Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 18, Number 10, 1 October 2001 — Big hearted Molokaʻi [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Big hearted Molokaʻi

4 T e're about as far away from the East Coast hustle and l/l/ bustle as you ean get," said Kaunakakai fireman Travis T T Tancayo (above right). But Moloka'i residents felt the same loss that gripped the naiion, and they recently expressed their heartfelt sympathy and sorrow for victims of the Sept. 1 1 terrorist attacks in New York by generously donating to the New York Fire Fighters' 9-11 Disaster Rclief Fund, whieh will help the families of the firemen who perished. On Sept. 20, Moloka'i firemen, including Tancayo, stood at the roadside and held the boot out in memory of their "brothers" in New York who died trying to save those trapped in the World Trade Center. "Eh, over here everybody knows everybody," he joked. "They cannot pass, gotta stop!" Impressively, Moloka'i's fire fighters raised over $5,000 in only three hours. Despite tough eeonomie times, the island's 7,000 residents are rich in spirit, Tancayo said. "Even if they're having a hard time, people stop. It might be the last dollar in their pocket, but they give what they ean," he said. "It inspired me to be here today. Moloka'i people got big hearts." ■