Kaiser Permanente’s 10th Annual Day of Service

Over 1,000 volunteers participated on the Big Island in Kaiser Permanente’s 10^th annual day of service on Monday, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Three sites hosted the volunteers, who included over 175 employees, their families, and participants from various partner organizations.The event was organized by Kaiser Permanente Hawai’i staff in their statewide efforts and long-standing tradition of taking a “day on,” rather than a “day off,” to volunteer time in their communities.

Innovations Public Charter School in Kona welcomed volunteers who assisted in improvement projects on its campus, including planting fruit trees along the school’s future soccer field, clearing brush around the imu and building walkways.

Waimea Trails and Greenways Committee and the nonprofit People’s Advocacy for Trails Hawai’i were assisted by volunteers at Ke Ala Kahawai O Waimea, also known as the Streamside Trail of Waimea. At the trail site, volunteers cleared debris and overgrowth, aiding in the expansion of the walking trail.

Volunteers at the third site, the University of Hawai’i at Hilo’s Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Recourse Center, planted and helped landscape grounds, in addition to painting structures and organizing marine life samples.

Efforts on the Big Island were part of a larger community service effort, with events also taking place on Maui and Oahu. The give-back day was not limited to Hawai’i, thousands of Kaiser Permanente employees nationally were part of the large-scaled combined efforts to give back to local communities.

“Our employees are proud to continue the tradition of supporting nonprofits that service our Big Island community,” said Rick Fong, MD, Kaiser Permanente’s Physician in Charge for the Big Island. “We applaud the work they do in fostering the education of our keiki, preserving Hawai’i’s culture and natural resources, and supporting long-term sustainability and conservation of Big Island resources.”