MEDIA
In April 2021, she created Friends of First Responders Hawai‘i Island to help aid first responders’ mental and relational wellness. With the emergency services departments having limited resources to provide such support, her nonprofit aims to help fill the gap.
“You can go to one bad call—a really bad one—and I don’t know anybody recovers from it, so they deserve all the help that we can give them,” Godoy said.
Friends of First Responders is part of a growing community-based support system helping those on the front lines stay resilient and supporting the families who share in their challenges.
“As part of the pilot study, 24 active and retired Hawai‘i County firefighters helped restore North Kona’s Kīholo fishpond and Hilo’s Hale o Lono fishpond over multiple workdays.”
Lance Uchida spent 26 years with the Hawai‘i Fire Department before retiring as deputy chief. He helped recruit volunteers for the study and attended one of the workdays at each fishpond.
GOLF SCRAMBLE 2025 INTERVIEW VIDEOS
March 16, 2025 - Hawaii Police Department Update: To view the Officer’s mahalo, CLICK HERE