Merina Sapolu loved walking around the Kalihi neighborhood knocking on doors. If someone answered, she would respectfully introduce herself and invite them to come to the health center she worked for. At Kōkua Kalihi Valley, they will be cared for, for free.

Often the person thanks her, but says they are fine. “Oh, that’s good, I’m glad,” Merina would nod. “Just don’t forget, we’re here.” Merina would stop by again (and again) to say hello and ask how they were doing. “Usually it took at least three tries before I got in the door,” she grins. “When they invited me inside, it showed they were willing to trust me.”

Merina would talk about the programs KKV offered. “Oh, you have two little ones, where are you taking them for their medical needs? Well, just bring your whole family down, you all can be seen.” If it felt appropriate, she may ask, “’How are you financially? We can help you apply for food stamps if you need.’” She’d give them her phone number and say, “If you ever need a doctor, or anything at all, just ask for me.” People would call and ask for her at the clinic, warming to her as a trusted friend.

Merina is hard not to warm to, with her shining smile that reaches her eyes, and honeyed voice surprisingly tinged with a British accent (her native Samoa had been claimed by Britain and other European powers). She is widely beloved for her cheeky generous spirit, eloquence and passion in serving the community. Merina’s talents as a guitarist and singer have also enlivened countless KKV staff celebrations for decades.  

One of KKV’s first outreach workers in the 1970s, Merina embodies the origin story of KKV and its philosophy of care that infuses our daily work: neighbors being neighborly to neighbors.  

“Nowadays, we talk about connection and how long it takes to be connected,” says KKV Executive Director Dr. David Derauf. “And part of developing those connections to each other, to our community, to our gifts, is having good mentors to do that. We all need a teacher, someone to be a role model for us, to show us the way. At KKV we call those people ‘super aunties.’ Merina has done that in this community day in and day out for 45 years.”   

On December 18, during KKV’s pandemic-modified Virtual Annual Staff Appreciation Ceremony, Merina was honored for her devoted service to KKV and the community we serve. Dr. Derauf fondly introduced her as “the super aunty who welcomed me to KKV 31 years ago, the person who accounts for my still being here today.” 

As an immigrant herself, Merina has always identified with those she reached out to where they lived, studied, worshipped and played. She experienced the same struggle of building a life in a place where people of more established ethnic groups could be harsh and unwelcoming. Merina and her family came to Hawaii from Western Samoa in 1974, and first settled in Kalihi. Samoans then were a fast growing new immigrant population served by KKV, just as Micronesians and other Pacific Islanders are now. 

Merina and her family stayed briefly in Kalihi Valley Homes public housing, then moved into an apartment owned by Jory Watland, KKV’s first executive director. One day Watland asked Merina if she wanted to work at KKV. “I said, ‘Of course, but I know nothing about health care, I’m just a teacher.’” Learning that Merina had taught middle school back in Samoa, Watland replied, “That’s good, we need teachers to take the message of health to the people.” So in 1975, Merina joined KKV and began reaching out to her neighbors.

Connecting to immigrants in their own language was crucial. During the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the 1980s, she went on a Samoan radio show, starting with an apology: “Please excuse me for what I’m going to say about a very tender issue,” she said. “I don’t want to talk about it, but we need to talk about it, because people in our community are dying from AIDS.”

Over the years, Merina has taken on many roles at KKV, as a dental assistant, public housing and elder patient navigator, cancer coordinator, and STD/HIV messenger. But always, health education and outreach lay at the core. 

Merina has freely shared her door-knocking wisdom with generations who are deeply inspired by this super aunty’s legacy. “Outreach workers are the eyes, ears and backbone of KKV,” she says. “We’re the ones going out into the community to see the needs of the community, what’s going on.”

She stresses that this work requires comfortable shoes, eye contact and, above all, a humble, listening heart. “One thing I tell new outreach workers: Don’t look all around the room, just look directly at the person you’re talking to. Listen,” Merina lets the word sink in. “If someone talks story with you, it’s a gift. Always honor that as such.”