Pahoa Rotary Club installs new officers

Pahoa Rotary Club installs new officers

The Rotary Club of Pahoa Sunset installed its new set of officers June 5 at the Akebono Theater in Pahoa.

Installed were Alan Lakritz as the new president and director for club administration; Glen Calvert as the president-elect and director for international service; Jane Gibson, secretary; Renee Wenkam, treasurer; Craig Watkins, sergeant-at-arms and director for vocational service; and Ariel Murphy, as director for public relations.

Outgoing President Christine Kefford thanked the club for supporting her leadership: “We were able to do our projects because we pulled together.”

Incoming president Alan Lakritz thanked the group for the opportunity given him to be of service: “We have many projects in the pipeline and hope that more professionals and businesses in Pahoa can join us in helping the community.”

During the installation, the Pahoa Rotary Club honored Puna Community Medical Center (PCMC) founder Dan Domizio with a Paul Harris Fellow Service Above Self Award.

Domizio started PCMC and is now actively working for it to gain rural health community status so that it can serve more people in the Puna district, whether or not they have health insurance.

The installation was attended by some 70 guests, many of whom were Rotarians from Hilo. Also in attendance was Pahoa Rotary Club Charter President Karolyn Lundquist, an active community volunteer.

Among its many projects, the Pahoa Rotary Club has built waiting sheds, distributed dictionaries to schools in Pahoa, volunteered on highway and beachfront cleanups, and helped other Pahoa community organizations.