The Family Summit on Saturday is one of the most unique and fun community events that takes place on Kauai each year. With its sole focus on strengthening and supporting families on Kauai, this free event has been developed through
The Family Summit on Saturday is one of the most unique and fun community events that takes place on Kauai each year. With its sole focus on strengthening and supporting families on Kauai, this free event has been developed through donations.
A team of volunteers from the East Kauai Drug Prevention Education Team works with volunteers to pull in resources from the North Shore to Wailua and create an event that provides a delicious free meal for everyone, with over 80 tables of social service information from more than 50 organizations, keiki activities and entertainment for more than 1,000 people.
“Thanks to the generosity of the people of Kauai this awesome family gathering is always a great success. The Family Summit involves so many wonderful individuals, organizations and businesses that each year it continues to help strengthen families which blesses our whole community,” says Family Summit volunteer Bridget Arume.
The courtyard at Kapaa High School is transformed from 1 to 5 p.m. the first Saturday each February with over 20 tents, courtesy of the Kapaa Rotary, housing family service information tables, a music and performance stage, a food service area and a dozen activities for the whole family.
The fact that an event of this size can even happen with a totally volunteer staff is a tribute to the kind of people who live here on Kauai, say organizers. This is an old-school event that celebrates families and is geared toward family fun all afternoon.
There will be musical performances by Catherine Palekas’ Polynesian Music and Dance class, Zumba, Violet Asuncion and Tyler Carvalho. There will also be speakers who will share inspiring messages for Kauai families including Superintendent of Schools Bill Arakaki, microbiologist for the Kauai Water Department and avid surfer Carl Arume, who will share thoughts on this year’s theme “Changing Tides – Just Keep Swimming.”
The event starts with an oli by Auntie Bev Muraoka. Resource tents will have dozens of volunteers available to offer free information on early education, family resources, Hawaiiana, faith-based and civic issues, health and sports.
Every aspect is handled by volunteers in five different committees from food to entertainment.
“Watching how much fun the keiki have with all the whole-family activities provided at the Family Summit — including the inflatable “jump house” by Garden Angel Inflatables, interactive arts and crafts projects including face painting, dance, a petting zoo, the Band Wagon and more donated by many organizations — makes the whole effort worthwhile for me,” says Francesco Garripoli of Kahuna Valley, one of the Kauai nonprofits that has provided volunteer services for the summit.
Info: Bridget Arume at 639-0284
