Summer always means a lot of laulima (many hands working together) at Waipā and this summer has probably seen more hands working than ever before.

Waipā’s ‘ohana (family) is an amazing community of unique and supportive kupuna, volunteers, families, youth and others who are not only from Kaua‘i, but really from all over the world. All so different and yet all choosing to aloha ‘aina (show love for the land) at Waipā.

In addition to hosting organized groups for service learning, Waipā also began hosting community workdays again earlier this year. About 50 folks showed up at our most recent workday in July, making it the best attended workday yet! We at Waipā are so grateful that so many folks understand how a healthier and more sustainable ahupua’a is good for all the life it supports, including us!

Mahalo to all of you who come to Waipā to share in the work. Our next volunteer opportunity (besides poi day of course), will be on Sunday, August 17th when we host our second annual Music and Mango Festival.

You can click on the links in the above paragraph for more info or call us if you prefer, 826.9969. A hui hou, hope to see you at Waipā soon!

We are excited and grateful to announce that Waipā Foundation recently reached our goal of $1.7M to build our new community poi mill, kitchen and hale imu.

The new facilities will include a certified poi mill and kitchen that farmers, food businesses, caterers and the community can use. An adjoining hale imu will also be built and be available for use. With the new poi mill and kitchen, Waipā will expand our own food distribution and host even more food related training and education for learners of all ages.

We have so many to thank and are in the process of gathering permission to share the names of contributors in a new mahalo page here on our site. But in the meantime, mahalo nui loa to everyone that has helped us reach this important milestone!

A few weeks ago, Waipā Foundation came together with kupuna (elders) and haumana (students), representatives of Kamehameha Schools, the County of Kaua’i and others to celebrate the completion of a new community asset, the Waipā Multipurpose Building.

Constructed by Kamehameha Schools for use by Waipā Foundation and the communities we serve, the building will be used for meetings and gatherings, for learning opportunities and for other activities that occur within the ahupua’a of Waipā.

Blessing our new Multipurpose Building provided an opportunity for us all to look back as well as look forward, and for that we are grateful.

Speaking during the ceremony, founding kupuna uncle David Sproat and uncle Sam Mahuiki (Waipa board president) reflected on Waipā‘s beginnings and growth. Framed acknowledgements of the importance of our community’s efforts were presented by County of Kaua’i Mayor Bernard Carvalho and Representative Derek Kawakami. We look forward to sharing those kind words on the walls of the new building very soon.

Haumana from Kanuikapono and Akamai Learning offered beautiful oli (chants) as part of the blessing ceremony which was led by Kahu Mokihana Powers. Sharing their reflections about Waipa’s work and the potential paths ahead, Neil Hannahs (Kamehameha Schools) and uncle Charlie Spencer (kupuna) reminded the haumana that their efforts would also be required in the years to come.

The community has been gathering at Waipa for over 30 years, and for the last 20 years, the Waipā Foundation has been working to implement the community’s vision for the ahupua’a. While there is still much to do, Executive Director Stacy Sproat-Beck expressed gratitude that so many hands are working toward a thriving Waipā ahupua’a where folks are connected with the ‘aina, and with each other.

The Multipurpose Building is the first building of the Waipa Community Complex which will eventually include a certified community kitchen and poi mill, a hale imu and an administration building. We are currently wrapping up a capital campaign and expect the kitchen and poi mill will be available for community use in about a year. To find out more about how these new facilities will also support farmers and north shore youth, visit our local food page.

The multipurpose building is now available for use by the communities we serve for meetings, classes and other opportunities that bring folks together. Those interested in finding out more about fees and availability can call Waipa’s office at 826.9969 or email us at waipaonline@waipafoundation.org.

Pictured, L-R: Sam Mahuiki, Neil Hannahs, David & Linda Sproat, Kahu Mokihana Powers, Mayor Bernard Carvalho, Stacy Sproat-Beck, Representative Derek Kawakami, and George Costa.

Since the re-launch of our website in late August, Waipā staff have been busy learning how to manage the new features and working closely with our great web team to make our site more useful to you, the Waipā ‘ohana. To help us accomplish that, we are so grateful in particular to Matt Goodale (w3dd.com) and Lindsey Fritz for their technical expertise, creativity and guidance.

Waipā’s ‘ohana is an amazing community of unique and supportive kupuna, volunteers, families, youth and others who are not only from Kaua‘i, but really from all over the world. All so different and yet all choosing to show aloha ‘aina, love for the land, to our abundant ahupua‘a. And…because the Waipa ‘ohana actively shares in the effort, we are also a community of laulima… of many hands working together.

While most of our work is on the land, Waipa staff do appreciate the potential of the internet to stay in touch. Since we have so many diverse projects all over the ahupua‘a, it excites us to share Waipā’s many faces of abundance.

And…because we certainly know that the full abundance of the ahupua‘a is not just in the ‘aina but also in our many hands, we invite you TOO to share in making our website useful by suggesting topics or providing feedback to us at

waipaonline@waipafoundation.org.

Mahalo nui loa!

Waipā invites north shore parents and youth (ages 15-18 in grades 9-12) to attend the Limahana Program orientation on October 7 at 5:30 p.m. to find out more about our after-school work training program. This program offers youth a chance to get work experience (they are paid $7.50 / hr) while gaining valuable life skills and learning about the Hawaiian culture and environmental stewardship.

Limahana offers youth a chance to connect with caring adult mentors, learn valuable lessons about on the job ethics and team work, experience the joys of working outdoors while they learn about natural resources, work with younger youth and help to grow food!

Our Fall Session will run this year from October 24th until December 16th, 2011.

During this time, participants will have the option of working 2-3 days after-school on a project of their choice.

Participants MUST APPLY and be accepted into the program. To get more information and an application, please come to the Limahana orientation on October 7, 5:30 – 7:00 pm.

Questions? 826-9969