Page 2 - Hawaii Island MidWeek - March 29, 2023

2 HAWAI‘I ISLAND MIDWEEK MARCH 29, 2023
In March 1961, Pres- ident John Kennedy established the Peace Corps to promote world peace and friendship. It was billed as “the tough- est job you’ ll ever love.” I was a 62-year-old Peace Corps volunteer in Lu- hansk, Ukraine, from 2010 to 2012, working with a nonprofit organization ad- vocating for change for people with disabilities. In 2010, Ukraine’s disabled citizens had little or no ac- cess to work or to school, so I worked closely with organizations, civil soci- eties and schools, educat- ing leaders on how Ameri- ca provides equal access to education, health care and work opportunities.
everyone who tested him. Doc Key then took his horse on the road with his traveling Key- stone Liniment medicine show.
laws to protect them.
But Jim Key inspired 3 mil-
A Tough, Lovable Job
By Caroline Mackenzie, president, Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Hawai‘i
Beautiful Jim Key
“It is only with the heart that one can see right- ly; what is essential is invisible to the eyes.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
After my service, I moved to Hawai‘i and joined the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Ha- wai‘i, an organization for returned PCVs living in Hawai‘i. RPCVHI, an affil- iate of the National Peace Corps Association, is a nonprofit dedicated to con- tinuing the spirit of Peace Corps and to promoting volunteer service.
RPCVHI supports cur- rently serving PCVs from Hawai‘i with two pro- grams: Aloha Grants and Aloha Care Packages. RPCVHI offers financial grants (up to $1,000) and care packages of art sup- plies, books and sports equipment; items often difficult to find or not avail- able in countries of ser-
Post-pandemic, the Peace Corps is back with volunteers in 45 countries. Peace Corps has no up- per age limit, has virtual assignments, and assign- ments that are less than two years. If you are interested in joining the Peace Corps, RPCVHI members are ready to talk to you about finding that “toughest job you’ ll ever love.” Send an email to rpcvhi.treasurer@ gmail.com or visit our rp- cvhi.org/cpages/home, or visit the Peace Corps web- site at peacecorps.gov.
Doc, a self-taught veterinar- ian, had an idea that was radi- cal at the time — that the best way to train a horse was with patience and kindness. And to prove the power of his meth- od, he decided to teach the al- phabet to this horse, whom he named Jim Key.
Returned Peace Corps Volunteers Hawai‘i gather during a pau hana celebration.
PHOTO COURTESY RETURNED PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS OF HAWAI‘I
But Doc Key, a former slave, saw something in the young colt’s eyes. He got to work healing him with the nat- ural Keystone Liniment that he had invented.
Stands with Ukraine and Citizen Foresters. Mem- bers willingly share their unique cross-cultural ex- periences at college re- cruitment fairs and Rotary meetings, talking about their work in environment, health care, business de- velopment, youth develop- ment and education.
vice. RPCVHI raises funds for these two programs with an annual Oktober- fest fundraiser and annual NPCA calendar sales.
The helpless young horse slept in Doc’s house, right next to him until he was finally able to walk. Soon, he began to show signs of exceptional in- telligence and could do all the tricks Doc’s dog did.
It is estimated that 10 million Americans over the course of his career came to see the horse dubbed “Beau- tiful Jim Key.” This at a time when horses were considered beasts of burden, were often badly mistreated, and had no
T
told by those who knew, “You got to put that young colt down. He’s not going to make it.”
lion children to sign a pledge of kindness to animals. Doc Key had seen something in his crippled colt all those years ago that no one else could see. And, more than that, he could imagine a world where kind- ness to animals would some- day become the law of the land.
Genie Joseph, Ph.D., is the author of the book “The Human-Animal Connection – Deepening Relationships with Animals and Ourselves.” Visit thehumananimalconnection. org.
Chasing The Light is pro- duced by Robin Stephens Rohr and Lynne Johnson.
he fragile colt was born weak and crippled. His owner, “Doc” Key, was
It wasn’t long before the duo broke through racial prejudice to become star performers at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. With President William McKinley in the front row, Jim Key would amaze skep- tics, flirt with a lady he would choose from the audience, and inspire children and adults with his improvised antics.
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RPCVHI’s members on Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, Maui and Hawai‘i Island promote volunteerism by involve- ment with local organi- zations, such as Rotary Clubs, state Department of Land and Natural Re- sources on O‘ahu, Hawai‘i
It wasn’t long before his horse could spell words by placing the letters on a special board. He began outsmarting
Fill in the blank cells using numbers 1 to 9. Each number can appear only once in each row, column, and 3x3 block. Use logic and process of elimination to solve the puzzle. The difficulty level ranges from Bronze (easiest) to Silver to Gold (hardest). Answers are on page 7
RATING: BRONZE