A life built on volunteerism - hands in, helping out

The 6th annual Kaimuki High School Foundation fundraiser with Cheri Kishimoto and (left to right)
Darryl Loo, Kelly Boy and Kapena Delima and Alton Waiamau. Photo by Donna Ho.

The difference between a helping hand and an outstretched palm is a twist of the wrist.
~Laurence Leamer, King of the Night

On one exceptional afternoon during a fundraiser at the historic Greystones Mansion, a lilting voice glides over the slopes of Makiki singing a familiar refrain, "..there's a feeling deep in my heart, stabbing at me just like a dart, it's a feeling heavenly.." The young woman's voice carries more than just a melody and lyrics. It's a revealing metaphor of her life, a life committed to giving and serving. For Cheri Kishimoto, Director of Development for the non profit group Hands In, Helping Out, volunteering is a way of life.

Born and raised in Honolulu, Kishimoto graduated from Kaimuki High School and the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. Armed with her teaching degree, Kishimoto headed back to her alma mater. For the past five years, she's been instructing students on the finer points of mathematics.

But, Kishimoto has always been much more than a brainiac. A high school scholar athlete in soccer and volleyball, Kishimoto was a Regent Scholar at UHM. She is a musician, singer and hula dancer having grown up in and around music. One of her earliest memories of volunteering was during Christmas with her ‘ohana (family) in second grade. "I remember my dad trying to book us at a hospital to sing carols. All of the hospitals were booked, so he started calling some of the elder care homes. He contacted Palolo Chinese Home and they said they'd love to have us. We've been going there ever since."

It wasn't difficult to get hooked on the euphoria of 'making someone's day'. Says Kishimoto, "It just made sense to me. Actually, it feels weird to not have something going on (a scheduled project)."

In 2006, Kishimoto and a group of UH marching band alum decided to formalize their passion for volunteering. Their first project involved American Cancer Society's Relay For Life fundraiser at Magic Island. "We didn't really know what we wanted to do, but our activities just kinda came together. We raised $5,000 that year (Kishimoto personally raised $500) and had so much fun doing it, that we started talking about creating a more structured organization."

By 2009, the non-profit Hands In, Helping Out was formed. Their moniker, HIHO, is appropriate and reflects their collective energy reminiscent of the dwarfs themselves. In March, HIHO received it's first grant from the Atherton Family Foundation and has been busy moving forward with projects to create sustainable volunteers. HIHO provides professional services in volunteer placement and management, organization needs assessment and case management.

Says Kishimoto, "Our organization is dedicated to empowering people to positively impact their community through service by personalizing the experience for each volunteer. We have a short orientation and individual assessment of interests in order to find volunteer opportunities that match each person's abilities, availability and interests. Our belief is that if people find the opportunities both enjoyable and worthwhile, they will continue to contribute whatever time they have. Through this belief we are not just raising awareness of the needs of the community, we are helping Hawai‘i volunteer."

The strategy is working. Kishimoto and other directors from HIHO currently manage about a half dozen organizations including Kokua Kalihi Valley , Kalihi Ahupua‘a and, Hawaii Literacy with 50 - 60 volunteers in rotation. Attendance at HIHO's monthly volunteer orientation exceeds a dozen individuals, and continues to grow. HIHO provided volunteers who provided bike valet service at this year's sold-out Kokua Festival at the Waikiki Shell. Last week, HIHO staff wrapped up a whirlwind of volunteering, part of National Volunteer Week, with fellow recipients at the Hawaii Literacy Volunteers Recognition Dinner.

"Volunteering has many different faces," smiles Kishimoto. "What ever you can give is always appreciated. We don't try to hound folks into volunteering, and don't be afraid of not having the right experience. We encourage individuals to volunteer for what comes naturally. Stay coachable, flexible and above all, expect to have fun. Volunteering changes your perspective because you're helping someone with a task that they couldn't complete on their own. That's what hands in, helping out is all about."

To find out HIHO's current service projects, or to schedule an organization or volunteer assessment, contact cheri@hiho.org. You can also connect to HIHO at Facebook and Twitter.