YWCA to laud 5 female leaders

YWCA of Oahu will honor five women at its annual LeaderLuncheon at 11 a.m. June 12 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village’s Coral Ballroom.

Tickets are $125 for YWCA members and $175 for nonmembers. For reservations or more information, call 695-2629 or go to www.ywcaoahu.org/2012LeaderLuncheon.

The honorees are:

» Belinda Aquino, professor emeritus at the University of Hawaii, where she is founding director of the Center for Philippine Studies and founding chairwoman of the International Council for Philippine Studies. Aquino, a scholar and author, played a central role in the Philippines’ pro-democracy movement in the U.S. during the Marcos years and is a sought-after international lecturer on contemporary Philippine politics, society and culture.

» Lucy M. Gay, Wai­anae Educational Opportunity director at Leeward Community College, who began her career more than four decades ago working with Wai­anae youths. She also serves as president of Nani ‘o Wai­anae, a volunteer community beautification group, and is a charter member of Concerned Elders of Wai­anae. According to the YWCA, "Gay is known for being brilliantly creative in thinking out solutions and acting on them successfully, as a risk-taker, friend of the underdog and foe of the arrogant."

» Ann Kobayashi, a city councilwoman who also served in the state Legislature for 14 years. As a state lawmaker she joined a handful of female legislators to form a bipartisan women’s caucus that advocated support for spouse abuse shelters, domestic violence prevention programs, early education and senior citizens.

» Betty Lou Larson, Catholic Charities Hawaii legislative advocate on housing issues who has helped thousands of elderly and needy residents find homes they can afford. She continued her work even after her retirement following 30 years as the nonprofit agency’s housing program director, and serves on the boards of the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp. and Citizens for Fair Leasehold Housing.

» Shelley Wilson, who started Wilson Homecare in 1996, inspired by her own experiences after being injured. Her company is one of the state’s most successful private home care agencies, and last year Wilson added a new service, a senior living center in Kailua. She also is active in the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, serves on the Cha­mi­nade University Board of Regents and is a board member of Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children, the East-West Center Foundation and Kahi Mohala Behavioral Health.