Hawaii Meals On Wheels Volunteer Bill Perry Recognized at Mayor’s 44th Annual Senior Citizen Recognition ProgramBill Perry is a Hawaii Meals on Wheels volunteers who delivers hot meals to seniors – who are often younger than he is. Bill turns 100 years old this year, and according to Claire Shimabukuro, Hawaii Meals on Wheels executive director, who nominated him for recognition at the Mayor’s 44th Annual Senior Citizen Recognition Program, “he is still lucid, playful and passionate about volunteering and about his life.”
Someone recently asked him how he stays physically and intellectually fit and what is his secret to longevity. He replied, “I am a slow and bad learner and I’ve never learned how to die.”
Yet, over his century-long life, Bill has seen and learned a lot that has shaped who he is today. “As a child, I watched a crowd surrounding a man on his knees looking like he was being forced to kiss the American Flag. He was a German immigrant and it was during World War I,” Bill recalled. “They were treated like the Japanese-Americans during WWII and Muslim-Americans now. It is easier to teach hate than love.” So
Bill has dedicated his life to teaching love and social justice.
The saying, “It’s never too late to learn,” certainly applies to Bill. At age 74, he undertook lifeguard training and qualification. His child had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis years before. Without a lifeguard at the Palolo Pool, no physical therapy could be offered for those with MS. So the Bill decided to become a lifeguard for the pool during the therapy. A physical therapist was then able to help those with MS.
In addition to volunteering for Hawaii Meals on Wheels, Bill helps out at the Unitarian Church and Compassion and Choices (branch of the former Hemlock Society). He also volunteered for the Obama campaign because he believes “it is a civic duty to get involved politically.”
Dressed in his matching blue hat and aloha shirt, Bill was the crowd’s favorite, charming all of the men and women to whom he spoke. We are proud to have Bill as part of the Hawai`i Meals on Wheels `ohana!
