KAPA‘A — A lot of forces, some obvious, some less obvious, constantly hammer the ‘ohana and threaten to weaken its strength. On Saturday, Bridget Arume and her organizing committee unfolded the 8th annual Celebrating Families/Eastside Family Summit at the Kapa‘a
KAPA‘A — A lot of forces, some obvious, some less obvious, constantly hammer the ‘ohana and threaten to weaken its strength.
On Saturday, Bridget Arume and her organizing committee unfolded the 8th annual Celebrating Families/Eastside Family Summit at the Kapa‘a High School courtyard.
Despite the steady stream of traffic making its way to Lihu‘e and parts west of Kapa‘a, a steady stream of people visited the annual event which provides a wealth of resources and information to keep the family bonds strong.
Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. was among the dignitaries browsing through the offering spread out along the courtyard perimeter under tents provided by the Rotary Club of Kapa‘a.
He was joined by Kapa‘a High School principal Daniel Hamada, William Arakaki, Kaua‘i Complex Area superintendent, and his family, coming off an earlier participation in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s proposed discovery center workshop.
Under one of the tents, keiki enjoyed their free lunch provided through the sponsorship if the Queen Lili‘uokalani Children’s Center and prepared through the collaborative efforts of the culinary departments from the Kaua‘i Marriott Resort and Beach Club and the Courtyard by Marriott at the Coconut Beach.
Ike Cockett, the assistant manager for the Coconut Beach Marriott, also was a keynote speaker, along with Kapa‘a High School homecoming queen and multi-sport athlete Shannon Paleka.
Both spoke of the memorable moments of growing up, enduring times that have become pleasurable memories on reflection and endearing members of the family to themselves.
“We need to keep the young people busy,” said Sia Salausa who helped set up the complex of tents and benches for the event. “We finished everything just as the event opened, and rather than let the people go idle, they’re delivering lunch to the exhibitors. There’re lots of thing to keep them going.”
The event bringing the community together was tied with presentations, a variety of exhibits where families could find information, resources, and participate in fun activities.
Brenda Jose of the county’s Anti-Drug office said she was hosting a football throw at the Waimea Alumni and Friends Foundation carnival, Friday night.
Based on the response to the office’s quiz on which popular drinks contain alcohol, she said a similar event should be incorporated into the WAFF carnival.
Another popular stopping point was the Liquor Control Department’s fake identification display which tested people’s ability to differentiate between real and counterfeit identification, notably driver’s licenses.
“We just got this one three nights ago,” one of the inspectors said. “Do we have a college group here doing a project? This one is from Wisconsin.”
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program from the Kaua‘i Independent Food Bank was another heavily-visited station, the representative noting that in the first hour, they had already pre-qualified more than six appointments and established two firm appointments.
The Celebrating Families/Family Summit is part of the month-long Drug Free Month program which started Feb. 1.
