Get ready... get set... READ!
ʻOhana are invited to the annual 5K Walk/Run for Literacy put on by Friends of the Library Waikoloa Region, a Hawaiʻi Island-based branch of State Friends of the Library, and Kohala Coffee Company. The event is scheduled from 8 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7, at Waikoloa Plaza. Register online here.
Event Chair Cindy Evans told Aloha State Daily that new this year is two auction options – an online auction and silent auction, which will occur live at the event. Bidding for the online auction will begin on Jan. 30 through Feb. 7 at 11 a.m. on Feb. 7. Browse items now ranging from gift cards, photography, art and handmade items to golf packages and more, here. More items are being added.
Proceeds from the fundraiser will go toward literacy services within the community, including the Bookmobile and Quiz Bowl, among others. More than 100 people are expected to be in attendance due to the growth of the neighborhood, Evans said, adding that last year’s walk, netted about $10,000 to help pay for programming and materials.
Keiki activities will include a bubble cannon, finger painting and crafts, gardening, and visiting with the Hawaʻi Wildfire Management Organization and the Hawaiʻi Fire Department, among others.
Special guests confirmed so far include State Librarian Stacey Aldrich; Lynzee Nakamoto, Miss Hawaiʻi Island Teen USA; and Amber Kekahuna, Miss Orchid Isle USA. Local Lions Club members and Waikoloa Village's Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) will assist the volunteers.
“It takes a community to make this event successful and to get this library,” Evans said, referring to the plans underway to develop a new public library in the area.
“We’re not there yet, that’s why the Friends have to stay true to our mission and keep the voice loud that we want this,” she added.
According to its website, Friends of the Library Waikoloa Region aims to provide a learning resource center and gathering place. Once the library is built, the Friends will continue to support its educational programs and supplement its budget.
Evans said that altogether the nonprofit has 40 members and 10 board members, with an annual budget averaging $10,000-$15,000 from in-kind donations, individuals donors and grants.
“We are the glue, the fabric of the community,” she said. “The walk is a fundraiser and friendraiser. The friendraiser aspect is working with families, businesses, nonprofits, all while developing a curiosity for learning for the keiki.
“This library will be a reflection of the community. Libraries have not gone away, they’ve just been reinvented ... It continues to be a a great, quiet place to get information and is becoming more of a place for events, like open mic night and poetry readings, where you can see each other face-to-face."
Evans, a former state representative and Hawai’i County councilmember, also chaired the inaugural 5K event 12 years ago and plans to remain involved moving the new library project forward.
“We’re learning as we go and are already excited for next year’s event,” she said.
To register, bid in the online auction and learn more, go to: flwrhi.org
Interested in becoming a volunteer? Email info@flwrhi.org.
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Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
