Hawaii nonprofit people in the news

Local public radio staffer earns national fellowship

Hawaii Public Radio general assignment reporter Ben Markus has been selected for a National Public Radio Fellowship for economic and business news reporting. He was one of 20 winners chosen from 100 applicants from NPR member stations around the country. Markus will get four months of training, beginning with a week at NPR West in Culver City, Calif.

Young isle volunteer earns recognition for her efforts

Melissa Monette, a Mililani High School junior who founded A Harvest for Many, Inc., a nonprofit that collects and distributes canned and fresh food to seniors, the homeless, at-risk teens and children from families with domestic abuse, recently attended an award ceremony in Washington, D.C., as one of two Hawaii recipients of the 2009 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. A Harvest for Many also offers nutrition and exercise programs to more than 120 seniors on a regular basis. Monette is also one of 24 winners of the 2009 Nestle Very Best in Youth Competition and one of 50 finalists in the 2009 Huggable Heroes, sponsored by the Build-a-Bear Workshop (a retail/entertainment company). Two years ago she also became president of Kids Helping Kids with Diabetes, taking over for her college-bound brother, who started the nonprofit. She also coordinated walk-athons that have raised about $60,000, and an annual shoe race at Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.