The 12 nominees for the 2012 Palaka Award, presented to a longtime and exceptional volunteer of a Maui nonprofit organization, have been announced.
They are: Sharon Balidoy, Lae'ula O Kai Canoe Club & Hula Halau; Zadoc Brown Jr., Seabury Hall; Susan Graham, Montessori School of Maui; Kazuichi Hamasaki, Hale Mahaolu; John Hoxie, Hui No'eau Visual Arts Center; Lawrence Ing, Maui Economic Opportunity; Dr. George Martin, Carden Academy of Maui; Mitch Mitchell, Hale Makua Health Services; Teena Rasmussen, Maui Youth & Family Services; Joel Richman, Jewish Congregation of Maui; Sarajean Tokunaga, Maui Memorial Medical Center Foundation; and Brian Yoshikawa, Hawaii Children's Cancer Foundation.
The winner for the award will be announced Aug. 24 at a luncheon benefiting the Michael H. Lyons II Memorial Scholarship Fund in the King Kamehameha Golf Club's Waikapu Room. The Rotary Club of Kahului and the Alexander & Baldwin Foundation are presenting the affair.
The 2012 Palaka Award is awarded to an individual volunteer for long-term, exceptional service to a Maui County nonprofit organization, a news release about the award said. It honors Mike Lyons' legendary commitment to the Maui community and is named for his signature palaka shirts. He was an executive at Bank of Hawaii and past president of Kahului Rotary Club.
Proceeds from the luncheon will provide scholarships for exceptional Maui youth.
There will be entertainment by George Kahumoku Jr. and the University of Hawaii Maui College Institute of Hawaiian Music students and a fundraising golf ball drop.
The golf ball drop begins at noon and the luncheon will follow.
Tickets are $50 per person for the luncheon.
For more information on the Palaka Award nominations, the luncheon, sponsorships and the golf ball drop, go to the website www.kahuluirotary.com.
