KAPA‘A — Something new always pops up at the Samuel Mahelona Hospital Petting Zoo, and for the 18th annual event, there was more than one new item that added to the overall flavor of the event. Josie Pablo, activities coordinator
KAPA‘A — Something new always pops up at the Samuel Mahelona Hospital Petting Zoo, and for the 18th annual event, there was more than one new item that added to the overall flavor of the event.
Josie Pablo, activities coordinator for the hospital’s long-term-care unit, excitedly announced that, among the throng of over 1,000 preschool and elementary-school students, members of a Kaumakani preschool also made the trek over the mountain to visit with animals and patients.
Another new addition called for the addition of a hand-washing station, a potential problem quickly solved by Peter Medeiros and other members of the hospital’s maintenance department, who improvised a pair of laundry sinks, some concrete blocks, and temporary drainage to meet this new requirement.
“But, this is good,” Medeiros commented, relating an incident at a Mainland mall where he contacted a virus after petting a pot-bellied pig that was on display. He also noted that the event could not succeed without the help of the many volunteers from within the hospital and the community.
Mahelona Hospital staffer Elaine Morita became more than a right hand to Pablo for this year’s event, as her son, Ken, a flight attendant for Hawaiian Airlines, arranged to have a group of airline employees fly over for the Tuesday-morning event that transformed the grounds of the hospital to resemble a daytime carnival.
Brian Sabog, who headed the off-island Hawaiian contingent, said, “We didn’t know what to expect, or what to bring. He (Ken) just told us a few nights ago, so here we are.”
Members of the off-island group were pleasantly surprised, noting that there isn’t anything like the petting zoo event anywhere on O‘ahu, and immediately set out to station themselves wherever help was needed.
Sabog, who oversaw the group, said he was so impressed by the sense of community that he would be seeing if the event could be written about for the carrier’s inflight magazine.
During the 18-year history of the event, Pablo has overseen the growth, from its original invitation to the neighboring Kapa‘a Elementary School students, teachers and officials, to a visit with a handful of animals from Kawamura Farm Enterprises.
Today, the event attracts a variety of people offering educational and fun events. Participants included those from the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, the University of Hawai‘i College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources Cooperative Extension Service and, this year, the Kapa‘a High School JROTC program, as well as the Kapa‘a High School Interact Club, whose members immediately set out to keep youngsters occupied with coloring activities.
Also on hand were leaders of Esprit De Corps Riding Academy, who provided the horseback rides with the help of Kaua‘i Fire Department volunteers.
Col. Jerald Knudsen of the Kapa‘a JROTC program was pleased that his two dozen cadets worked right into helping at the stations, donning the costumed-character outfits, and even providing some of their military drills. A sea of inflatables from Garden Island Inflatables dotted the yard, and members of the Kapa‘a Lions Club worked continuously to keep the youngsters flowing through that activity station.
