KILAUEA — Anaina Hou Community Park is celebrating Kauai’s kupunawahine and kupunakane with tea and sandwiches at their Kilauea community center on Sunday, Sept. 8, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
In honor of National Grandparents Day, “Tea Time For Tutu” is a chance for the whole family to gather over Earl Gray and green teas, sandwiches and other treats, and listen to live music from the Kilauea Social Club.
National Grandparents Day was officially recognized on Aug. 3, 1978, by President Jimmy Carter when he signed the proclamation advocated for by West Virginian Marian Lucille Herndon McQuade.
McQuade and her husband, Joseph L. McQuade, had 15 children, 43 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild, and became passionate advocates for elder care.
Part of Carter’s proclamation reads: “Whether they are our own or surrogate grandparents who fill some of the gaps in our mobile society, our senior generation also provides our society a link to our national heritage and traditions.
“We all know grandparents whose values transcend passing fads and pressures, and who possess the wisdom of distilled pain and joy. Because they are usually free to love and guide and befriend the young without having to take daily responsibility for them, they can often reach out past pride and fear of failure and close the space between generations.”
Jill Lowry, executive director of Anaina Hou Community Park, points out the importance of the proclamation in creating a quality life for kupuna.
“We live in a world that places great value on the time of our lives when we are young. Advertising and media would have us believe that being young is the only time when we are smart, ambitious, driven or beautiful, and what a shameful message this is,” Lowry said.
So, Anaina Hou is celebrating Kauai’s kupunawahine and kupunakane, and acknowledging the work, love and dedication they have bestowed upon their families and their communities, she added.
“We especially want to give thanks to the selfless grandparents on Kauai who find themselves in the position of raising their grandchildren,” Lowry said in a press release.
Everyone is welcome, but there is limited seating. Visit www.anainahou.org for tickets. The cost is $10 per person.
