Giving back to the land and its people

As community service chair of Beta Beta Gamma (BBG), a 501(c) non-profit, I’m in charge of coordinating at least one community service event a month. However, I usually schedule two events per month so everyone can participate in helping our community despite their scheduling differences. As someone who was born and raised in Hawaii, a lot of my efforts are towards helping problems that are specific to our local community. In 2023 from the months of November to December, I planned some of my favorite community service events of the year.

A Thankful November

During November I planned two community service events. One was with the local non-profit, JSKT, or “Just Small Kine Things,” which is also another 501(c). We partnered together to clean up microplastics at Kalama Beach. With our numbers combined, we were able to fill our mason jars with microplastics that JSKT could then dispose of responsibly.

The second event that I found for us to participate in was with Aloha Tree Alliance. They focus on restoring native trees and plants in Kuliouou Valley. I grew up in the Kuliouou district, so it was important to me that we were able to restore the native ecosystem in a place that is so near and dear to my heart. After a long morning of digging holes, planting trees, and carrying jugs of water up and down the trail, we were able to help the Aloha Tree Alliance plant three hundred native trees and flora in total.

A Christmas miracle

Every local person is aware of the housing crisis in Hawaii. This is and has been a hot topic in our community for generations. I witness it first hand every day in my neighborhood and when I go to work in Chinatown. This is an issue that I am very passionate about so I chose it as my topic for my final project in my writing honors class here at UH Manoa. You can read my academic research paper on the topic here.

This led me to collaborate with the Institute for Human Services (IHS) volunteer coordinator. For our December event, I was able to get myself and the rest of Beta Beta Gamma to not only donate Christmas decorations to their men’s shelter in Iwilei but also help decorate it ourselves. With all of our donations and effort, the once-empty room and waiting area was transformed into a place that was covered from wall to wall, and floor to ceiling with love.

How this helps me grow

I love my job as the community service chair of BBG. On top of it being emotionally fulfilling, it helps me grow as a person. It stretches my skills in time management because I usually have to work around the schedules of the organization I want to partner with along with the twenty individual schedules of the other girls in BBG. This also strengthens my communication skills because I have to converse with the organization and then correctly relay the information back to the group with enough time to be considerate of everyone’s schedule. Overall, I feel like my leadership skills have been sharpened. When we are working on-site, I have to take attendance, ensure everyone gets to the location safely, and delegate tasks that best suit the strengths of everyone.

I am excited about the future opportunities for us to volunteer, and how it can help me grow into a more communicative and caring person.