Friend of Youth winner turned tragedies into life-saving teaching
Shirley De Rego’s foundation funds water safety, first aid training on Hawaiʻi Island Posted: May 18, 2026 The Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association gave its 2026 Friend of Youth Award to Shirley De Rego, who created a foundation that has empowered more than 1,000 young people on Hawaiʻi Island with water-safety knowledge and life-saving skills, as she honored the lives of her two sons who died in separate accidents. The HSTA Friend of Youth Award recognizes an outstanding individual who is not an HSTA member whose work has had a lasting impact on Hawaiʻi’s young people. This [...]
