Gretchen Losano will be the guest speaker at the Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset on Tuesday, March 17.

KAANAPALI – Gretchen Losano will speak at the Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset on Tuesday, March 17. The meeting will be held at The Royal Ocean Terrace at the Royal Lahaina Resort from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Losano will discuss the collection and composting process of the food waste at Lahaina Intermediate School; the single-use plastics audit that she is conducting and the current single-use plastics legislation going through the Maui County Council; and the proposed West Maui composting facility that she has co-founded, its unique process and significance to our West Maui community.

For more information about the Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset meeting, contact President Heidi Dollinger at “mailto:Heidi.LahainaSunset@gmail.com”>Heidi.LahainaSunset@gmail.com or go to the club’s Facebook page.

In related news, the Kihei Elementary School Student Council EarlyAct Group, consisting of 33 representatives from third, fourth and fifth grade classes, again joined forces with the Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset for their fourth annual Pennies for Polio Drive.

Led by staff members Joanne Laird, Alaina Valite and Michelle Bonilla, the students were introduced to Rotary International’s End Polio Now Campaign.

Two Kihei Elementary School Student Council EarlyAct members — third-grader Abbyquel Lim (left) and fifth-grader Meeya Robbins — display their posters and collection jars for the “Pennies for Polio” campaign.

Council members made posters for all classrooms and provided collection jars that were delivered to each classroom teacher on Friday, Feb. 14.

A fact sheet about the “End Polio Now/Pennies for Polio” Campaign was sent home with each child, so that parents were aware of this collection campaign.

On Friday, Feb. 28, Phylecia Platte, foundation chair for the Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset, collected all contributions. American Savings Bank has offered to count and record each classes’ contributions.

In 2019, students collected over $2,100 in donated funds.

There will be two class winners – one for each recess period – announced. The two winning classes will receive a Jamba Juice/healthy snack party from the Rotary Club members during their recess.

Collected funds will be sent to Rotary International’s End Polio Now campaign and will be matched 2-1 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The council members were surprised to learn that Polio is a disease that killed and crippled so many children in the 20th century. Upon learning about this effort, all council members were eager to take part in the project to help Rotary end this disease in the world.

According to Student Council Adviser Joanne Laird, “This project is an example of one of the Rotary beliefs of ‘Service Above Self.’

Student Council members at the kick-off meeting were eager to beat last year’s collections.