SCC Hawaii’s First Annual “Drive Fore Mental Health” Golf Tournament with David “Kawika” B. Rich

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Interview Transcription

ADRIENNE:
Welcome back, and thanks for listening to the Team Lally Real Estate show home of the guaranteed sold program or we’ll buy it. I’m Adrienne I’m still Attilio and if you have any questions, just give us a call at 7999596 or check us out online at Teamlally.com.

ATTILIO:
Hey, our guest today was retired lieutenant colonel from US Air Force and has served in the military for over 25 years. He first visited Hawaii in 1985. And learn that David, his actual name is Kawika in Hawaiian, which he is now most known for. He moved

ADRIENNE:
to Hawaii six years ago together with his wife and his mother. He has served on the board of the Samaritan Counseling Center of Hawaii for five years and accepted the role of president in April of this year. Please welcome our guest, David Kawika Rich.

ATTILIO:
Hey, good. Are you there? Good afternoon.

KAWIKA:
I am. I am I am. I’m so excited to be on the show. I’m so excited to be able to not earlier and listen to some of the other things. Y’all got great information. I’m telling you. Yeah,

ADRIENNE:
thank you.

ATTILIO:
Well, you know, we’re gonna we’re gonna have you. So you’re the president of the Samaritan Counseling Center. And I kind of want to, let’s dig a little deeper into well, I want to go back to the origins of the word Samaritan. Okay, do Kawika, do you know the origins of the word Samaritan? Are you Adrienne?

KAWIKA:
So, you know, from the biblical aspect, yes. Samaritan, the the, you know, when you talk about the Good Samaritan, and the things that the Good Samaritan had done, and copying, it’s about helping is about service. It’s about selflessness. Yes. And I believe that is really kind of, that’s where my origin with the word Samaritan. And so a lot of times when people even reference us, they say, Oh, you’re the good Samaritan organization well with Samaritan. And it is, and it has become for the last 35 years, a very selfless outreach to our community, recognising the need, that we all may come in to a space where we need the services of an organization that can provide very comfortable professional, behavioral and mental health services, regardless of whether or not you have insurance or the financial means to pay for it. The fact that you may be seeking it and you may need it. We’re here to provide it.

ATTILIO:
Yes. Yeah. So let’s talk more about that later. Yeah,

ADRIENNE:
yeah. So So Kawika, so congratulations, first of all, for taking on that role of president. And let’s talk a little bit more about the kinds of services that are offered and how you know, the community can gain access to these services. Yes.

KAWIKA:
Yes, I think that, in many cases, one of the things that when we are out, talking with organizations and with the community, the first thing that comes to mind for people, if not themselves, being either a recipient of these type of services, or knowing someone that is one of the first thing they think is, oh, well, can you help a lot of the homelessness is that’s going on in Hawaii. And the fact is, is that unfortunately, the people have to want that assistance on their own. We don’t go out and diagnose or determine whether someone needs it or not. We’re there for the folks that say, Listen, I need help. I want help. So we’re not out actively, like canvassing, you know, the streets or seeing who we may think in our head can use the service. But our service is absolutely available in there. When people situations. I mean, even the situation in Maui, there’s so many organizations that are providing and acknowledging and recognizing the needs that so many people have For our, or we’ll need mental health assistance. We’ve got to be able to be available. So there’s a lot of frontline organizations, but we’re definitely an organization that people will do because this is a long, that’s going to be a long term situation as well.

ATTILIO:
Let’s talk about it. Because I mean, one of the reasons we got you on the show is you guys are fundraising right now with a golf tournament. Team Lally, we donated a cruise for two for the auction. Yeah. So we hope that that goes for like $30,000. Because it’s not about the cruise folks. It’s about giving back, giving back to the community. And so talk about this fundraiser that’s coming up, what do you guys have and when is it.

KAWIKA:
So this is really something that’s very special, our fundraiser. Each year, we have done something to raise funds. And this year, as President, I stepped up and said, I think it’s something that can definitely raise funds, and not only that, raise significant awareness of who we are. And so on the 27th of October, in about two weeks, we’re hosting our first annual Samaritan Counseling Center Drive Fore Mental Health Golf Tournament at the Ewa Beach Golf Club. And this is designed to raise funds for our Client Assistance Fund is the clients assistance fund that provides the financial means for us to be able to pay our therapists. Yeah, we have professional certified therapists that are basically volunteering their time, a lot of very few of them are full time, do this full time, a lot of them do it part time, but it’s a service that they are very passionate about. Our services are provided. And from a very theoretical standpoint, and also from a spiritual standpoint, we provide mental health services based on the individual’s traditional spiritual belief systems. And also, we really are basing this on a full person concerts. And what we are doing on the 27th is really to one, give acknowledgement and exposure to our organizations. We’ve been around 35 years, but a lot of people hadn’t heard of us yet. Second is to allow groups to network and everything. And absolutely, I would love for the proves that you guys have graciously donated go for 30,000 or more, because people that may not attend a golf tournament can go online to our website and start bidding online to don’t have to be present to bid on the silent auction items that we have in our golf tournament. And this cruise is one of them. So don’t feel oh, man, I can’t

ATTILIO:
be present. But they need to be quiet because it’s a silent auction.

