With Kalākaua Park being refurbished, EHCC was offered as the venue. Demonstrators set up tents in the parking lot, an art show was held inside, and more demonstrators added to the blend.
We finally had a Lei Day Queen again, when Hokulani “Sammi” Fo graciously agreed to fill that role. She brought her hālau to be her court. Dennis Soares, of the Big Island Music Awards, contacted musicians. Brenda Cloutier coordinated a Queen’s Tea as a mahalo to all of the volunteers.
Six weeks out from the event, we learned that none of the funding we hoped for had been granted. We re-visioned the entire event and began a serious team-building and outreach effort. Hawai`i Island people showed what Aloha is, and donated everything we needed, from food to labor to sound systems to create the event.
The County of Hawai`i RSVP kūpuna volunteers once again came out and added their graciousness and beauty to the day. The event was a resounding success, not only in providing a fun event, but in the team-building and friendships that evolved from it.
As part of the re-visioning, we added (mahalo to Brent Norris of www.GreenCollarTech.com for inspiration!) fiscal sustainability to ecological sustainability. We have to assume that grants will be ever more difficult to come by. We need to develop our own fundraising capabilities and to establish a strong fiscal core from which we can move with grace and power. ~Leilehua Yuen
