Activities ranging from disc golf and bean bag toss to painting trash cans will be part of free event marking national “Kids to Parks Day,” Saturday, May 19 at War Memorial Complex from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. The event is being put on by the County of Maui Mayor’s Office and the Department of Parks & Recreation, in partnership with Maui Economic Opportunity (MEO) Inc., Maui Family Support Services Inc., Boys & Girls Clubs of Maui, Inc., and PATCH (People Attentive to Children) Hawaii.
During Kids to Parks Day, Boys & Girls Clubs of Maui will offer disc golf, tic tac toe bean bag toss, and hula hoop; MEO Inc. will provide an opportunity for future leaders to play kickball with community leaders, as well as to provide community service by painting trash cans; Maui Family Support Services, Inc. will offer basketball-related activities for toddlers as well as children 5 and older; and PATCH will provide a hilltops and river stones activity for youngsters and will give away free books to children.
“Mahalo to all of our sponsors partners who are helping to make this event happen,” said event organizer Mike Molina, Executive Assistant to the Mayor’s Office. “This is an event that kids and their families can have fun while realizing and appreciating the importance of our parks.”
Mayor Alan Arakawa said the new park-stewards of tomorrow are the children. “The sooner they realize the value of our parks and open space the better,” Arakawa said. “Events like these will help to solidify that relationship.”
The County of Maui will also provide free refreshments and Maui Electric Company has donated reusable bags with McDonald’s and Panda Express food coupons inside which will be given to the first 300 kids who attend Saturday’s event.
According to the National Park Trust, Kids to Parks Day is a nationally coordinated event designed to connect kids and families with their local, state, and national parks. By discovering public lands, kids across the country are learning about park stewardship, outdoor recreation, STEM and history. Through teaching the next generation to appreciate our public lands, NPT is working to foster future park enthusiasts and create the next generation of park stewards.
This year, close to a million people will celebrate Kids to Parks Day. For more information about the national Kids to Parks Day movement, check out the National Park Trust website at https://www.parktrust.org/kids-to-parks-day/. Organizers request the use of the hashtag #KidsToParks’ for latest updates and community engagement.
For more information about the event at War Memorial this weekend contact Mike Molina at the Mayor’s Office at 270-7855.
Photo: Facebook/Boys and Girls Club of Maui
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