Love for Mauna Lahilahi

Aloha mai kākou! I am honored to ask you for help! As a native from Waiʻanae, Hawaiʻi I love my community and the people in it. Most of all I love the land because it takes care of me. As I teach my children about loving land and people equally,  the outside influence of others weigh heavy on our hearts. I work on an educational garden in my community and I live adjacent to 1 of 2 Cultural Gardens on Oahu. What makes this place so special are the burial grounds. Many ancestors of the Hawaiian people are resting at this site. For over a decade my family and neighbors have watch the garden be neglected and heavily disrespected by both residents and visitors of Hawaiʻi. In the past 6 months it has gotten BAD. From trespassing,  monthly fires, prostitution, drug use and drug deals in plain sight, high population of homeless campers with no restroom facilities, domestic violence in the wee hours of the morning, desecration of burial sites, disrespect of the land and the list can go on! With some help of the city, local community policing team, community members and local business we were able to help some homeless get into shelters, get medical treatment and attention and share services that they might need. Since the initial clean out I have organized 4 clean ups and we plan to clean on a monthly basis. Form these efforts we have formed a citizen patrol team and we are actively working to help make our community and neighborhoods safe and beautiful. 

The funds donated will be used to purchase tools and equipment for cleaning and maintaining the park. Ex: gloves, wheel barrels, rakes, weed eaters, etc. Water and refreshment for volunteers will be provided every clean up. Funds will help with printing and advertising cost. Funds can and will also go towards restoring the site back to what it once was, a botanical garden. 

This is an on going effort, the sooner the funds become available it ensures us that our team can continue to beautify our community. These donations are priceless to us. We gladly take donations in any form and any amount. We understand that some can not be there beside us dripping sweat and getting our hand dirty. We wouldn't want you to loose out on your chance to help out in any way. We are more than grateful for your contribution and on going support. We MAHALO and thank you from the tops of our heads to the tips of our toes.