Emilia Knudsen is planning a Valentine’s Day party for the 80 residents at the Regency at Puakea in Puhi, where they will get to enjoy the festivities and celebration from the inside and Knudsen and her friends will be outside to be in compliance with the COVID-19 rules and guidelines.
Emilia Knudsen is planning a Valentine’s Day party for the 80 residents at the Regency at Puakea in Puhi, where they will get to enjoy the festivities and celebration from the inside and Knudsen and her friends will be outside to be in compliance with the COVID-19 rules and guidelines.
Emilia said the kupuna need love, too, because they’ve been isolated for nearly a year because of the pandemic. Kudos to the youngster (she’s still an Island School student) who wanted a trip to Denmark for her 12th birthday.
She’s been pumping her resources into helping the community through the Kaua‘i Community Food Pantry at The Kaua‘i Store in Kapa‘a, made cookies to help keiki through the Keiki Christmas, re-gifting her financial recognition to The Storybook Theatre of Hawai‘i and, now, demonstrating love for the kupuna.
Emilia got help from Soul Januszewski last week when the two youngsters made an appearance at the Kukui Grove Center Local Lovin’ Pop Up (Beat Athletica — they’re students, too — will be joining a dozen other small businesses in “showering love” during the Kilohana Pop Up Giveaway Saturday in Puhi), where they spearheaded an effort to create more than 80 Valentine’s Day cards for the residents at the Regency at Puakea.
She was planning on skipping this weekend’s pop-up because she needed to work on the chocolate-covered strawberries and lei for the kupuna party, but because of community kokua last week Emilia will be back Friday afternoon and Saturday to make lei between shoppers and spreading love.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
