The Aloha Exchange Club of East Hawaii, as part of the county Elderly Activities Division annual Teacher and Volunteer Recognition Luncheon on Dec. 11, honored Dorothy Williams as recipient of the club’s Book of Golden Deeds award.
The award is the National Exchange Club’s longest running project and recognizes dedicated volunteers who give endless hours of their time and talents toward making the community a better places to live.
Williams was born in 1926 in Chicago. At the age of 17, she started taking tap, acrobatic, ballet and character dancing classes and entered show business as a chorus girl, solo dancer and as a team with her sister in various nightclubs for several years. She also performed for the USO.
She then worked in a supermarket for 25 years, but continued to entertain at veteran’s parties. Williams moved to Hawaii in 1975 and performed as Yummy the Clown for 40 years. She also served as Hilo’s Welcome Wagon Lady for 20 years. For the past 25 years, she has served as a volunteer president of the Pomaikai Senior Center and kept seniors active in music, line dancing, hula, mahjong, hanafuda and exercise.
Not only does she oversee the daily programs at Pomaikai, she also has served as driver for many members who need transportation to and from their homes to the senior center on a daily basis as well as to other activities and functions.
Every Pomaikai participant is special to Williams, who has made countless trips to the hospital, care homes and residences to visit with ill or injured participants, again offering rides to members who lack transportation to join in the visitation. Then, too, there have been many participants who died and she attended their funerals, where she is often greeted by family who thank her for her dedication to the elderly activities program and making their loved one active and happy during their final years.
Williams’ mantra is “Keep your mind and body busy,” which she not only preaches but also practices on a daily basis.
Most recently, she starred as the “stripper” in America’s Got Talent and put Hilo on the map, and now has celebrity status with page after page of hits.
Aloha Exchange Club President Curtis Chong presented Williams with the Book of Golden Deeds plaque and honorarium, and Exchangite Charlene Iboshi presented her with proclamations and certificates of appreciation from the County Council, Mayor Harry Kim and Gov. David Ige.
Roanne Okamura and Randell Kokubun of the Elderly Activities Division joined with congratulatory messages.
The surprise award presentation was coordinated by Iris Higa of the Elderly Activities Division and co-chaired by Aloha Exchange Club members Jon Countess and Ray Hasegawa.