On May 23, 29 members of the Kiwanis Club of East Hawaii and Circle K Club at the University of Hawaii at Hilo helped a Hawaiian Beaches elementary school get ready to welcome the return of its students next month.
On May 23, 29 members of the Kiwanis Club of East Hawaii and Circle K Club at the University of Hawaii at Hilo helped a Hawaiian Beaches elementary school get ready to welcome the return of its students next month.
The club at the same time raised $10,000 to help troubled youth in East Hawaii.
The reopening of Keonepoko Elementary School is more special than usual this year, since it was closed indefinitely in October because of the then-rapidly advancing lava flow in lower Puna.
The Department of Education found temporary shelter for the school’s students and staff on the sprawling campus at Keaau High School, nearly 10 miles away, where students recently ended classes for this school year.
But the lava flow since has stalled well short of Hawaiian Beaches, where many homes surrounding the school also were threatened by the lava, and the DOE is reopening Keonepoko Elementary next month.
The Kiwanis Club of East Hawaii wanted to do something to help the students, teachers and staff realize the greater community also is celebrating their homecoming.
“We asked (the school) what we could do and they wanted some weeding and painting, so we made it look nice to welcome everyone back,” said Audrey Kagawa, Kiwanis Club secretary.
Kiwanis volunteers each spent four hours pulling weeds, cleaning and putting fresh paint on the school’s exterior facings and pillars. Seeing the Kiwanis Club’s role in the public service project, the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation donated $10,000 to the Friends of the Children’s Justice Center of East Hawaii.
Friends of the Justice Center volunteers and former County Prosecutor Jay Kimura attended the Kiwanis Club’s June 5 meeting to accept the check and explain the center’s role in aiding youth in need throughout East Hawaii.
Several members of the East Hawaii Kiwanis Club’s satellite club in Kona took part in the Keonepoko project, where they were impressed by the local community’s support expressed in horn blasts and shouts of “Mahalo!” from cars passing by.
School officials especially were pleased with the work the Kiwanis members did. Principal Brandon Gallagher said the staff that already returned to the school told him how happy they were with the improvements.
“It meant a lot to them,” he said. “It gave our campus a completely different feel and reflects the sentiment of solidarity.
“We’re real grateful to the Kiwanis.”
Founded in Hilo in 1963, the Kiwanis Club of East Hawaii is part of Kiwanis International, whose mission is serving the children of the world.
The Circle K Club at UH-Hilo is one of several Kiwanis Club-sponsored youth organizations on local school campuses that teach students leadership skills and the values of community service.
For more information, call Hunter Bishop, Kiwanis Club president, at 987-5186.