Our state’s third annual celebration of Peace Week ended on a day of luminous sunshine at Kuhio Kalaniana’ole Park aka Rotary Centennial Park.
Tim Hansen, Rotary Club of Hilo Bay, introduced Mayor Mitch Roth’s proclamation formally establishing the last week of September as Peace Week on the Big Island. Benson Medina, District 5000 Trainer & District Governor-Elect 2026, South Hilo Rotary, introduced the Kahu, Moses Kaho’okele Crabbe, who performed a blessing ceremony of the six Peace Poles brought to the park for that purpose. The poles, which will be distributed to other locales, will bring the total number of poles around the island to nearly 50. Benson announced that because polio in nearly eradicated, Rotary will direct a major focus on bringing peace to the world we live in as well as to community, family, and self.
Charlene Iboshi, Club of South Hilo, and Beverly Heikes stressed the need for Hilo’s three clubs to collaborate in our efforts to reach common goals. Charlene and Nancy Cabral discussed the origins of the Peace Poles (the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki), focusing on the story of Sadako Sasaki, two years old at the time of the bombing, who before she died of leukemia at age 12 had folded 1,000 origami cranes. Charlene passed around a basket of Origami Peace Cranes to every person attending the ceremony.
Benson ended the day by introducing Shana Kukila, Club of South Hilo, who performed a mesmerizing hula that recognizes the source of peace.
Moses Kaho’okele Crabbe
Shana Kukila, Rotary Club of South Hilo
Rotary Centennial Park, looking Northwest