KALAPAKI BEACH — Residents in the Hale ‘Opio Kaua‘i, Inc. therapeutic group home program understand the similarities between a refurbished canoe and their lives. “It started out all rough and ugly, like our lives,” said one resident, who was not
KALAPAKI BEACH — Residents in the Hale ‘Opio Kaua‘i, Inc. therapeutic group home program understand the similarities between a refurbished canoe and their lives.
“It started out all rough and ugly, like our lives,” said one resident, who was not identified.
“We worked hard on it, to make it better. The boat is the story of our lives, how we want to be when we get out of here,” she said.
“Most of the time, it brought us together a lot,” another said of the teamwork involved in restoring an old canoe to new luster.
“We’re proud to know that the boat will touch many lives,” another said while hurriedly making ti-leaf lei for the canoe’s recebt blessing, dedication and launch at Kalapaki Beach.
While they complained about the rashes caused by working with the fiberglass used to restore the former practice canoe of the Kaiola Canoe Club, the 12 residents, ages 14 to 16, never gave much real thought to giving up on the project, or themselves.
“We were going to complete something, working together,” one said. Along the way, team members provided each other lots of encouragement.
It was an emotional morning, too, for Kelvin Ho of Kalaheo, who with wife Kathleen are the arts instructors at Hale ‘Opio.
During formal blessing and dedication ceremonies before the canoe hit the water, Kelvin Ho told the students to see the canoe “as a reflection of your own life. Treat it with dignity and respect as you would want to be treated.”
While instructing the youth to face outward in a circle looking out at around 75 people gathered in a larger circle for the blessing, including Hale ‘Opio staff, volunteers, board members, friends, family members, and others, Ho said, “Look around the circle. Feel everyone’s aloha, and know that all are here because of you, that whatever you go through, you’re not going through alone.”
During chants in English and Hawaiian, to which others in the crowd responded with “Imua” (forward), he encouraged the residents to shine and shimmer together, and polish their lives to “reflect light that comes from the source.”
Referring to the canoe as a female, Ho said the canoe has energy. After the Koa‘e kea (white tropic bird) was launched, the students, staff, board members, volunteers, and anyone else who wanted to, took turns paddling the fiberglass craft inside Kalapaki Bay.
Among the many volunteers were Ernest Palmeira and Paul Togioka, who provided Hawaiian music, and new board member Russ Talvi of Gaylord’s Restaurant donated some food for the celebration.
Many participants described the ceremonies as “moving” and “healing.”
Associate Editor Paul C. Curtis can be reached at pcurtis@pulitzer.net or 245-3681 (ext. 224).
