Waimea Valley’s Earth Day 2023:

He ‘Ali’i Ka ‘āina (the land is chief)

A Service-Learning opportunity and Volunteer Celebration!

Join us at Waimea Valley for our big Earth Day 2023 celebration. On this special day, people from across the planet get together to show their aloha ‘āina (love for the land) by taking the time to mālama honua (care for the earth).

RSVP’s are required.

What:

We want to welcome all of you to join us at Waimea for a day of volunteering fun. The volunteers will get the chance to give back and take care of the land while we celebrate this special day and can enjoy all sorts of fun activities, music, dancing, and community connections.

There will be multiple projects throughout the valley that will be divided up into different age ranges so that everyone from the Keiki (children) to the Kupuna (elders) can get involved. Everyone who volunteers will earn free valley admission, good for the rest of that day, and they will get a ticket for the volunteer drawing where they can win some great prizes like a 1 year family pass to Waimea valley and other fun treats. We will also be providing a simple lunch for the volunteers. So you can volunteer in the morning, win a prize during lunch and go for a swim at the waterfall and a stroll through our amazing valley to end a beautiful day.

We will also have booths set up for community organizations to share their information and upcoming events. The volunteers are encouraged to visit with them during their time here.

Theme for the day:

Our theme this year is He ‘a’li’i ka ‘aina, the land is chief, and that refers to the Hawaiian concept that the land is the thing that lasts long after we are gone, it should be listened to like a leader because it can guide you. The Hawaiians saw that, while they were only temporary, the land was eternal and changeable. What they did to the land would last long after they are gone, so they used to say, we do not own this land, we are simply borrowing it from the future generations. They had an emphasis on making sure that the enduring nature of the land was never ignored and that they treated the resources as precious for everyone that came before them and acted as their guides and the ones that would come afterwards to care for the land and create a better world for the many generations yet to come.

Itinerary:

7:30am Begin Volunteer Check-in Process

— We will have the volunteers sign waiver forms and choose which projects they want to participate in. We have various things the projects will focus on such as: garden maintenance, invasive species removal, trash cleanup, weeding and cultural site care throughout Waimea Valley property.

8:30am Opening Ceremony

— Including an introduction to the Valley and oli protocol (a traditional Hawaiian way of exchanging chants to ask for permission to enter this area).

8:45am Split up into Project Groups

— Volunteers will divide up into groups based on the projects they signed up for and meet their project leaders

9:00 am Volunteer Projects begin.

— Project leaders will guide volunteers to their worksites and show them the tasks for the day

11:30am End of volunteer time

— The volunteering projects will wrap up and it will be time for lunch. The volunteers are encouraged to stick around for the festivities.

12:00pm Lunch Time and live music at the upper meadow

— A special lunch will be served for the volunteers and there will be live music to enjoy while you eat

12:30 pm Volunteer Drawing Begins

— We will be staring to draw tickets for this exclusive giveaway; you must be present at the drawing to win. To receive a raffle ticket, you must sign and turn in a waiver form in the morning. This drawing is only for the volunteers. The raffle will go until we run out of prizes.

1:00 pm – 1:30 pm: hālau performance

— There will be a special Hula show put on by one of our local hālau (hula troupes) we hope that you will be here to enjoy the performance.

4:00pm event ends

— The valley will be closing at this time

Reservations:

There are a limited number of spots available, and this event tends to fill up quickly, so we will be requiring all participants to submit an RSVP. If the event is full, any additional RSVP requests will be added to the Waiting list and will be allowed to fill spots that open on a first come first serve basis. To RSVP visit this page: https://tockify.com/volunteerwaimea/detail/163/1682184600000

When your RSVP is received, you will get a confirmation email with further details, a list of what to bring, and maps of where to meet.

We are all looking forward to a wonderful event and we hope to continue to grow and expand this opportunity in the years to come. Please get in touch with the Waimea Valley Volunteer Coordinator if you have any questions or requests.

Volunteers@WaimeaValley.net