Aligning personal passions with community service
Ely Spivack had just started a new internship at a real estate company in Maui and he overheard the principal realtor say, “The listing is going live soon, but we don’t have any photos done.” As an experienced photographer, his ears perked up and he offered to help. Spivack says, “Being able to bring my creativity and skillset to work appealed to me and I formalized as Fine Living Photo.” As an affiliate member of the Realtors Association of Maui, he has photographed fundraisers and events through the years.
This mindset to follow his passions brought him to the community radio station Mana’o Radio, a 100% volunteer organization. With a love for music and some experience as a guest DJ, he started learning the soundboard at Mana’o, subbing for other
DJs, and soon after got his first show. You can tune into 91.7 FM every other Saturday at 8 pm for DJ El & the Killer B’s lineup of blues, bebop, bossa nova, boogaloo, Brazillian, and bluegrass.
Spivack found his next opportunity to serve the community through another of his passions: water sports. Wing foiling was rising in popularity, and during the pandemic, when cruise ships were halted and canoe hales closed, the Kahului Harbor became a prime spot for foiling. As rules started to change and the harbor’s activities started ramping up, Spivack saw a need to create the Maui Wingfoiling and Windsurfing Facebook group. The group became a hub of information on equipment, rules, sales, and logistics, such as commercial vessel schedules. Once the canoe hales opened, Spivack found himself at the center of finding diplomacy between all the stakeholders.
With an emphasis on safety, the loosely formed advocacy group held weekly meetings during lunch at the nearby food trucks. Spivack randomly met someone from the Coast Guard there and was connected to the secretary of HOST, who invited him to join the group. HOST (Hawaii Ocean Safety Team) Hawaii, serves as the Harbor Safety Committee for Hawaii. They “enhance ocean safety by providing a forum for communication between government, industry, and the ocean-going public,” which directly aligned with Spivack’s group.
One of the HOST Hawaii’s programs that Spivack got involved with is their “Scan if Found Sticker Program.” Partnering with the State of Hawaii DLNR and the US Coast Guard, HOST created these stickers to help first responders identify the owner of watercraft/equipment if found drifting. The unique number helps them determine if the situation is a life-threatening emergency or simply lost gear to be returned to the owner. As the Maui distributor, Spivack has secured over a dozen retailers, DLNR offices, and associations to distribute the stickers.
Spivack’s love for the water has also brought his photography talents to support The Kahăkŗkahi Foundation, a cultural educational nonprofit that introduces children to ocean sports, stewardship, and nurturing a healthy relationship with the kai (sea) and Ҋăina (land). Not only do they play in the water, but they learn ocean safety, beach conservation, and restoration activities, art, and more.
How does Spivack keep all these balls juggling? He says, “I think it’s important. It’s very serendipitous that I came across wing foiling that brought me to developing the group, then getting an introduction to the safety team. It was so natural for me help.”