HONOKAA — Wayne Kawachi on Tuesday began a 100-mile walk — in slippahs.
“It’s Hawaii, so I thought this would make it unique,” he said.
Starting at the 36.5 mile marker in Honokaa, Kawachi aims to finish Friday at Naalehu’s 63.5 mile marker in the Ka‘u District, reaching his 100-mile goal. He planned to walk 28 miles Tuesday, 28 today, 20 on Thursday and 24 on Friday.
“The third day is an uphill walk towards Volcano,” he said.
As president of O Ka‘u Kakou — a nonprofit community service organization that serves Ka‘u residents — Kawachi thought the walk would be a good way to draw attention to a $250,000 program he plans to fund for a new senior housing facility in Naalehu.
According to the Hawaii County Office of Aging, “Of the 194,190 current residents in Hawaii County, an estimated 17 percent are 65 and older — an increase of roughly 3.8 percent per year.”
The new Ka‘u housing facility would house between 25 and 30 elderly people. So far, more than $25,000 has been raised through donations from multiple individuals and organizations — before Kawachi took his first step.
“I’m guessing we might reach around $50,000 by the end of the walk,” he said.
The $250,000 OKK hopes to raise would cover purchasing the land and having it cleared.
“The project will take four or five years from start to finish,” said OKK member Nadine Ebert. “Our members have acknowledged the increase and agree the walk is one way to plan ahead.”
Kawachi regularly does yard work, cleans cemeteries, works on roof projects and goes fishing. But he’s never walked 100 miles and trained for the past month.
“I’ve been walking in Ka‘u. Last week I did 12 miles one day, 14 the next and 13 miles the third day. I think I’m ready,” he said.
Kawachi came up with the charity walk idea in October while on vacation in Illinois. There, he met an 80-year-old man who walked 300 miles and 500 miles for fundraising efforts.
“Wayne felt if this man could do it, he could too,” Ebert said. “We thought this walk would give us a way to connect for the community, to have ownership in what is happening in Naalehu.”
Several friends might walk with Kawachi for a mile or two along the way, but dozens of OKK members will join him for the last mile Friday.
“As long as a car doesn’t bang me, we will make it,” he said.
One truck will drive ahead of Kawachi for protection.
“We will have pit stops for him about every 3 miles with water, snacks and fruit on the road,” Ebert added.
Other OKK members feel a similar enthusiasm and dedication to their community, even if watching from the sidelines.
“We love to help the community, especially our seniors because many of them don’t have their children around to help,” said June Domondon, OKK’s treasurer.
Longtime OKK member Glenn Okumura understands the event’s goal.
“Naalehu needs senior housing because when the families of seniors leave to find other economic opportunities, they (seniors) need a place to live and have a social life like they had before.”
One such kupuna resident, Lillian Aratani, is an elderly widow who appreciates the community effort to help her.
“I’m happy to live in Pahala, Ka‘u,” she said. “OKK helped me by changing my roof and guard rail.”
Longtime resident and 442nd veteran Iwao Yonemitsu admires the town’s camaraderie, much like what he experienced in the military.
“OKK is important because they do things without thinking about self or praise. They do it for the good of the community,” he said.
About 200 OKK members volunteer for the nonprofit, helping with annual events including the annual Punaluu Fishing Tournament in late January, an Independence Day Celebration in Naalehu on July 1 and the Ka‘u Coffee Trail Run during the third week of September. In addition, they work on numerous home repair projects and yard work for seniors throughout the year.
“We also provide scholarships for those going on to college and school tools for the keiki entering school. As you can see, our programs are diverse and we try to help where we see a need,” Ebert said.
Following the walk, OKK will seek other ways to raise the $250,000.
“We will continue to reach out to anyone they think might be interested in helping us,” Ebert said.
Kawachi added, “The walk will get the word out on our project. We’ve raised money before and it’s just a matter of working hard.”
To donate or for more information, visit https://okaukakou.org or www.facebook.com/okaukakou.
