Anti-tobacco group honors youths

Courtney Viernes-Silva and Geromy Dymally were honored as Youth and Young Adult Tobacco Control Advocates of the Year 2008 by the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawaii. They are youth leaders at the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii's anti-tobacco youth group, Project REAL. Viernes-Silva, a junior at Waipahu High School, provides testimony and supports petitions for state tobacco control laws, and has helped organize statewide youth anti-tobacco summits. Dymally leads the dance group Krumpany, which spreads the anti-tobacco message.

Edmund “;Buster”; Civerolo, a bellman at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, was named the Outstanding Lodging Employee of the Year by the Hawaii Hotel & Lodging Association at its Na Po'e Pa'ahana (”;the hard-working people”;) awards luncheon. Other winners are: Bell/Valet Person of the Year: Nelson Atuatasi, Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows; Concierge of the Year: Toshiko Saiki, Kauai Marriott Resort & Beach Club; Engineering/Maintenance Person of the Year: Larry Harper, Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas; Food & Beverage Person of the Year: Raymond Monmaney, the Royal Hawaiian Hotel; Front Office Person of the Year: Betty Levan, Sheraton Waikiki Hotel; Housekeeper of the Year: Monica Wong, Outrigger Reef on the Beach; Manager of the Year: Clem Lagundiamo, ResortQuest at the Executive Center; Security Officer of the Year: Kaleo Miller, Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa; Allied Member of the Year: Oceanic Time Warner Cable.

Waikiki Health Center, in its 42nd year of providing primary care services to those who are medically uninsured and underserved on Oahu, has received a $20,000 grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation. The center operates clinics and outreach programs in Waikiki and Haleiwa, and provides Oahu's only mobile clinic to bring medical care and social services to the homeless.