Upcountry Rotary to Start Skills Workshop

PC: Rotary Club of Upcountry Maui.

Maui’s Upcountry Rotary Club hosts its first bimonthly virtual skills workshop on Wednesday, Aug. 26 with Mike Loque, demonstrating Gyrotonics – an innovative fitness workout. The virtual skills workshops feature the careers and skills of various members in all of the Rotary Clubs on Maui.

When Rotarian, Frank Szczepanski moved to Maui last year, he was interested in continuing his community service by joining one of the local Rotary Clubs here on the island.

Szczepanski gave presentations on his company, IVDiagnostics, and also on a major environmental project involving safe drinking water at a superfund site in East Chicago, IN where he grew up.

Now active with UpCountry Rotary as membership chair, he wants to make a difference by helping students and members of the Maui community by expanding their knowledge and desire to pursue careers that will help diversify the economy of Hawaiʻi.

With the encouragement of fellow members of the UpCountry Rotary Club, Szczepanski’s idea is to have monthly or bi-monthly Skills Workshops that will deliver online virtual seminars featuring careers and skills of various members in all of the Rotary Clubs on Maui.

President of UpCountry Rotary, Wendy Hornack, shares Szczepanski’s enthusiasm. She aid that this is an idea that perfectly suits the current economic crisis: “If we can motivate and educate our students and fellow residents on the wealth of opportunities available to them, we will become less dependent on tourism”.

Szczepanski is personally hoping to bring his cancer diagnostic tests to Hawaiʻi hospitals but is also working to develop a rapid, precise diagnostic test for COVID-19.

This month Skills Workshop will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 26 at 4 p.m. The Skills Workshops will be held on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month starting at 4 p.m. All are welcome to attend.

The first Skills Workshop feaures Mike Loque demonstrating Gyrotonics, a complete fitness workout that’s innovative, creative and fun. A Zoom link will be listed in both community news media and on the UpCountry Maui Rotary Facebook page.

Future planned Skills Workshops will include: building and construction; electrical engineering; cooking with Chef Li; real estate careers; insurance field; making sourdough bread; nonprofit community work; biomedical field; marketing and social media; and education.

For further information, contact Wendy at: (808) 283-3350. UpCountry Rotary meets on Friday mornings at 8 a.m. via Zoom and at Casanova’s in Makawao (once cleared for group meetings).

Upcountry Rotary is a service organization that is part of Rotary International with over 2 million members.