KAPA‘A —Family values and strong families are at the heart of strong communities. This was the belief of late Kaua‘i mayor Bryan Baptiste, who got Bridget Arume to start the family summit program where families from different regions of the
KAPA‘A —Family values and strong families are at the heart of strong communities.
This was the belief of late Kaua‘i mayor Bryan Baptiste, who got Bridget Arume to start the family summit program where families from different regions of the island could come to find resources available to help them build stronger families leading to forging stronger character in children, the leaders of tomorrow.
That was six years ago, and on Saturday, Arume celebrated the sixth anniversary of the Eastside Family Summit, joined by Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr., Lt. Gov. James “Duke” Aiona and a host of other community leaders.
The family unit is the basic building block of our nation, states a Year of the Family proclamation issued by Gov. Linda Lingle and presented by Aiona at a special gathering Friday at Washington Place.
Carvalho was present for that ceremony, and on Saturday, took a different path to the family by offering tips on how to be a better father, in many cases, the guiding light and pillar of strength in the family.
“The principles of aloha and ‘ohana have deep meaning for our state’s residents and serve as the bedrock of our success,” Lingle said in the proclamation. “In our state, families are often multiracial, multicultural and multifaith — microcosms of our diverse state. These units create the foundation in which tomorrow’s leaders are forged, tempered by learned values and attitudes they will carry with them for a lifetime.”
Aiona, in presenting the proclamation, announced the start of a statewide initiative aimed at encouraging Hawai‘i residents to strengthen their commitment to their families, states a release from the governor’s office.
“We are encouraging the people of Hawai‘i to reflect on the importance of the family and to work to strengthen family bonds,” Aiona said in the release.
The year-long initiative is being led by the Family Celebration Commission, a 15-member panel created by legislation in 2007 to plan activities that reflect the importance of families.
Arume said the first Eastside Family Summit started with about 30 to 35 vendors and about 400 people six years ago.
“Today, we have between 70-75 different vendors, more than 200 volunteers and about 300 families taking in this event,” Arume said.
But as in almost all scenarios, there are dangers lurking, and Aiona used the opportunity to touch on underage drinking, one of the challenges facing young people today.
Theresa Koki, the county’s anti drug coordinator, enlisted the help of a liquor investigator to offer some material available to curb the problem.
Coming off a successful underage drinking program last Tuesday at the Waimea Theater, where more than 150 students and parents participated, the county’s anti-drug office noted that Hawai‘i leads the nation in the percentage of alcohol-related motor vehicle deaths.
A flier available from that office notes that a survey done in 2003 states that 73 percent have tried alcohol by Grade 12. This compares with 45 percent for cigarettes, 44 percent for marijuana and 4 percent for methamphetamines.
Among the vendors were agencies offering help and resources to families, early childhood education centers and programs, churches and more.
“You can create a Valentine puppet out of a paper bag while encouraging reading and singing,” said Cathy Shanks of People Attentive to Children program who was busy helping young children create their puppets that had the words to “My Valentine” pasted so the child could read and sing while playing with the puppet.
Gina Medrano of the Tutu and Me program is also the president of the Hawai‘i Association for the Education of the Young Child, Kaua‘i Chapter. She said there will be a day-long seminar for early childhood educators on Feb. 13 at the Kaua‘i Community College Performing Arts Center, sponsored by the HAEYC.
All of this unfolded under a stream of continuous entertainment featuring students from Eastside schools as well as entertainers working with the schools.
A free lunch, made available through the courtesy of community businesses and prepared by an army of volunteers including the Kapa‘a High School National Honor Society, kept people occupied while enjoying the entertainment.
John Kaneholani started the summit with students from the Hanalei School ‘ukulele band. Saturday, that group overflowed the small stage as the band now encompasses not only Hanalei School, but Kilauea School as well.
Carol Yotsuda of the Garden Island Arts Council had her Van Go program out where children were busy creating a series of drawings that will form the basis of ceramic murals for the rebuilding of the Kamalani pavilion that burned down.
Arume said the Saturday event at Kapa‘a High School is the only event planned for this year.
Last year, family summits were held at Kapa‘a, the Kukui Grove Shopping Center in conjunction with a young child event, and at the Waimea Canyon School.
Unfortunately, Arume said there was little interest shown for similar family summits in other parts of the island, but would be willing to listen if people were interested.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com
