Newsmaker
Monday, December 23, 1996
Name: Mariellen Byrnes-Jones
Age: 36
Education: State Univ. of New York
Occupation: Director Community Clearing House
Hobbies: Family, beach
"I got involved in 'Save the Children' when I was little," she said. "Every week I'd send some of my alowance in. Then, when I was in high school, I started volunteering at the suicide-prevention center."
Today, a couple of decades and a psychology degree later, Byrnes-Jones is the seemingly tireless director of the Community Clearinghouse, wearing multiple hats in a low-budget, high-efficiency operation.
"I guess I've always cared," she said.
But, Byrnes-Jones is quick to point out, she has no monopoly in the compassion department. She credits the volunteers she works with and the donors who help her needy clients with making her mission rewarding.
"It's the volunteers, the fact that they're here and putting in the hard work," she said. It's the fact that they're giving their time, their homes, their money. It can be very discouraging. You spend six hours cleaning an area, and five minutes later it looks like a hurricane blew through. And the donors. No matter how poor they may be and what kind of strain they're under, they continue to give. The people who give the most are often those who can least afford it."
The end result makes the 18- to 20-hour days worthwhile, said Byrnes-Jones.
"You know that what you've done can make a difference," she noted. "You know that a kid might feel loved because he or she got a Christmas present."
In addition to director, Byrnes-Jones is the public-relations officer, volunteer trainer/recruiter, donation solicitor, bookkeeper and order filler for the Clearinghouse, which fills requests for needy clients of 625 Hawaii social-service agencies. The Clearinghouse operates year-round, but is especially busy during the holiday season.
Byrnes-Jones came to Hawaii from New York in 1984 and promptly volunteered at the Suicide Crisis Center. She became director of the Clearinghouse the following year.