Global Village, celebrated their 21st anniversary by organizing a day in the loʻi at Kapalai. By giving a day of community service at Hoʻokuaʻāina, groups like Global Village are helping to sustain the mission to provide mentoring programs for youth who need hope and encouragement, education programs to inspire values of mālama ʻāina, and a budding social enterprise to get nourishing traditional foods back into homes. Global Village not only brought their whole staff, but also opened it up for anyone in the community to sign up. It was a great day filled with fun in the mud and also a perfect model of the vision we had for Kapalai.
At Hoʻokuaʻāina, our ultimate goal is to strengthen the overall health of the community. Our theory of change is that by providing kīpuka for families or individuals to gather and connect to the ʻāina, to one another and to Ke Akua, then we will we begin to see positive change in the community. Kīpuka become alternative health care centers where visitors get something so beneficial for their health –fellowship, connection with cultural values and the great outdoors, a sense of meaning and purpose, and a feeling of belonging. There are many popping up all over the islands. Places like Kokua Kalihi Valley with Hoʻoulu ʻĀina project and Roots Cafe, Paepae o Heʻeia, Papahana Kuaʻola, Kakoʻo ʻOiwi just to name a few, are providing opportunities for their surrounding communities to be part of something that is healing the land or the ocean and by participating the individual finds healing as well. You canʻt get a prescription for that.
For nearly 10 years now, our staff and thousands of volunteers have worked hard to create a kīpuka for such gatherings. What a delight it is to watch the vision come to life when a group comes for a day of fun in the mud. The Global Village crew came to give back to our organization by spending a Saturday weeding. (Weeding is definitely our greatest need when it comes to maintaining the 16 taro patches we have growing kalo.) Perhaps what they the volunteers received in return was unexpected – a day filled with nourishment, fun, laughter, restoration, inspiration and a connection made that will hopefully cause the mission of Hoʻokuaʻāina to remain in their thoughts and close to their hearts.
We are so grateful to the Global Village team for their continued support throughout the years. Every time you shop in their store and bring your own bag they donate .25. You would be surprised how quickly the quarters add up. They remain one of our biggest community supporters. Please support them in return by visiting their store in Kailua.
If you would like to schedule your own day of team bonding for your business, club or organization, you can inquire here.
