Page 8 - MidWeek - March 3, 2021

6 MIDWEEK MARCH 3, 2021 PROOF POSITIVE
Empowering, Equipping Keiki
Saving Hawai‘i A Tree At A Time
By Rebecca Chu, team lead with Keiki Heroes
T By Melina Gomez, outreach coordinator with Treehooo!
rees make Hawai‘i 76,000 urban trees, much of residents on mainstream radio home. The more trees this from residential neighbor- and social media. Plans for in our neighborhoods, hoods. A healthy percentage of the future are running a large
K eiki Heroes is a community initia- sations with keiki about COVID-19, its vac- tive for keiki as they and their fam- cines and other complex pandemic issues, we ilies navigate COVID-19. Helping continually refresh our #keikiquestions series
the better the quality of life for urban canopy is around 35 per- campaign each year educat-
keiki to see themselves as heroes during the during which experts answer real questions
pandemic promotes empowerment, purpose and resilience. Keiki Heroes was created to address a gap in resources to support parents’ and educators’ efforts to help keiki through the pandemic, despite the many good COVID-19 public information efforts underway for adults.
from local keiki.
Keiki Heroes welcomes families every-
all of us and our islands. That’s the message behind Hawai‘i Neighborhood Forests, also known as Treehooo!. Headed by a three-woman team, Tree- hooo!’s mission is to reverse the state’s trend of disappear- ing urban trees by inspiring the residents of Hawai‘i to care for and plant trees in their yards and communities.
cent, and Honolulu is around 23 percent and dropping below 17 percent in neighborhoods like Kaimukī and Kalihi.
ing residents on the benefits of neighborhood trees, facil- itating tree-themed murals in communities around the islands and keeping an ongo- ing social media presence — including Tree Story features and Q&A episodes with horti- culturist Heidi Bornhorst.
To date, the Keiki Heroes team has pro- duced and distributed over 55,000 hard copies of posters, fliers, and activity sheets/books to keiki and our community through elementary schools, preschools, childcare providers, home visit programs, Vibrant Hawai’ i resilience hubs and public libraries.
where to download free keiki activities and find conversation-starters and reliable expert information at keikiheroes.org that support the health and wellness of our communities.
Although some govern- ment initiatives to increase the number of urban trees have been implemented, they haven’t been enough to keep up with the decline. The real power to restore Honolulu’s neighborhood forests lies in the hands of isle residents who can care for and plant trees around their homes.
These materials were created based on the belief that COVID-19 pandemic support — including social and emotional care for our keiki — should be inclusive and available to all. To empower loving adults having conver-
This means working toward social and emo- tional well-being that will help keiki emerge from this pandemic stronger and more resilient than ever.
In the summer of 2020, Treehooo!’s PSA campaign reached over 900,000 Hawai‘i
Learn more at treehooo. org. To donate, email m.go- mez@treehooo.org.
The campaign was started in the midst of the urgent COVID-19 public health crisis, and we’ve learned through the past months that — in addition to safe practices like hand-washing and masking — it’s important to take a holistic approach to the health of our keiki.
The founder of botanical boutique Paiko, Tamara Ri- gney, started the community project in 2019 after learning of the drastic decline of trees in Honolulu. In four years, Honolulu alone lost more than
Through March 6, artist Wyatt Hersey will be painting Treehooo!’s inaugural mural in Kaimukī. The intention for this mural is to show that “trees make Kaimukī home.”
For more information, visit keikiheroes.org or email keikiheroes@gmail.com.
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