Aloha Exchange Club honors dedicated volunteer

The Aloha Exchange Club of East Hawaii named Danny “Matachi” Kosora the 2016 recipient of the Book of Golden Deeds Award.

This annual award for outstanding volunteerism on the Big Island was presented to Kosora at a recent luncheon in his honor. Kosora, a wounded Korean War veteran, was honored for his work with the Peace Corps as a volunteer and trainer, and Hawaii County’s Retired Seniors Volunteer Program.

Kosora was acknowledged for his many volunteer hours to create and maintain a garden for the refurbished memorial monument to President John F. Kennedy at the University of Hawaii at Hilo.

This monument to Kennedy, who signed the order establishing the Peace Corps, was rededicated after it was refurbished and relocated from Hilo Memorial Hospital, the former main Peace Corps training center.

Luncheon guest speakers Bill Sakovich of the Peace Corps, Jerry Chang, UH-Hilo director of community relations, and Kolin Kettleson, UH-Hilo director of auxiliary services, recounted many of Kosora’s volunteer contributions. Charlene Iboshi, former county prosecuting attorney and current Aloha Exchange Club member, presented Kosora with a Certificate of Commendation from Mayor Billy Kenoi.

Kosora, a Hilo High School graduate and Marine Corps veteran, was an outstanding amateur boxer, winning a state boxing title. He also received a four-year college scholarship for boxing from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He and his wife, Katie, have one son, John.

The National Exchange Club is a national service organization.

For more information about the Aloha Exchange Club of East Hawaii, contact CiAlohaAdvocate@yahoo.com.