Volunteers Sewed 4,500 Lei at HDOA Memorial Day Lei Event!

Posted on May 28, 2013 in Main

Flags-flowers

A very warm Mahalo to the estimated 400 people who participated in the first-ever Made with Aloha to Honor our Veterans event this past Saturday.  It was standing-room only at the Plant Quarantine Branch as individuals, families and community groups spend hours sewing lei for veterans interred at the National Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl and the State Veterans’ Cemetery in Kaneohe.  At the end of the day, close to 4,500 lei were sent up to the cemeteries and were placed on the graves on Sunday by local Boy and Girl Scouts.  

Together, we strung thousands of plumeria, tuberose, orchids, crown flower, pakalana, stephanotis, ti leaf and other lei flowers. 

HDOA highlighted Hawaii’s lei flowers to reminds residents to buy local flower lei whenever possible.  This not only helps support our local growers, but also cuts down on the imported flowers which bring in hitchhiking pests and plant diseases that threaten Hawaii’s agriculture and unique environment. A lei also carries a special Aloha when made with locally grown blossoms.

Mahalo to the local media, especially Jai Cunningham of KHON Wake Up 2Day who helped spread the word on Friday morning and to Brandi Higa of KITV Morning News who did live broadcasts on Saturday morning.

Here are some photos from the event

HDOA Display
Jai&kids
JaiKylieAshlyn
Brandiscouts
ScoutsBrandi
leisewer1
leisewers3
leisewers4
leisewers5
leisewers6
leisewers7
leisewers8
leisewers9
leisewersnew
 2girlscouts
 Cindy&Chelise
 HNN
 FFAguysGirlScouts
 Leslie-Warren
 Glenn
crowd1
crowd2
Scouttable
Scoutfamily
Scouttileaf
Cindy&Michelle
Kylie4-Hclub
FFA Students
 Lei Queens
 crowd3
 Crowd4
Carol stringing
leisweres2
Leitable
ti-leaf experts
Ti-leaveleiclass
Sue&Chris
AR
Kent&Brian
whiteplumeria
plumeriadisplay1
plumeriadisplay2
plumerialeipnk
redplumerialei
spikyplumeria
stephanotis
PrinceRubyVanda