goal, whether it’s restoring the area or protecting
Photo by: Maui Coastal Land
some species of wildlife or educating the public.
It’s so energizing and inspiring; it shows you first-
hand that one person can make a change.
OK, so here’s the most common excuse: I’d
love to volunteer but I just don’t have time.
What’s your response?
I geared everything [in the book] to be short-
T
term. Almost all of them are a day or less. There are
rust
a few really great programs that go on for a couple
months, but everything is under three months. So
it doesn’t require a huge commitment; you can try
it out without feeling like you need to sign up for
the long haul. Different people have different
wants and needs. That’s why I tried to not make it
a book of reviews, because everyone’s experience is
different. One person may want to sit in their beach
chair and count whales, another might want to hike
ten miles a day and camp out in the backcountry.
So hopefully there’s something for everyone.
It seems like volunteering, as opposed to
giving money to a charity, is a good way for
people to ensure their contributions are going
straight to the source. What’s your take?
It is a really direct application of your desire to
help out. Some people may prefer to sit at home,
learn a little about a group, talk to someone on the
phone and write a check. And that’s fine. But of
course they’re not going to have the same experi-
ence as if they spent a Saturday afternoon out
there actively doing something. Anytime you do
something outside of yourself to help, it feels
good. It’s hard to put it into words, but when
you’re doing something that’s not self-serving it
nourishes you, brings balance to your life. So
many of us spend our time indoors at a desk, com-
municating through a machine. This is visceral,
tangible, it engages all of your senses. It changes
your relationship not just to your environment but
to other people on the island and to yourself.
Photo by: Maxine Graham, Surfrider F
Is the book geared toward tourists, locals
or both?
My hope is that it’ll be a resource for everyone.
But with the economy the way it is, and people
who live here not having as much money to travel,
I really see it as a way of rediscovering our own
islands and the diversity and beauty that’s literal-
ly in our own backyards. We’re such a multi-ethnic
melting pot here, and it was really incredible to
see people I met through these projects coming
together. When you’re working as a team for a spe-
oundation K
cific purpose, with a common goal, differences
don’t matter. MTW
aua'i Chapter
Preserving Paradise
is available at book-
stores island-wide; to
order a copy, call the
publisher, Island
Heritage, at (800)
468-2800 or www.pre-
servingparadise
volunteering.com
MAUI TIME WEEKLY OCTOBER 16, 2008 13
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