HWMO featured on bottom right as Food Drive collection center for Kokua Christian Ministries.
There are two days in Hawaii that have the most wildfires per year on average: New Year's Eve and…July 4th. Safe firework use not only saves lives but prevents wildfires, as well.
We brought our outreach booth down the road to the Parker Ranch Arena for this year's July 4th Parker Rodeo & Horse Races. Our team came out in full force with the help of volunteers Mark & John from Waikoloa CERT who passed out our Fireworks Safety Brochures and Ready, Set, Go! Hawaii Wildland Fire Action Guides to event attendees. We also were the Food Drive collection center for the event, reeling in canned goods from generous people who supported Waimea's own Kokua Christian Ministries' good work to feed those in need in Kohala.
Young firefighter watches in awe as Polaroid come to life.
A few kids stopped by our booth to learn about native Firewise plants that we displayed in front of our table. Some even dressed up in wildland firefighter gear and took home a Polaroid photo of them in the gear - quite entertaining to watch the shock and wonder of young ones as they watched their image slowly appear in front of their eyes like a specter. At the end of the event as everyone in attendance walked past our booth, we passed out a hundred or so Kaleo the Pueo stickers to promote our new wildfire prevention mascot!
Girl looks at front cover of Ready, Set, Go! Hawaii Guide.