Friday, March 05, 2010

Remembering Volunteer Sherri Bui

Happy Sherri!

I really love the fact that my work with Lokahi allows me to interact with countless devoted volunteers for all sorts of causes. In particular, I got to work with some really cool people when I was involved with the ONE Campaign, which was how I met Sherri Bui.

I can’t remember exactly when she first joined us, I think it was the Pearl Jam tour in the summer of 2006, but she was always game for joining in regardless of where we were set up or what we were doing (the photo above is from a hot, dirty day at the Warped Tour one year!), and was an incredibly fun, joyous person to be around. I still have several of the birthday and ‘congrats’ cards she sent me over the years, one of which, a (RED) card in fact, I see every day as it sits on the ledge right by my desk. In an age of Facebook wall posts and text messages (both which Sherri also utilized to say hello and send best wishes!) there is something incredibly thoughtful about getting a card in the mail; she was that kind of person.

I was saddened and shocked to hear about her passing yesterday - she was only 40, and unknown to me, and I suspect many others, had been in treatment for cancer for several years. Sherri was a really amazing, generous, kind, caring person - a reminder that in addition to the social wrongs we are striving to correct, being blessed with the opportunity to know and work with people like her is a big part of the reason that many of us do the work that we do. I feel lucky to have known her and to have spent time with her participating in something we were both passionate about.


Sherri on the ONE blog last year

ONE volunteer crew
Sherri and the ONE volunteer crew at U2 in Honolulu, Dec 2006

Brian and Sherri at the booth

Sherri and Brian at Warped August 2008