The Samaritan Counseling Center Hawaii will honor its past president and longtime benefactor, the late Jolene Kim Gerell, at its biannual Ho‘omenemene Awards banquet next month.

Gerell, who died in June, wanted to ensure clergy would have a center to which they could refer clients in need of counseling and to which they themselves could go to address “their own areas of burnout or family issues,” said Gary Augustin, Samaritan Counseling’s director and pastoral counselor.

Over the years, Gerell donated more than $400,000 to the center, which was formed in 1989 and now has operations in five Oahu churches, and she assisted with its annual fundraisers since 1991. She was also a board member of the national SCC, Augustin said.

Empathizing with the high-stress challenges confronting clergy, Gerell helped develop the counseling center as a support resource, Augustin said.

“She could see her pastor was available 24/7. If there was someone who was gravely ill, he would be at the hospital with the family at very late hours, or very early in the morning on the phone with crises that came up with families.”

The center provides individual, family/couples and group counseling at First United Methodist Church, 1020 S. Beretania St.; Windward United Church of Christ, 38 Kaneohe Bay Drive; Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin, 1727 Pali Highway; Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, 1403 California Ave., Wahiawa; and Waiokeola Congregational Church, 4705 Kilauea Ave.

In a news release, SCCH founder Terry Fisher said Gerell “completely embraced the inter-faith foundations of our counseling center from its beginnings. She welcomed input from a diverse board of directors, soliciting new ideas from our Buddhist, Catholic, Jewish, Christian sisters and brothers for guidance and support.”

The Ho‘omenemene Awards banquet is set for 5:30 p.m. May 1 at the Japanese Cultural Center’s Manoa Grand Ballroom.

A second award will be given to Project Dana, a nonprofit that provides services to seniors and the disabled, with an emphasis on maintaining independence and dignity. According to its website, projectdana.org, a corps of trained volunteers is guided by the Buddhist principle of “Dana,” which combines selfless giving and compassion without desire for recognition or reward. It is made up of 32 churches and temples whose 850 volunteers are “sensitive to diverse cultures and traditions” of the 1,000 clients they serve annually.

The banquet, which serves as a benefit for SCCH programs, will feature a cocktail reception, dinner and an awards program. For information about reservations, call 545-2740 or visit samaritancounselingcenterhawaii.org.

Buddha Day events planned at temples

Chizuko Endo, co-founder of the Taiko Center of the Pacific, is the featured speaker at a Buddha Day service set for 9 a.m. April 10 at the Higashi Hongwanji, 1685 Alaneo St.

The Hawaii Buddhist Council is sponsoring the service, also known as “Hanamatsuri,” to memorialize the day that the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, was born over 2,500 years ago.

The council, which includes seven Buddhist temples, is also conducting a food drive for the homeless. Attendees may contribute by bringing nonperishable food items. For additional information, call the Higashi Hongwanji at 531-9088.

The Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin (the main temple of the Shin Buddhist sect) will observe Buddha Day at 9:30 a.m. Sunday at the temple, 1727 Pali Highway. For additional information, call 536-7044.

Inner Peace event taps into intuition

Susan Scott, president of Inner Peace Movement of Canada, will speak about tapping into one’s psychic nature at two Blaisdell Center events.

Scott and colleague Shannon Paapanen of Maui will host a lecture at 1 and 7:30 p.m. April 12 and 17 in the center’s Oahu Room, on the second floor, 777 Ward Ave. Admission is $20; each session lasts 1-1/2 hours.

Paapanen, a Hawaii representative of the IPM, said in a news release, “Unfolding your psychic nature is natural and easy. We all have hunches, feelings and flashes of inspiration. If we can learn to listen to those impressions and trust them, we can have less troubles, worry and stress and more inner security and confidence.”

Scott has endeavored for more than 40 years to inspire people to believe in their ability to accomplish whatever they desire, the release said.

“We can change anything with a change of attitude. If we look at the positive side of things, we will attract more positive things into our life. Above all we need to trust what we sense,” Scott said in the release.

More information is available at innerpeace movement.ca.