Alumni Journal

We left the Boys and Girls club on a high note, knowing that we created smiles, laughs, and lasting memories for the children living in the Nanakuli (a neighbourhood in the west end of Honolulu that unfortunately has many social and economic difficulties). Without a doubt, the kind-heartedness that our trip members expressed has been impressionable. Brooke befriended a little girl who would not leave her side and who was overheard saying, “I’ll be your friend no matter what.”

Excerpt from Community Service Hawaii Trip Update

The Read To Me Foundation is a very inspiring organization. I really enjoyed reading with all of the little kids and encouraging them to read on their own. This experience was very rewarding. The children were so well behaved and were eager to watch our plays and participate in the activities. I had such a fun time playing and reading with the little children and watching them interact with their friends. I learned that by reading the books out loud to the children helps them to understand the concept of reading and gets them excited about reading in the future. Reading to these children, performing plays, or even chasing them around the playground can brighten up their day. I learned that the smallest tasks could bring joy to such incredible children.

Jessie, Trip Member Community Service Hawaii

Our main objective at Habitat was to build picnic tables, step stools and dugout-benches to be auctioned off as a fundraiser, with all proceeds going towards the Honolulu Habitat for Humanity organization. The organization’s mandate is to use local resources (both labor and financial support) to eliminate poverty housing on Oahu. Our group had the opportunity to experience a personal connection to the work they were doing because the family benefiting from the eventual auction was on-site with us for the duration of our build. All of our trip members put forth a tremendous effort at Habitat. At the end of our two-day visit, our group made 3 picnic tables and 5 stools to be auctioned off.

Trip Member Community Service Hawaii

We volunteered with an organization that offers emergency and transitional shelter for homeless and underprivileged Hawaiians. In the afternoon we headed to the beach and enjoyed having time to get to know the individuals involved with the transitional housing programs on a more personable level. Victoria spent quality time with one of the youngest members of the organization and bobbed in the waves with him for over an hour! Andrea, Becca, Tori, and Rachel spent most of the afternoon getting to know some of the teenagers living there and in our volunteer debrief at the end of the day, these four girls had many insightful comments to share with the group about the trials and tribulations of adolescents despite cultural and socio-economic differences. At the end of the day, Sophie commented that she felt guilty for gaining community service hours for doing something that was so much fun.

Excerpt from Community Service Hawaii Trip Update

We spent three full days with Read to Me International, an organization that encourages young children to read by providing them with fun and engaging opportunities to interact with books. Our group met with Stephanie, a high school Drama teacher in Honolulu, and developed short plays based on popular children’s stories. After playing some drama games to warm up, we divided into four groups to plan out how we would perform The Cranky Bear, The Frog Prince Continued, The Mightiest, and Chickens to the Rescue. Each group divided the roles, visited thrift stores for costumes, designed props, and rehearsed lines. We then went to three different daycares and community centers in Honolulu to perform our plays to children.

As much fun as it was to prepare and perform the plays, the best part for many of us came after each performance, when we were invited to stay and read aloud to the children. We were able to sit down with small groups of children and read stories to them. It was so much fun to interact with these kids and to know that we had brought reading to life for them. At our last stop, the read aloud turned into sticking around for playtime – we got right into it with piggy-back rides, playing on the equipment, tricycle races, and make-believe. Nobody wanted to leave!

Excerpt from Community Service Hawaii Trip Update

The three service days at the Boys & Girls Club were loaded with much excitement, laughter, and friendship. We learned much about Hawaiian culture, children, each other and most importantly ourselves. Many of the trip members agreed that it was a great experience and the best part was that we were able to see many new, encouraging, and different sides of our friends. We organized and facilitated activities with the help of 45 welcoming Hawaiian children ranging from 7 to 12 years old. After our three service days with the kids who were described by many of our trip members as “having a constant source of energy”, we had to say our good-byes. Our farewells were filled with many hugs and sad little faces. However, the memories we shared at the Boys & Girls Club will always live on and they are something extremely special that we can all share and will take with us for the rest of our lives.

Excerpt from Community Service Hawaii Trip Update

As we geared up with hard hats, gloves, and hammers, while sporting our goggles of course, we headed up to the second story of the house. Hammering nails into the floor along with constructing wall frames were just a few ways that we contributed to building homes with Habitat for Humanity for someone in need. Additionally, we were able to team up together to put our knowledge, strengths, and skills to good use. As a memento, Mick, the contractor, rewarded each trip member with a hat, working belt, and a baby blue t-shirt. We will cherish this community service experience.

Excerpt from Community Service Hawaii Trip Update