1st in a Ron & Nancy Kramis Eco-cise Series

It is people like Nancy Kramis and her husband Ron who help make Beautify CNMI! what it is today. Nancy travels to work in the CNMI periodically to help our people learn to better assist and serve those citizens in our community who are deaf and/or hard of hearing. Depending on the need, Nancy stays for weeks, and sometimes several months at a time, and her husband Ron has made some of these trips out here with her several times. Their invaluable contributions as Beautify CNMI! community volunteers deserve to be recognized, so here begins the first posting of the Ron & Nancy Kramis Eco-cise series right here. After some begging, Nancy was kind enough to give me permission to post these photos and accompanying eco-cise journal that she shared with Beautify CNMI's Kaipat family (that would be my family and her adopted Island family).

The series starts here....

A couple of pics of Ron's and my Sunday a.m. eco-exercise program for your collection. Sunday, March 9 we did a round trip from the Bird Island lookout past entry to Kalabera to the end of the road. About 3 hours and not too much junk. Looked fairly good.We then hiked down to the beach and noted that the ocean has left way too many "presents" for us at the high tide line. So we high tailed it outta there with plans to return another day with many big bags.Gettin' outta there!

STAY TUNED NEXT TIME FOR MORE.

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Nancy and Ron have contributed in so many other ways, from adopting a flame tree. . .L-R: Chuck Sayon of MINA; Nancy Kramis of Beautify CNMI Bellingham, Washington; Cinta Kaipat; and Doreen Jesus of Beautify CNMI Guam at the 2007 Flame Tree Arts Festival.

. . . to making a $500 donation at the 1st Anniversary Dinner for Beautify CNMI held at the Aqua Resort last year. They were there again this year at the Jake Shimabukuro Benefit Concert for Beautify CNMI and HANMI.

In addition to their own Eco-cise, they've also participated in numerous Beautify CNMI! activities, including the monthly clean-up of the Paseo de Marianas, which is the heart of the Garapan Tourist District, and they've attended some Beautify CNMI General and Committee meetings. Ron is a member of Beautify CNMI!'s Parks & Trails Committee headed by Ken Kramer of RCD.

Even when they're back in Bellingham, Washington, they still participate from afar in spreading the Beautify CNMI "beauty virus" in the mainland. Their dog, Molly Kramis, even planted a tree in honor of Arbor Day as we in the CNMI celebrated it here.

Thanks, Nancy and Ron! Congratulations again on being winners of the 2007 Beautify CNMI! Spirit Award. You are quite an inspiration to many of us.

CNMI Arbor Day, MINA's Moonlight Cruise & Misc Events

Hafa Adai CNMI Beautifyers!

Here are several activities for this weekend to choose from.


INVITATION TO JOIN CNMI ARBOR DAY CELEBRATION THIS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27


Beautify CNMI!'s Arbor Day Committee invites the public to join in the fun by helping plant some coconut trees and flame trees in celebration of CNMI Arbor Day! The Committee is also happy to announce that Beautify CNMI!'s wildly successful Adopt-A-Flame Tree for $20 Program will also be offered. You may plant a flame tree, but why not add that personal touch by adopting a flame tree in honor of your loved one, school, organization, or for yourself? You're worth it!

Rain or shine, meet us at the entrance to the CNMI Veterans Cemetary at 8 a.m. this Saturday, October 27. (Take the road to Banzai Cliff; the Cemetary should be on your right.) We will have a brief ceremony before the planting.

The planting will be led by DLNR-Forestry's Vic Guerrero and staff; Brad Doerr of MINA; and Ken Kramer of RC&D.

Joining this planting effort will be:

Rep. Cinta Kaipat's Office
Veterans Affairs Office
Friends of the Mariana Islands (FMI)
VFW
Troops-To-Teachers
Youth of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Families of our Fallen Heroes from the CNMI & Guam
Kaipat Family
Team Chura Talo
Coach Donny Fejeran and Team Zalaka and Family

For those who can't make it out to Marpi for the planting, but who would like to plant somewhere, either at your house or at school, you may pick up a plant or two (limit two plants per household) from DLNR-Forestry in Kagman. Plants are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

So, don't miss out on the fun. See you all at 8 a.m. this Saturday! For more information, call 664-8974 or 898-4490.


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MINA TO HOST 'MOONLIGHT CRUISE" ON OCTOBER 27
MINA will be hosting a "Moonlight Cruise" on the Jade Lady III, October 27, 7:30-9:30 pm.

This includes appetizers, soft drinks, beer and wine for the low-cost of $20 per person. All proceeds will benefit MINA's Environmental Education Camp for teachers.

