Hawaiian Rotarians join forces with the Rotary Club of Honolulu to support the Honolulu Beer Festival fundraiser

By Barry Villamil, President-elect of the Rotary Club of Pearlridge

Congratulations to Tom Coyne, President-elect of the Rotary Club of Honolulu, and the club members for leading a very successful Honolulu Beer Festival fundraiser on the Bishop Museum’s Great Lawn on Saturday, June 22. It was a fun event with over 2000 attendees. A portion of the proceeds from the Honolulu Beer Festival went to the Rotary Club of Honolulu.

Several Rotary clubs of District 5000 in Hawaii teamed up to host beer tents that offered dozens of Hawaiian specialty beers. Randy Ching, board member of the Rotary Club of Pearlridge, and I, Barry Villamil (President-elect 2024-2025), represented our club and had a great time serving two very popular beers, Mango Li Hing Mui And Ebe Blue BaeThe keg of Ebe Blue Mae was the first to run out of beer in our tent at around 8pm.

The Honolulu Beer Festival was a great opportunity to support another Rotary District 5000 club in Hawaii with their fundraising efforts. Rotarians, islanders, businesses and visitors to Hawaii came together to have fun and enjoy the Aloha spirit on the Bishop Museum’s Great Lawn. A world-class beer selection, food and entertainment rounded out the well-organized event.

As the evening progressed, the energy, inspiration and camaraderie among the Rotarians was overwhelming, we met old friends and made new friendships.

I have to say what also made the event incredibly special for Randy and I were the friends from the community we met while serving beer during the four hour event. Many of them wanted to know more about the brands of beer we were serving, which we had no idea about other than the beer name, and how everyone complimented how good it tasted when we went for a second round (we then googled – Paradise Apple Wine).

They asked us about Rotary, what Rotary is. We were ready. Tom, the President-elect of the Rotary Club of Honolulu, and his club provided cards with a QR code. Additionally, QR codes were placed on event posters throughout the event that linked directly to Rotary. A great Rotary branding tool and introduction to recruiting potential, future members and supporters of Hawaii Rotary District 5000.

When I become president of the Rotary Club of Pearlridge on July 1, 2024, one of my key club goals for 2024-2025 will be to build connections with our clubs in Hawaii Rotary District 5000 and collaborate in the communities we serve through outreach projects and programs that benefit all clubs through our unique partnerships and, most importantly, friendships that forever unite us as Rotarians of Hawaii and the world. The Rotary Club of Honolulu’s fundraiser at the Honolulu Beer Festival on Saturday is a testament to our commitment to working together toward a common goal.

The future looks bright for Hawaii Rotary District 5000 in 2024-2025 and beyond. When I attended the PETS Presidents-elect Training Seminar in Los Angeles in February 2024, I spent three days with an outstanding group of Rotary presidents-elect from Hawaii.

The Hawaii Rotary District 5000 presidents-elect at PETS were dedicated, intelligent, inspiring, and focused on building their experience, commitment, and leadership skills as they led their clubs into the future as presidents. Their legacies will be shaped in part by their passion and success as Rotary presidents. We all agreed to work together and stay connected as presidents in 2024-2025.

Selfless Service

*My club, the Rotary Club of Pearlridge, meets on Fridays from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the conference room, Suite 110, Pearl City Shopping Center, 850 Kamehameha Highway, Pearl City, Hawaii 96782..

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Photos and video by Barry Villamil