Lei-making Scouts Need Flowers For Veterans’ Kaneohe Graves
This Sunday – the day before Memorial Day – Girl Scouts from across the island will attend a memorial service at Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery, followed by a decorating of the graves “with flags and flowers in quiet dignity.”
That’s according to Castle High junior Melissa Lum, who is on a mission to have all the flowers ready in time.
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She and fellow Scouts from the Kaneohe Service Unit will be at Windward Mall center court from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday to collect flowers and freshly made leis as well as yarn, ribbon and silk leis, which the cemetery also accepts.
This is their second annual Lei of Aloha project, and they know how to handle it.
“For ease of drop off,” Lum explained, “we will have a tent set up fronting Kamehameha Highway. The community also is encouraged to bring donations to the center court stage area to sew, learn about the Veterans of Foreign Wars and enjoy the camaraderie.”
Lum recently earned her Girl Scout Gold Award for coordinating the project, which last year produced 1,100 leis for the Kaneohe cemetery.
“(Up until) last year, more than 9,000 veterans were interred at Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery,” she noted. “In just a single year, the number has grown to more than 10,000 veteran graves, and there are not nearly enough leis to honor each one of our fallen heroes on Memorial Day.”
For more information, call 235-6346.
