AARP Hawaiʻi Recognizes Bill Doi with 2025 Andrus Award

AARP, the nonprofit organization for people 50 and older, selected Bill Doi, one of the founders and president of Kupuna Aikido, to receive the 2025 AARP Hawaiʻi Andrus Award for Community Service, the association’s most prestigious and visible state volunteer award for community service.

AARP Hawaiʻi selected Doi for his remarkable service, which has greatly benefited the community, reflected AARP’s vision and mission, and inspired other volunteers.

Doi and his team initially held one class for family and friends eight years ago to teach older family and friends safe falling principles they learned and taught in aikido martial arts classes. But the demand was so great that they realized that there was a larger need to educate kupuna about safe falling and formed the nonprofit corporation Kupuna Aikido.

Falls are the leading cause of injury, hospitalization and death among kupuna in Hawaiʻi, according to the state Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control. The team simplified and refined aikido techniques into a class format to teach kupuna how to avoid falls and minimize injury if they do fall. The guiding aikido principle -- to be a good person and help your fellow man -- remains.

Kupuna Aikido has developed a “Train the Trainer” program to train local volunteers to teach the classes, which may expand to Neighbor Islands and mainland cities. Kupuna Aikido started with Doi and six other volunteers; now there are 24.

The Andrus Award was presented to Doi at AARP Hawai'i's annual volunteer recognition ceremony earlier this month on Oahu.

“This award acts as a symbol to the public that we can all work together for positive social change,” said Keali`i Lopez, AARP Hawai`i State Director. “AARP has long valued the spirit of volunteerism and the important contributions volunteers make to their communities, neighbors, and the programs they serve.”

The award also comes with a $1,000 donation to the charity of the recipient’s choice.

The Andrus Award is named after AARP’s founder, Ethel Percy Andrus. Recipients across the nation were chosen for their ability to enhance the lives of AARP members and prospective members, improve the community in or for which the work was performed, and inspire others to volunteer.