In my last column I proposed a “;Do Something About It Day”; and encouraged readers to actually do something about those small things that are inconvenient, inefficient or annoying in their homes or lives. Doing so could be a good use of time.

What about taking time to do something about things outside your home and life?

A great example of someone who “;did something about it”; is the true story of Tokyo schoolteacher Fumiko Ishioka as told in the documentary film “;Inside Hana's Suitcase,”; shown recently as part of the Kirk Cashmere Jewish Film Festival at the Honolulu Academy of Arts.

Ishioka, who is also the director of the Tokyo Holocaust Education Center, unexpectedly received a suitcase with Hana Brady's name on the outside.

Inside were two pieces of information: Hana's date of birth and the fact that she was an orphan in Czechoslovakia at the time of her wartime capture by the Nazis.

Instead of wondering and wishing she knew more about this child, Ishioka did something about it. She wrote letters, researched and even traveled to Czechoslovakia and visited the two concentration camps where Hana had been interned from age 11.

Ishioka was able to uncover the true story of Hana Brady's short life and death at age 13 at Auschwitz.

The happy result? Although Hana's dream to be a teacher was never realized, “;Inside Hana's Suitcase”; goes around the world teaching many the lessons and horrors of war as well as the courage of a little girl.

In 1995 when the Honolulu Rotary Club recognized that Hawaii had no traveler's aid organization, its members, with the help of local businesses and organizations, started the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii.

Countless visitors who have been victims of crime or other adversities have been befriended and helped by committed and well-trained volunteers. These visitors can then return home and share with family and friends that despite an unfortunate incident, the aloha spirit of Hawaii is real.

And what about the story of sixth-grader Trevor Ferrell, who began to help street people at age 11?

In December 1983, Trevor watched a news program reporting that it was a “;code blue”; night, meaning that it was so cold in Philadelphia that street people were being taken into shelters.

Trevor asked his parents how he could help. That night his parents drove him into Philadelphia where he gave a homeless man sleeping on the sidewalk a blanket.

In less than two years, his simple act developed into a million-dollar nonprofit with thousands of volunteers.

One doesn't have to “;do something about it”; on a major scale. It can be a simple act for one person.

I read of one woman who saw a pedestrian being drenched during a downpour. She decided to do something about it and gave him an umbrella. She now buys umbrellas on sale and hands them out during rainstorms.

What are some troublesome situations, mysteries or injustices that you're aware of? What can you do about it?

I have a small plaque that says, “;I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do or any kindness that I can show to my fellow creatures, let me not defer nor neglect it for I shall not pass this way again.”;

We might not be able to do something that will affect the whole world, but doing something for one person could mean the world to him or her!

It can be time well spent.

See you in two weeks!

Ruth Wong owns Organization Plus. Her column runs the second and fourth Mondays of each month. Contact her by e-mail at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).