ADRIENNE:
What is the website? Where do they go for the silent auction if they want to participate? Yes, I’m not part of the fundraiser.

KAWIKA:
Yes, so it’s called give butter. And let me pull it right up right now. So I can give it exactly I don’t want to mess it up. We go Hold on one second.

ATTILIO:
But even if you go to the Good Samaritan counseling site, I’m sure you guys have a link through that. And if you Google it to Good Samaritan Counseling golf tournament,

ADRIENNE:
Google. Also if any of our listeners want to just like email us directly, we’re happy to get them the direct link because you don’t want them to miss opportunity.

ATTILIO:
If there are one some to some or threesome, you’ll you’ll fill in the gaps and for some, so if you’re a golfer, and you’re by yourself and you feeling lonely, they’ll connect you with three other golfers for a good cause,

ADRIENNE:
and they see there’s some amazon gift cards that are being offered. I think I see like a Harry Potter t shirt. Yeah, I sees a bunch of cool little items there on this silent auction already and I know what if you got something to donate? I’m sure that you guys will be taking those

ATTILIO:
donating a sweaty Team Lally tanktop No, you will not limited edition 101 of one gross Yeah, so we got the Golf we got the auction. Talk about the hole in one what can they get if they do a hole in one? Yeah, yeah.

KAWIKA: 
And so there’s going to be some bowling one. That Tony group

ATTILIO: 
from Tony

KAWIKA: 
all around the island and Tony group is one of the supporters of this golf tournament and they have all our par threes have a hole in one gift that there are a contest. And for the longest bowling one is going to be a car if someone hits a hole in one at that part three, they will win a car. Yeah and then the other one is a the other is the In one year, Omaha Steaks,

ATTILIO: 
one year of Omaha Steaks, Warren Buffett will actually be bringing these things to your home.

ADRIENNE: 
It’s a lot of protein. Yeah, exactly.

ATTILIO: 
Yeah, those are nice. Yeah.

KAWIKA:
They’re really good.

ATTILIO: 
I don’t know what I’m thinking. Yeah, I think people are thinking it’s going to be a 2003 Toyota Corolla with 167,000 miles on it. No, it’s gonna be a brand new car brand new from Uncle Tony over a Tony group. Nice. But you say golf clubs. What else? Anything else? It’s

KAWIKA: 
so golf, golf. And then the fourth hole in one one is a $500, MasterCard, gift card.

ADRIENNE: 
Nice,

ATTILIO:
you buy a lot of cheese with that.

KAWIKA: 
A lot of cheese with a lot of great stuff. And all of these, the whole and ones you got to be present.

ATTILIO: 
Because you’ve got to, you got to be the one whacking the ball and you gotta

KAWIKA: 
gotta wake the ball. But if you’re wanting to have so many great things that we have on the silent auction, if you want to go to getbutter/SamaritanCouncil center, Hawaii. SCCH, SCCH

ATTILIO: 
they don’t spell it out. Yeah, it’s just an acronym.

KAWIKA: 
Right/2023,

ATTILIO: 
please, people do not be showing up with tubs of butter. That’s a platform website.

KAWIKA: 
But a site has really allowed us a space to really promote this and everything we’ve been using give butter for a while. Yeah. And, and it’s a nice site, they do get a percentage for their services and everything that they do, but it’s definitely an easy place where people can go in and they can, you know, jump when the silent auction the silent auction ends, the evening of the event. And so for those that are bidding, stay online, it’s a live auction is live and so it’s alive now. We would love people to go in and start mounting up the bids right now. You know, we gotta get to the 30,000 part for this cruise. The Cruise is going to be exciting. I’m gonna tell you what I’m applying. I’m going to be bidding on that cruise. We love cruising.

ATTILIO: 
Yeah. Just get this. Some just, you know, one or two more questions on the Good Samaritan Council. But what religious groups have served on the board? Just for people to have some background?

