Last week, I was featured in the Kahiau column that highlights REALTORS who are giving back to the community. I’ve stressed many times that part of living in Maui is having the spirit of volunteerism. This is one of the activities that I do to give back! Grow Some Good supports educational school gardens on Maui. We’ve been around for 4+ years and are currently supporting 2 schools in Kihei.
Yesterday, we had a great planning meeting with our Grow Some Good team. We talked about a new structure to continue to grow the organization without wearing out the our core volunteers. As a non-profit project, we are always looking for sponsors and volunteers! Give me a call at 808-344-0469 to discuss out how you can get involved.
Or if you prefer a video, enjoy this one! Much of the content of the article was inspired by this video. The kids are the stars! Thanks to my friend, Jess Craven and the Self Made in Hawaii team for this wonderful video.
You can click the article to see a full sized version of it that is readable. Here are a few excerpts from the article:
I learned to garden from my grandfather, back in Minnesota as a fourth grader. Then, about 20 years later, I started enjoying it again. Coming to Maui and learning the importance of the ‘aina to the native Hawaiians inspired me to learn more. I attended the Master Gardener’s training. That coincided with building a 10,000-square-foot and growing garden at Kihei Elementary. Last year we started programs at Lokelani Intermediate School, and we hope to expand to reach more schools.
Grow Some Good is about educating our keiki to respect the land, grow and eat nutritious food, and make our island a little more sustainable. It is much easier to teach kids, and let them take the sustainability lessons home to their parents and ‘ohana. We ask the students to try everything, find things they love – green smoothies? – and make better choices! We work with teachers to integrate the garden as an outdoor classroom.
Gardens in schools may sound like either no big deal or a foolhardy effort, but it is not. When you see the kids working in the garden, examining half-grown plants, tasting the tiny root of something on its way to becoming a carrot, it is heart-warming. When they start eagerly reciting what they’ve learned, you cannot look away. Nio Kindla said that if the kids grow a food product, they’ll at least try it, and if they also learn to cook it, they will eat it. The kids seem to agree completely. So, what started as a few beds of plants for a science class has become an opportunity to change lives.
Aloha – Contact Maui REALTOR Kathy Becklin at 808-344-0469 for more information about Grow Some Good.
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