Hedy Udarbe
Kūpuna Advocate
Alfredo G. Evangelista | Assistant Editor
“I’m deeply grateful to MEO and the committee for recognizing the importance of advocating for Kūpuna. This is a collaborative effort and I share this award with the organizations in the community who work to ensure the kūpuna will live with dignity, comfort and respect. It is a testament of Aloha, the spirit of community and the values we hold so dear in our Hawaiian culture,” said Hedy Udarbe to a throng of almost five hundred in the Grand Wailea ballroom.
The event was the 53rd KūpunaAloha Luncheon organized by Maui Economic Opportunity. Udarbe was one of the two who were honored as Kūpuna Advocate of the Year. (The other honoree was Kathy Collins.)
Udarbe was born and raised in the Philippines and earned a Bachelor’s in Medical Technology from Concordia University. She immigrated to Hawai‘i in 1973 and married Rusty Udarbe in 1973. They recently celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary. The Udarbe’s have three children and five grandchildren.
For fifty years, Udarbe was a scientist at Clinical Laboratories. For twenty-five years, she oversaw operations at the lab’s thirteen clinics on Maui, Hawai‘i island, Kaua‘i and O‘ahu. She retired in 2016 and moved to Maui with her family.
There are forty senior clubs on Maui, according to Debbie Cabebe, the Executive Director of MEO, with about 1,000 Seniors as members. One of those senior clubs—which was created by former Speaker of the House Joseph Souki when he headed MEO—is the Lahaina Honolua Club.
Cabebe gave an overview of the Lahaina Club. “For fifty-five years the Lahaina Club, formed by the merger of the Lahaina and Honolua Pensioner Clubs in 1970 has been an influential voice on the issues and developments on the West Side and a contributor to the community. Community members would often be seen sewing lei to sell to cruise ship visitors to support the scholarships for the Lahainaluna graduates.”
The Lahaina wildfire changed everything. “When tragedy struck on August 8 2023 the Lahaina wildfires destroyed most of the town with more than one hundred individuals perishing. Our Lahaina Honolua Club lost—one of their members lost their life and forty of them lost their homes. Nearly all club members were relocated across the island and beyond. The club’s meeting site at the West Maui Senior Center lay in ashes. Yet the phoenix arose. Members helped members and offered necessities, financial aid and comfort,” said Cabebe.
A year before the Lahaina wildfires, former MEO Executive Director Gladys Baisa invited Udarbe to join the Lahaina Senior Citizens Club.
In 2024, Udarbe would become president of the Lahaina Club, succeeding Arlene Gerbig. “Under Hedy’s leadership and direction, the Club is taking flight once again—rebuilding monthly meetings and processing a healthy membership,” Cabebe said. “Hedy Udarbe has taken the helm of one of the island’s iconic Kūpuna clubs and navigated the members throughout turbulent skies.”
In his remarks, Mayor Richard Bissen Jr. noted that “Hedy Udarbe, president of the Lahaina Honolua Senior Citizens Club, has played a vital role in restoring stability for seniors following the 2023 Lahaina wildfires—helping coordinate care, rebuild community ties, advocate for housing, transportation and safe places for displaced kūpuna.” Bissen quipped that Udarbe would always be the first to greet him and would offer him food.
Udarbe attributes many of her values and character to her beloved paternal and maternal grandparents, who raised her after her Dad passed when she was seven and while her Mom was attending college. Udarbe says she learned responsibility, respect for one’s elders, the willingness to help those in need, compassion, empathy and giving back to the community from her elders.
“Let us continue to uplift one another, continue to recognize our kūpuna’s wisdom and experiences. They are the treasure of our heritage,” Udarbe said.
Udarbe is currently a very active member of the Binhi at Ani Board of Directors and volunteers for many of Binhi at Ani’s activities, including the Bayanihan Feeding Program (which provides a hot meal on Sundays for residents of Hale Mahaolu and participants of the Maui Adult Day Care Center in Kahului), Tulong for Lahaina®, the Bayanihan Food Distribution, Take-Out Tuesday, the Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament, The Seed and Harvest Dinner, and A Bayanihan Christmas. For the last two years, Udarbe has coordinated the Outstanding Housekeeper Awards during the Annual Barrio Fiesta®.
Udarbe is also a member of the Maui County Planning and Coordinating Council, the ILWU Pensioners and a volunteer at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in the gift shop.
Udarbe extolled her fellow kūpuna to maintain a positive attitude. “Now, my fellow kūpuna, today when you look at yourself in the mirror, don’t go ‘Darn, more wrinkles.’ You look at the person staring at you and say ‘Good morning, beautiful,’ ‘Good morning handsome.’ ‘I am wonderful,’ ‘I am awesome,’ and ‘I am powerful.’ ”
Udarbe noted how most of our lives are spent caring for family and others. She told her fellow kūpuna “It’s time that we spend our time to ourselves. So, starting today, when you go out that door, do something that makes you smile—something that makes your heart sing. Do something wonderful because you are wonderful and also powerful. We are the voice.”
Udarbe is definitely a shining example of those who uplift others in Maui’s Filipino community and the greater community—a humble but forceful person with a community mindset. Her words are worth repeating: “We are powerful. We are the voice. We are all champions.”
Assistant Editor Alfredo G. Evangelista attended the annual KūpunaAloha Luncheon with his wife Basilia, where they saw and greeted many family members and friends.