Alayna Davies-Smith (center) displays her membership certificate after her induction as a member of the Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset. With her are President Heidi Dollinger; Alayna’s husband, Thomas Kalmbach; her sponsor, Sara Foley; and Assistant District Governor Marti Wukelic.

LAHAINA – At a recent meeting of the Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset, Alayna-Davies Smith was inducted as the newest member of the club.

Smith was inducted into the club by Assistant District Governor Marti Wukelic, and she was sponsored by Sara Foley.

Davies-Smith grew up in Southern Illinois just across the river from St. Louis, Missouri. She first became interested in libraries when she took on a work-study student job in her undergraduate college library.

After earning a Bachelor’s Degree at the University of Illinois in ChampaignUrbana, she received her Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science from the same school.

Davies-Smith has worked in all types of libraries: school, academic, special and public. She holds teaching certifications from both Illinois and Hawaii and currently serves on the Board of the Hawaii Library Association.

She spent her first two years in Hawaii serving as the teen librarian at the regional branch library of Pearl City in Oahu. In her current position as branch manager of Lahaina Public Library, she came across the pictures and documentation of the major renovation the area Rotary Clubs and the Maui Friends of the Library completed at the building.

She was so impressed with the hard work and dedication the members of the Rotary Club contributed to make the renovation a success, she wanted to belong to the group that gave back so unselfishly to the community.

Davies-Smith and her husband reside in Kihei, and the only thing she misses in paradise are her grandchildren – and maybe homegrown Midwest tomatoes.

For more information about the Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset, contact President Heidi Dollinger at Heidi.LahainaSunset@gmail.com or see the club’s Facebook page.