On Saturday, a spirited group of dedicated community volunteers and leaders from the Rotary Club of Pearlridge (RCOP) and the Pearl City High School (PCHS) Interact Club teamed up to participate in the City & County of Honolulu’s annual Pearl Harbor Bike Path Clean Up in celebration of Earth Day, April 22, 2023.
The RCOP and PCHS Interact Club community volunteers met bright and early Saturday morning at Puuloa Springs which is located in Pearl City between Blaisdell Park and the Hawaiian Electric Waiau Power Plant on the Pearl Harbor Bike Path and Pearl Harbor historic shoreline. We split up into two groups and headed east from Puuloa Springs to the bridge near Cutter Ford, and west towards the Waiau Power Plant where we picked up rubbish and small bulky items along the way. Following the bike path clean up, we joined RCOP community chair Lasar McCabe and Patrick McCabe and other PCHS Interact Club volunteers to pull weeds, clear overgrown grass, and lay down weed blocker fabric in the Puuloa Springs native Hawaiian Garden.
I was in the group of westbound volunteers led by RCOP President Dick Mosko and PCHS Interact Club Advisor Dane Souza who met a friendly group of volunteers from the Pearl City Community Church who were picking up rubbish along the bike path from Lehua Avenue in Pearl City to the Waiau Power Plant. After meeting each other and a quick chat, we plan to possibly collaborate on future community related projects. Great community connection.
The eastbound group of RCOP volunteers made up of board members Rick Lau, Gordon Arakaki, Randy Ching, Pauline Matias, and Clarence De Lude, came across a woman near the Cutter Ford bridge area that said she would like to join the RCOP. Her husband is currently a Rotary Club President in the Philippines. Wow, what an amazing opportunity to welcome her to the RCOP and pursue and develop a Rotary International connection in the Philippines. The RCOP is truly blessed for the positive community encounters that we experienced on Saturday that will benefit and enhance our outreach efforts here in Hawaii and with Rotary International clubs in other cities and countries around the world.
We had a wonderful and productive Pearl Harbor Bike Path experience on Earth Day with our RCOP and PCHS Interact Club community volunteers and supporters. The RCOP is extremely proud of our youth leaders from the PCHS Interact Club who are an example of working hard in school and in the community while wearing their hearts on their sleeves. All their efforts regarding their creativity, innovation, and compassion for others as PCHS Interact Club members in 2022-2023, have directly benefited and impacted those in need in Hawaii, USA, and worldwide.
The RCOP’s bond through our partnership, mentorship, and friendship with of our three sponsored Interact schools; Pearl City High School, Highlands Intermediate School, and Our Savior Lutheran School, is an inspiration to the future while we extend our support towards developing, nurturing, and perpetuating the growth of our Rotary Interact youth leaders.
I would like to say a very special mahalo to PCHS Interact Club Officer Carollen St. Ledger and her mom for providing ono manapua and other treats, and also to our Puuloa Springs native Hawaiian Garden leader Lasar McCabe and her ohana for cooling us all off with delicious fruit pops.
Have a great weekend!
Service Above Self
Photos by Barry Villamil | MyPearlCity.com and RCOP Board Member Clarence De Lude
