There was a time in life when just hearing the word summer would ignite anticipation, hopes and excitement. It was a time of the year that presented endless opportunities.

Unlike Hawai‘i, where the weather is stable and consistent all year long, a large portion of the world experiences the four seasons, including the bitter cold. We truly are blessed. In fact, some say every day is summer in Hawai‘i nei.

The heat of summer was when my friends and I were most active – surfing, fishing, camping and diving. We flourished under the warm sun.

Then, life took the reins, along with parenthood, responsibilities and bills, and summer took on an entirely different meaning.

Life is full of seasons and each phase of life has its own character. Spring resembles conception, birth and young adolescence. Young adulthood is the summer of our life, middle-age is the fall and old age is the winter.

If this is true, then the PBS Hawai‘i team is enjoying young adulthood. We are reaching the peak of our physical strength and endurance and making our mark on the world.

It is truly a blessing to witness this driven team in action. Everyone is intensely committed to delivering the best every day. We are pushing our staff extremely hard and they have not faltered. They are creating and collaborating like never before and building trust in each other along the way.

What is important now is maintaining that endurance and focus, and I am confident we will. We are using the summer months to recharge and to build our staff. Our team is growing because our strategic plan for the fall is not to hit middle age, but to remain creative, innovative and relevant.

While we are grateful that our communities are embracing and enjoying the quality programming we are presenting, there is something very special happening at PBS Hawai‘i that you will not see on-air or on our digital content. For the past 365 days, our team of professionals has quietly given back to the community that supports us, volunteering nearly 600 hours of their time to different organizations!  That is remarkable.

I thank our entire team for their steadfast commitment to serving PBS Hawai‘i’s mission and beyond. You have my utmost respect and support. Let’s continue to flourish in the summer sun.

With gratitude and appreciation,

Ron Mizutani