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Waha Nui

Kahala’s Raymond Vara has been elected to the national board of the American Heart Association. He’s also president of Hawaii Pacific Health and overseas operations of its four nonprofit hospitals … Oahu Soroptimists honored Jiaxin Lin of Sacred Hearts Academy and Jaclyn Vien of Kaimuki High in February with its Youth Citizenship Award for their leadership, cooperation, honesty, loyalty, reliability, consideration, responsibility and clear sense of purpose. Hear that, parents? …

Sheri del Barrio

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Sheri del Barrio

Speaking of SHA, senior Genevieve Tosatto won first place for Level 1 in KZOO radio station’s Japanese speech contest in March … Lei Fountain, executive director of The Arc in Hawaii, is appealing for help as the nonprofit climbs out of a money bind after a transmission line shorted out March 19 and caused multiple power surges within its building on Diamond Head Road. “Replacing computers and other equipment in this emergency is a huge drain,” Lei says. The data is vital to its mission of helping people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (737-7995, ext. 722) …

Congratulations to Randy Sotsuda, technician at Kaimuki Library, who won the Friends of the Library 2011 Excellence in Service Award Feb. 23. The Kaimuki resident has worked 25 years among Hawaii’s books, and it’s said she adds “comedy relief” to her job … Island Insurance Foundation honored 11 public school principals last week for excellence in leadership.

Among those receiving a plaque and $1,000 were Justin Mew of Niu Valley Middle and Ruth Silberstein of Palolo Elementary … Sheri del Barrio (formerly Lewis) of Kaimuki/Kapahulu is the new West Coast sales manager of Charity Bids, providers of a multi-media auction platform of e-commerce for profit and nonprofit groups … Something to sing about: Diamond Head Theatre had its start in 1915, three years after the Titanic went down. Now on its stage? Titanic the Musical (733-0274)