KAWIKA: 
Yes, yes, yes, we you know, and that’s the beauty of this board is because it’s one of those community groups that really represent the community and they all support some are providing space for us to have meetings we have the Jewish community is represented on the board the Mormon community, the Protestant, the Catholic, Veselin temple. We are a Buddhist reps from the Soka Gakkai International. were represented on the board. We have Baptist Catholic, and and I think that is the group that we currently have right now. Gotcha.

ADRIENNE: 
So what a great

KAWIKA: 
wave, we’re always looking for board members and ambassadors, ambassadors are people to support that would like to support our organization is some of the things and they’re just volunteers that will support activities, like when you get to the golf tournament, you’re gonna see a lot of support people are in.

ATTILIO: 
Well, if you need two people to drive the golf cart with alcohol on it. Adrienne and I, we always volunteer for that. stewards of the alcohol. And so the anyway, it’s a great organization. I think a lot of times, it’s not necessarily maybe the person that’s struggling, that’s listening, that says, oh, yeah, I’m gonna call that number, but probably some family member family member that’s hearing this right now. And you know, somebody that’s struggling now, like, resource,

ADRIENNE: 
I know that we, we didn’t talk about this, but it was mentioned on the Friday live that we had done, the the access via telehealth or zoom. Let’s talk about that. Especially I know that you had mentioned that there’s a lot of people over on Maui that could use these services during this time. How does that work to get signed up for telehealth or even just the in person? Counseling?

KAWIKA: 
Yes. And I think that’s the biggest thing is to be able to go on to call up and set up because a lot of times people have different ideas or they can, they may not want to talk to a male or they may not want to talk to a female or they may have something that they would like to target. And we want to make sure that we’re serving the community in the manner that the community wishes to be served. individual has that voice and part of the Mental Health processes hearing people’s voice and allowing their voice to be heard. Because a lot of times that’s part of the work could be part of this situation. And so calling up if the number is 808-545-2740 808-545-2740, yes. And what we have found prior to COVID, we were we have meeting places all around the islands so that if someone says I’m over an Ewa, or someone says I’m up in Wahiawa someone says, I’m on the east side of the island, we have arranged with some churches and organizations that provide us room space, nice to meet with people in a private setting, in a private environment. But after COVID, we’ve also seen that a lot of people are even more comfortable being able to do it. The telecommunication that computer, the phone and telehealth has just really made them so much more comfortable and convenient, so that people don’t have to jump in their car, go to a strange place or a place where they’re uncomfortable, where they can sometimes, if the house is too crowded, they can sit in their car, where it’s quiet, and they can be able to be very authentically themselves.

ATTILIO: 
Awesome. Well, hey, we have less than a minute left on the show. We kind of want to wrap it up. We got the golf tournament, we’ve got the good Samaritans, we’ve got the silent auction, silent auction holding one for a car $500 golf clubs

ADRIENNE: 
got this amazing resource for anyone in the community regardless, regardless if you have insurance

ATTILIO: 
5452740, 5452740. In in one minute Kawika. Can you just do one last shout out for your awesome book that you wrote.

KAWIKA: 
Outstanding. Yes, I am so proud to be able to put next to my name Kawika Rich David B. Rich, author, I just published a book called Manifesting your DPS, which is your dream positioning system. There DPS is just like a GPS that can navigate you to a geographic location. This book has tools, strategies, and techniques, and stories of what I had struggled with and gone through, to be able to manifest the dreams, the goals and desires that I have in my life, and that I have learned and learn from other people that have successfully accomplished these things. So these aren’t just my strategies, these are strategies that have been established by very successful people that I studied under. And this book is a lot of fun. And I’m gonna tell you just reading, the dedication can change a person’s life. If you just read the back page and never opened the book, it will change your life. Telling you the book is full of beautiful and wonderful gyms that can transform your life so that you can accomplish the goals dreams and desires. Yeah,

ATTILIO: 
I gotta, I gotta let everybody know that this book is number one. On the Kalihi Times bestseller list. No, no New York Times? Because I’m speaking it. That’s right. You know, it’s not

ADRIENNE: 
just speaking if it just launched, right. Kawika. Like just,

ATTILIO: 
we get it on? Can they get it on Amazon?

KAWIKA: 
You can get it on Amazon. And they know what the Amazon link is? Probably just the title if you just go in and put my name in or put the title and

ATTILIO: 
I think Jeff figured that’s pretty smart with that kind of stuff. Jeff diseases will get you to the book. Yes. Yes. Thank you so much for being on the show. Thank you,

ADRIENNE:
Kavika. We appreciate you. All right, you

KAWIKA: 
guys. Appreciate y’all have a wonderful, wonderful, Aloha Friday.

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