What a great way to kick off your Halloween.

Tickets are available from board members or meet us at the Outer Cove Marina at 7:00 pm to purchase yours.

Cheers

Visit us on the web at http://www.minapacific.org

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SAVE THESE DATES --

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Come join members of Marianas Dive as we descend upon the sandy shores of Obyan beach in an effort to keep one of our most beautiful dive spots pristine! We'll begin by working up a slight sweat tackling the topside litterbugs then, with a refreshing plunge, we'll rid the waters of all! unwanted debris. Everyone is welcome to pitch in on the surface but underwater the effort is reserved for certified scuba divers only! Come on out and enjoy the sun, sand and morning surf with a bunch of divers!

First annual Marianas Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest

When: Sunday October 28th 2007
Where: Obyan Beach
Time: 10:00 AM Check in.
Time: 11:00 AM Underwater Carving
Time: 12:30 PM Judging & Prizes
Who is this for: Anyone interested in taking this time-honored tradition to a new level.

A what? That's right bring your pumpkin and carving utensil and prepare to get wet as we kick off the Halloween season like never before! Meet at the beach for a day of fun and laughs and of course some diving too! Is carving a pumpkin underwater really any different than on land? Come on down and find out for yourself!

Marianas Dive is a growing group of individuals with a passion for everything underwater and speci! fically what the Marianas (Saipan Tinian & Rota) have to offer as a dive destination. We encourage all members of the community to join and help us reach our goal to build a truly world class dive destination while promoting what we have, locally and on a global level.

Marianas Dive members meet twice a month on the first and third Wednesday at 6:30 PM. Locations TBA. For more information visit our web site and forum at www.marianasdive.com

For More information please contact

Mike Tripp, President
Marianas DIVE

670-288-DIVE (3483)
scubatrip@mac.com

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31st -- HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

You'll have several trick-or-treat venues to choose from:

1) American Memorial Park presents "Trunk or Treat." Bring your kids to the AMP parking lot and have them trick or treat by going from car trunk to car trunk. For more info, contact Ranger Nancy at nancy_kelchner@nps.gov

2) First Lady's Vision Foundation and Power 99 at the Chamolinian Village -- Bring your kids to Chamolinian Village in Garapan where the First Lady and Power 99 will be passing out candies! For more info, contact Remy Buniag at the Governor's Office.

3) Trick-or-Treating at Tottotville -- It's a popular tradition. For those living closer to the southern part of our island of Saipan, our generous home owners in Tottotville will, once again, open their generous hearts to the gouls and goblins that grace their doorsteps.

4) From Tottotville, just come on over to the SAVE Club Environmental Haunted House and Recycled Costume Contest at the Koblerville Youth Center. Super Science teacher Bree Reynolds leads her young environmental warriors and warriorettes in frightening and delighting visitors to the Koblerville Youth Center with their combination Haunted House and Recycled Costume Contest. Hopwood's SAVE is a youth environmental club (chapter of Beautify CNMI!). For more info, contact " BREE REYNOLDS" or "Ken Concepcion" < lancheru@hotmail.com>

Beautifying With Nihon University

Aya-san and Willy-san Matsumoto invited me and other Beautify CNMI! partners to join Isa-CNMI and Nihon University students in a beach cleanup at Aquarius Beach Hotel. I was there with my staff, Dennis Cabrera, Angelo Villagomez of RC&D and MINA, and FMI President Marites Castillo at 7 a.m.
We armed ourselves with gloves and trash bags and fanned out.
Honda-san (far right) of ISA-CNMI leads a group.
And everyone was off and running.
The group made their way towards the Sugar Dock and then looped around.
We ended up right back where we started. We had a short presentation of gifts.
Aya-san, who is a board member of MINA, presents the group with a MINA t-shirt.
Marites and I presented them with a Beautify CNMI t-shirt.
I presented them with a Beautify CNMI! bag.
And then we took the obligatory group shot and shouted -- 1, 2, 3 -- Beautify CNMI!
There was also time for one last photo. Aya-san Matusumoto, Sensei Koshiro, me, and Marites.

Arigato Gozaimasu! Si Yu'us Ma'ase! Olomwaay! Thank You!

I left the beach at 8:10 and rushed home to get ready for my meeting with the SWAT team who is looking at overhauling our entire workfrorce training system. The meeting started at 9 a.m.

I arrived there about 9:10, just in time for the slide presentation of HB 15-38, my labor reform bill. The presentation went well; it was well received.

Then I had to leave at 11:15 to head up to the Hachiman Jinja for a luncheon meeting. The Nihon University students met us there, as seen in the photos below.