Hedwig A. Hofschneider, a native of Saipan, has played key roles in many volunteer activities in California’s Bay Area.
Some of these include workshops to assist low-income high school students apply for college and financial aid and events to promote active, healthy lifestyles through sports.
A certified ESL teacher, Hofschneider also assisted elementary students with their English homework and even helped a traveling Korean scholar improve her English skills through weekly sessions.
Hofschneider’s volunteer activities, though, did not go unnoticed.
He has received a number of awards for the hours he has put into community service.
Serving as service vice president of the Circle K International Community Service Organization, he received the Distinguished Vice President Award, after leading 87 members to produce nearly 11,000 community service hours between April 2007 and March 2008.
From 2006 to 2007, Hofschneider also led a fundraising committee that raised over $10,000 for various charities around the Bay Area, including the pediatric trauma program, which benefited the Oakland Children’s Hospital.
He also led the committee to receive the California-Nevada-Hawaii district awards for raising the most money overall and raising the most money for the pediatric trauma program.
“It has always been my personal commitment to be active in the community, no matter where I am,” said Hofschneider. “I am honored to have been selected for the position and am excited for all the student events and activities ahead of me.”
Hofschneider graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in South and Southeast Asian studies from the University of California at Berkeley. He also holds a certificate to teach english as a second language from UC Berkeley’s extension program.
“The NMC community is pleased to welcome Hedwig, as his volunteer background and leadership experience will surely benefit the participants of the Upward Bound Program,” said NMC interim President Lorraine T. Cabrera.
The Upward Bound Program is a federally funded program under TRiO, a section of the U.S Department of Education. The program aims to help high school students prepare for college through tutoring and academic, financial, and personal counseling.
Book discussion series begins
(NMI Humanities Council) — Visiting author Dr. P.F. Kluge last night started the month-long lecture series on four classic American novels at the American Memorial Park theater.
The series kicked off with Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961. Participants will spend three 90-minute sessions exploring this novel before moving on to the next title.
Other books to be discussed over the course of the program are “The Old Man and the Sea,” “Huckleberry Finn,” and “The Things They Carried.”
Kluge will examine these books on three levels — what they say, how they say it, and how their themes relate to contemporary life in the commonwealth.
Ample time will be reserved for questions and answers.
The program is sponsored by the NMI Council for the Humanities under a “We the People” grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Kluge is writer-in-residence at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, and has written several critically acclaimed novels including “Gone Tomorrow” and “Eddie and the Cruisers.”
Before beginning his academic career, Kluge spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer on Saipan in the late 1960s.
The council will videotape each lecture and copies will be provided to Tinian and Rota so that interested individuals on those islands may participate in the discussion series.
The series will also be aired on cable television.
A program schedule is available on the council’s Web site at www.nmihumanities.org. Participants are invited to pick up their books at the council’s office in Springs Plaza, Gualo Rai.
Census activities
(2010 Census) — The Local Census Office would like to inform the residents of Saipan that official Census staff will be traveling throughout the villages on Saipan updating maps in preparation for the Census activities that will begin in late March.
It may be necessary for Census staff to drive or walk down private roads in order to verify existing roads with the Census maps sent from Washington, D.C.
The Local Census Office asks for everyone’s cooperation as this important portion of the preliminary Census work is completed.
All Census staff have official identification and residents can ask to see this identification at any time in order to verify their identity.
Census vehicles will either have a 2010 Census sign on their windshield or on the door.
Call the Census Office at 288-3027/3031 for any questions.
Haiti relief donations available via texting with Docomo Pacific
(Docomo Pacific) — To assist victims of the recent devastating earthquake in Haiti, Docomo Pacific says its customers will be able to donate funds by texting 42484 (HAITI) on their Docomo phones.
This fundraising program will run from Jan. 19 to Feb. 15 for both prepaid and postpaid Docomo customers.
By texting to 42484 on their cell phones, donors will be giving $5 per text to the relief fund.
This charge will be deducted from the subscribers load value for prepaid customers.
For postpaid customers, the charge will appear on their bills.
Customers may text as many times as they like.
All texting funds collected will be donated to the local chapter of the American Red Cross which has already initiated donations and a local fund drive for the people of Haiti.
“We are saddened by the unfortunate disaster that has befallen Haiti,” said Jay Shedd, president/CEO of Docomo Pacific and current chairman of the board for the Guam chapter of the American Red Cross.
“On behalf of Docomo Pacific and the American Red Cross, our goal is to raise as much finds as possible to assist the victims in their anguish and allow some normalcy to return to their lives.”
Guam/NMI fuel surcharge increased
(Horizon Lines) —Horizon Lines will increase its fuel adjustment factor in the Guam/CNMI trade by 3.5 percentage points from 25.5 percent to 2 percent effective Sunday, Feb. 7.
The increase has been filed with the surface transportation board and covers Horizon Lines tariffs 353, 344 and 961. These tariffs govern shipments moving between the continental U.S. and Guam/CNMI.
Tourism industry excellence awardees named
(MVA) — The recipients of the first ever Tourism Industry Excellence Awards were honored during the Marianas Visitors Authority general membership meeting on Thursday at the Saipan World Resort.
The fiscal year 2009 winners were: 2008 Hell of the Marianas Century Cycle (Most Outstanding Tourism Attraction), Saipan Laolao Development (Most Outstanding Destination Enhancement), Russian market manager Elitza Stoilova of Pacific Islands Club Saipan (Employee of the Year), Remy P. Rebellon (Individual Volunteer of the Year), and Team PDI (Group/Organization Volunteer of the Year).
This year marks the first time MVA members have been invited to recognize fellow tourism industry individuals, events, and projects for the tourism awards, which will now be an annual event.
Each of the winners made substantial contributions to tourism during the year.
The December 2008 Hell of the Marianas Century Cycle had 93 participants and garnered international publicity for the Northern Marianas in various publications.
The Laolao Bay project by Kumho Asiana Group began construction of a 54-room twin tower project worth over $54 million.
Stoilova has served as chairwoman of the MVA Russian Ad Hoc Committee and has been instrumental in developing this growth market over the years.
Rebellon is the assistant manager of housekeeping/housing at Fiesta Resort & Spa and volunteered for numerous tourism-related events including Taste of the Marianas, Xterra, and Beautify CNMI clean-ups.
Non-profit organization Team PDI founded and/or spearheaded numerous partnerships with private, public and NGO entities in various tourism promotion projects.
