Community Comes Together To Help Those In Need
Second City Spotlight …Rep. Sharon Har
While summer brings thoughts of beaches and relaxation with it, it also heralds several events that bring West Oahu together. Many hands united under the banner of a singular cause July 27 to make West Oahu a better place in the recent Convoy of Hope at Kapolei Fair-grounds, which provided various outreach services to those in need.
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I would like to shine the Second City Spotlight on those who needed it most. These are people who might have fallen on hard times, who might be down on their luck and are working to pull themselves up by their bootstraps so they can live once again.
It took the service of more than 1,000 volunteers to put on the convoy. As our West Oahu community came together once again to show compassion and the strength of community to bring hope, I would like to take this opportunity to also shine the Second City Spotlight on the Convoy of Hope Kapolei and the more than 1,200 volunteers who participated in this event to make West Oahu a better place.
For those of you who are new to “Second City Spotlight,” I do my best to highlight individuals, organizations and events that showcase the greatest asset of our new city – our people. Second City Spotlight is about many individuals coming together to create “community” – where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
The corner lot located at Fort Barrette Road and Farrington Highway was transformed that Saturday into the Convoy of Hope, which included booths by faith-based organizations, businesses, health care industries and nonprofits. The services provided were basic necessities that we often take for granted.
The volunteers converged to serve more than 4,500 individuals in need of help. Blind to any faith or affiliation, those in need might have benefitted from 1,625 pairs of shoes, 10,000 articles of clothing, 1,125 school-ready backpacks, 390 portraits, 290 haircuts, or just a simple prayer.
Now in its third year in the Islands, Convoy of Hope was pleased to have the National Breast Cancer Foundation join the convoy as one of the newest volunteer affiliate organizations. National Breast Cancer Foundation served 571 women in need at no charge, including providing mammograms for 68 of them. Whatever an individual’s need was, there was a volunteer who was prepared to help West Oahu’s most vulnerable with their greatest or strongest needs, or to point them in the right direction.
This event would not have been possible without the tireless work of Pastor Mel Corpuz, the Leeward site director; Pastor Scott Sonoda, Bulla and Lynette Eastman from Convoy of Hope Hawaii, and Col. Danny Melton (Ret.) from Royal Kunia. There also were many West Oahu organizations and businesses that contributed to the Kapolei event to help make it possible.
When many individuals come together, West Oahu becomes better than the sum of its parts. This event is a reminder that hope starts here in our community. Together, we have the power to transform people’s lives, inspire compassion and service, and bring together people and organizations like never before.
Contact state Rep. Sharon Har, D-District 49 (Makakilo/Kapolei) at 586-8500 or email her at rephar@capitol.hawaii.gov.
