Before coming to Kona, Weiss was chief psychologist of the Roosevelt Community Mental Health Center in Long Island, N.Y., taught family dynamics to family medicine interns and had a private contract to direct all the psychological testing of a 10,000 student school district. Weiss received his doctorate from Hofstra University and completed post-doctoral training in individual, couple and family psychotherapy.
Waikoloa mom opens graphic design business
When Prittha Baran volunteered to provide a school yearbook for Waikoloa Elementary School, she had no idea that someday it would evolve into a successful graphic design business. After all, she had no prior experience in the field and felt at the time she had bitten off more than she could chew. But after the yearbooks sold out in both 2004 and 2005, she decided to go into business for herself and formed Prittha Graphics in early 2006.
Since then she has been hired by several clients to do freelance design work, including Isuzu Truck of America for its corporate greeting cards. Prittha Graphics has also published a wall calendar featuring baby animals, titled “Babes Gone Wild 2008,” which is selling nationwide. “We all have that inner voice guiding us to what we love,” Prittha said.
The calendar is available at KTA Superstores and Borders on the Big Island, as well as at Amazon.com.
American Saving Bank kicks off new program
American Savings Bank kicked off of a new community program “First Saturday.” Each month, a different local charity will be the recipient of all collected donations. On Dec. 1, all American Savings Bank branches that are open on Saturday (46 locations statewide) collected items that were most needed by Hawaii’s kupuna and were donated to Catholic Charities Hawaii for distribution to where they are needed most.
“We developed ‘First Saturday’ as a means of providing the community with a convenient way to make donations of goods to those in need,” said Constance H. Lau, chairman, president and chief executive officer of American Savings Bank.
Kona Brewing brings home bronze medal
Kona Brewing Co. recently claimed a bronze medal at the 2007 Great American Beer Festival Competition, the largest national beer competition that recognizes the most outstanding beers produced in the United States today. Pipeline Porter, made with 100 percent Kona coffee, received the honor in the coffee beer category, one of 75 beer-style categories announced at the 26th Great American Beer Festival awards ceremony held in Denver.
The 2007 competition winners were selected by an international panel of brewing experts from a field of 2,793 entries received from 474 U.S. breweries. Only 22 beers were awarded medals — 8 percent of those entered in the competition.
Rich Turriacone, Kona Brewing vice president of brewery operations, and brewer Thom Tash were on hand to accept the award.
Weiss honored by state psychological association
A Kona psychologist, Dr. Roger Weiss, has received the 2007 Hawaii Psychological Association Award for Provision of Psychological Services to Rural Communities.
After practicing in New York City for 12 years, Weiss moved his practice to Kona 25 years ago. When he and his wife, Lydia, moved to Kona, there were two psychologists in part-time practice. Weiss was the first psychologist in full-time private practice in Kona. He welcomed and encouraged many new psychologists in their practices as they came to town. There was, and still is, need for therapists with a variety of backgrounds and expertise.
Weiss has served clients of the Big Island of all ages and ethnic backgrounds doing individual, couple and family psychotherapy.
Before coming to Kona, Weiss was chief psychologist of the Roosevelt Community Mental Health Center in Long Island, N.Y., taught family dynamics to family medicine interns and had a private contract to direct all the psychological testing of a 10,000 student school district. Weiss received his doctorate from Hofstra University and completed post-doctoral training in individual, couple and family psychotherapy.