A Day Devoted To Keiki Wellness

State Rep. Sharon Har (pictured center with youths from West Oahu) is hosting a Keiki Wellness Day March 15 in Kapolei | Photo courtesy Sharon Har

To support the many young families in her Kapolei/Makakilo district, state Rep. Sharon Har is hosting a Keiki Wellness Day Saturday, March 15, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Kapolei High School cafetorium. The free event will offer health and safety information, wellness checkups, keiki IDs and fingerprinting, keiki helmet fitting, games and activities, healthy snacks and more.

“One of every three residents in District 42 is a minor (under age 18),” explains Har. “So I have a very young district, including many first-time homebuyers, first-time parents.

“It really is such an honor to represent this community, and knowing I have such a high demographic of young people in this community, I really wanted to bring this service to them. To me, it just made sense.”

While the event is geared for the Kapolei community, anyone from any part of the island is welcome to attend. On-site and on-hand will be representatives from the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center WIC Program, Infant Swimming Resource, Hawaii Internet Crimes Against Children, McGruff the Crime Dog, DOE Leeward District Health and Wellness Program, Hawaii Meth Project, the City and County of Honolulu Dept. of Parks & Recreation, Honolulu Community Action Head Start, Honolulu Fire Department, Kamaaina Kids,

Keiki O Ka Aina Family Learning Centers, PATCH, Kaiser Permanente, KROC Center, YMCA Leeward Branch, Coalition for a Drug-Free Hawaii, HMSA, CVS Caremark and more.

Event sponsors include Honolulu Star-Advertiser, McDonald’s Kapolei, Service Printers Hawaii, Meadow Gold Dairies and Hawaiian Electric Company.

“Whether it’s on health or safety, we want to make sure parents and children are armed with the information they need to make better lifestyle choices,” adds Har, who was born in Springfield, Ill., and raised in Hawaii and California.

Personally, Har stays active by taking fitness classes from her husband, Vincent Todd, who in addition to his job as a professor at UH-West Oahu is an instructor at 24 Hour Fitness, teaching various classes such as step, body combat and kickboxing.

“I think exercise obviously is an important component to a healthy lifestyle,” says Har, who has lived in Kapolei for 15 years. “Also, my husband and I love to cook, so we need to balance that with exercise.”

yting@midweek.com