Newsmaker
Monday, June 30, 1997
Name: August Yee
Age: 74
Education: University of California-Berkeley
Occupation: Retired small-businessman
Hobbies: Reading, yardwork
When residents of one of China's poorest areas needed a new school and hospital, August Yee co-chaired a YMCA campaign that raised $250,000 locally. YMCA's top volunteer
When the people of the Nuuanu YMCA needed additional facilities, Yee helped raise the funds for construction of a new building.
When Mililani residents needed a new recreation center, Yee helped start a YMCA branch there.
For his years of service and dedication, Yee was recently named Western region recipient of the YMCA of the USA Heritage award, the highest honor given to a YMCA volunteer. He is the first Hawaii recipient of the award, which is given once every five years.
"August is the mortar," said Don Anderson, president of the YMCA of Honolulu. "He's the guy who keeps everyone tied together and makes it happen. Without August you got a pile of bricks; with him you got a building."
A YMCA volunteer for the past 26 years, Yee prefers to deflect the attention paid to his contributions.
"My greatest satisfaction is working with the other volunteers and in close harmony with the staff," he said.
Yee's exposure to a variety of people and places has given him a fresh perspective on community service. While many volunteer to pay back the community, Yee believes volunteers have just as much to gain.
"We benefit from being volunteers," he said. "It opens avenues for us to meet some really good people. Time and time again, I see how diverse the people are."
Besides volunteering for the YMCA, Yee has also spent more than two decades as a board member for the Boys and Girls Club of Honolulu and for Goodwill Industries.
Yee said he will continue to volunteer "as long as they don't kick me off."
By Neal Iwamoto, Star-Bulletin
