We can all learn to be selfless, too

We all have it in us to be selfless. It’s just that some individuals have cultivated — even mastered — the ability to give of themselves without expectation of recognition or reward. Surely you know someone who volunteers to feed the homeless, rolls out an elderly neighbor’s garbage bin or simply holds the door for the next person.

No matter how small the gesture, every one of us should resolve to carry out selfless acts of kindness — not just on one occasion, but repeatedly.

Selflessness is a common thread among the Star-Advertiser’s five Heroes Next Door, individuals from all walks of life doing extraordinary things for others. Nominated by our readers, they were featured in articles this past week that highlighted the good that they do in our community. In the simplest terms they are a science teacher, an advocate for fair transit, a Red Cross volunteer, a retired nurse and a theater volunteer/retired Handi-Van driver.

In his or her own way, each one makes Hawaii a better place. Our Heroes Next Door simply inspire us to be better human beings:

>> Bryan Silver, an engineering and science teacher, started a robotics team at Kalani High School and inspires students to forge ahead with ideas and not be afraid to try. He keeps his room open three hours after school for students to work on projects, but the lights stay on until 9 p.m. in January and February when the team builds its entry for an annual competition.

>> Cathy Brossier, 73, a retired Army nurse, heads a social services program called Project Dana that provides assistance to the elderly and house-bound — taking them shopping, running their errands and going with them to doctor’s appointments. A Eucharistic minister, Brossier also takes communion to patients at Castle Medical Center on Mondays, volunteers with Meals on Wheels and finds time to take care of elderly neighbors.

>> Esther Lau, 67, who works in a medical office and is a registered nurse, volunteered with the American Red Cross following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and has since been deployed 40 times. In her spare time Lau also volunteers to cuddle newborns at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children.

>> Donald Sakamoto, 53, who is legally blind, chairs the Citizens for a Fair ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Ride, which advocates for fair and equal paratransit service for seniors, the blind and those with physical and mental disabilities. He’s helped create better scheduling to avoid long waits; improve delivery of announcements on TheBus so that vision-impaired riders can get off at the correct stop; and coordinate paratransit with rail construction to ensure lane closures do not disrupt pickups.

>> Wayne Paakaula, 60, helps perpetuate the legacy of the late James A. Nakamoto, who headed the McKinley High drama program from 1963 to 1990, by volunteering to rebuild the theater program that faded away after Nakamoto retired. Paakaula has organized events, stage-managed shows, written scripts and played the music as a theater volunteer.

Our Heroes Next Door find purpose in helping others, and they do so for unselfish reasons. They give back. They run to disasters and hardships rather than turn from them. We should find inspiration in their good deeds, and strive to make our community a better place in the coming year, and every year thereafter.