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People Who Made A Difference

Shining examples of goodness in Maui County

Every year, we marvel at the selfless deeds, the pure goodness and concern for the less fortunate in our community, the empathy and altruism on display in our People Who Made A Difference. This year, a woman raised $200,000 for victims of the Aug. 24 brush fires with her Lahaina Strong campaign. Another person stands ready to come to the aid of children of abuse and neglect. There is a defender of Maui’s coral reefs and the teacher in your life who inspired you to greatness. And there is the team that on your worst day is on the other end of the line when you call 911. Jordan ...

From the heart

As the saying goes, not all heroes wear capes. But if you meet Paul Tonnessen, you might start to wonder if he has one hidden somewhere. Tonnessen is the executive director of the Friends of the Children’s Justice Center of Maui, a nonprofit organization that serves approximately 800 ...

Going deep

For as long as she can remember, Robin Newbold has been enamored with the sea. As a kid growing up in New Jersey, she spent her summers at the beach. There, she became keenly interested in the creatures that lived on the shoreline — from the tiny critters that skittered across the sand ...

Answering the call

It started out like any other weekend. But the morning of Saturday, Jan. 13, turned out to be anything but normal. Emergency services dispatcher Kanoe Agcaoili had just finished her overnight shift and was headed home to get some well-deserved shut-eye. As she drove out of the Wailuku ...

Call to action

At 1:30 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 24, Jordan Ruidas was startled awake by the insistent ring of her cellphone. Groggily, she answered — and says her pulse quickened when the caller told her there was a large brush fire near Puamana in Lahaina. Ruidas, 23, is the co-owner of Westside Tow and ...

A class act

Maybe you had that one teacher. The one who was always there for you. The one who inspired you to work hard and dream big. The one you’ll never forget. Ellen Federoff is one of those teachers. When she landed a job teaching 6th grade in her hometown of Los Angeles fresh out of ...