haven’t yet paid, select “CREDIT CARD” or “CHECK.” When the treasurer confirms your membership, you will receive an email with a link to pay online or instructions on how to mail us a check if you prefer that method. Once your payment is processed, you will get another confirmation email and you’ll be good to go.
‐If there is a new member in the mix (i.e.: you added an additional new member when you registered at the site), that application will be reviewed by the Board for approval. Once the Board approves the new membership, that person will get an email asking for dues payment.
6) Once your registration is processed and verified, you’ll have access to the new & improved club website which includes members‐only content such as photographs of our events, an archive of recent Gleanings, and more!
PROBLEMS OR QUESTIONS? Contact BIPC Treasurer Michael Phillips for assistance: mphillips@weatherboy.com.
