Waipahu teacher welcomes greeting cards of all types

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Question: Can you print the name and address of the person who uses used greeting cards for classroom projects again?

Answer: For more than 10 years, Waipahu Intermediate School teacher Merlinda Oania has welcomed the card fronts for use in her five English as a Second Language classes.

Her students turn them into alphabet and poetry books, learning the vocabulary and English along the way.

The books, in turn, are distributed during the Christmas holidays to such organizations as Ronald McDonald House, Salvation Army and Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Oania initially solicited only Christmas cards but now welcomes the fronts of greeting cards for any occasion and even pictures from old calendars.

Mail or drop off the card fronts to Oania’s home at 98-596 Kaimu Loop, Aiea, HI 96701; or at Waipahu Intermediate School, 94-455 Farrington Highway, Waipahu 96797. For information, call 484-1482.

Oania is continuing a tradition started by the late Helen Daniels of Kailua, known as “The Christmas Card Lady.”

For a dozen years, Daniels made hundreds of books using Christmas cards she received from around the world, taking them each Christmas to hospitalized children.

She died in 2000 at age 82.

Honolulu resident Cindy Delgado took over the volunteer project from an ailing Daniels in 1997 but had to give it up to deal with the health problems of one of her children in 2002. Oania stepped in that year.

She plans to retire from teaching next year but says she might continue making the books on her own after that.

Question: I want to make a complaint about Oceanic Cable. Is there a way that anybody can stop Oceanic from charging customers one month ahead? It’s driving me nuts. It’s so confusing. You just make a payment and they already send you another one.

Answer: There are no laws or rules that prohibit Oceanic Time Warner Cable from billing in advance, said Catherine Awakuni, administrator of cable television for the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.

“It also appears to be a practice of the industry,” she said.

Oceanic has been sending out bill statements in advance of service from the beginning, no different from newspaper and magazine subscriptions, said spokeswoman Sandy Davis.

She said Oceanic tries to send bills out two weeks prior to the due date. The due date is the start of service date.

Asked about requirements regarding disclosure or refunds when service is terminated, Awakuni pointed to customer service standards issued by the Federal Communications Commission and enforced in Hawaii by DCCA.

Among the pertinent points regarding billing practices, the FCC requires 30 days advance notice in writing and via the cable system for any changes in rates, programming services or channel positions, if the change is within the control of the cable operator; and requires refunds to be issued no later than either the customer’s next billing cycle or 30 days following resolution of the request, whichever is earlier, or upon the return of equipment when service is terminated.

See www.fcc.gov/guides/customer-service-standards for a complete explanation.

Mahalo

To everyone who helped when a car struck my husband in the crosswalk on 18th Avenue this past Christmas Eve. Thanks especially to the lady who immediately called 911, as well as the ER nurse and medic who provided their expertise and comfort, staying with us until the paramedics arrived. Three police officers also arrived on the scene very quickly and did an excellent job of handling everything. Fortunately, my husband wasn’t injured too seriously. In the stress of the moment, we regret not getting the names of all these people who took time out from that busy evening to help us. My husband and I would like to express our appreciation to everyone for their assistance. — Allison Takamine ———

Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.