Newsmaker
Monday, January 11, 1999
Name: Dennis Brown
Age: 45
Education: University of Hawaii
Occupation: Executive director, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Honolulu
Hobbies: Coaching volleyball, running
The new executive director of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Honolulu knows firsthand how a big brother can make a difference in a young child's life. Someone to look up to
Dennis Brown was the first "little" brother to join Big Brothers/Big Sisters when it began in Hawaii in 1963.
"I was from a single-parent family," Brown said. "He taught me how to play tennis, took me bowling, took me to the movies. He told me a lot about what college was like."
Brown's big brother, Henry Sumida, had been a pilot in the Air Force and went back to school to further his education.
The weekly outings with Sumida had an impact on Brown's life.
"In my case, the decision to join the military and come out and be able to go through school, all the way through graduate school, were major things that may not have happened if I hadn't known Henry and had that influence," he said.
Sumida is on the board of Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and the two men still talk regularly.
"I think the most important thing (having a big brother) taught me is that caring relationships make such a big difference in the life of a child -- more than the material things of being taken places and doing things," Brown said.
After graduating from college, Brown began a career in community service. He was the program director for Lanakila Meals on Wheels before beginning his new job in September.
There are 140 children in the traditional Big Brothers/Big Sisters program. Another 200 meet with role models at nine different elementary schools on Oahu.
Brown said there are still 78 children on the waiting list for a big brother or big sister, and a major goal is to increase the number of volunteers.
The organization is begining an initiative to recruit volunteers through businesses and to target retirees.
"We want to break down the myth that a Big Brother/Big Sister has to be a young person who is physically active. Being a Big Brother/Big Sister means more than that. It's really the relationship, the caring," he said.
The group also is working on a strategic plan to fund and expand its service. A fund-raiser at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in April will feature Sam Choy and a guest celebrity chef.
"I really want to see us continue to provide the same service that I benefited from," Brown said.
By Craig Gima, Star-Bulletin
