Popping Up for Our Community

What started as a passion project has turned into beloved community pop-up events offering Kalihi resources, education, companionship and so much more. Spearheaded by three of KKV’s own, Pearl Sheck, Daisy Park and Diena Peterson, the events have become a safe space for our community to come together, and in turn, helped KKV create an even closer relationship and trust with Kalihi.  

During the height of the Covid pandemic, KKV saw a need to help our community get access to much-needed resources. From medical issues to financial troubles, community members were struggling. “We felt it was our duty to be that response team for our community,” said Diena, who is the Parent Program Coordinator at KKV. “There was so much uncertainty, people didn’t know what to do or who to talk to.” But KKV was able to be that beacon of light through the storm. The trio began with a collection of donated goods and held a pop-up at the Towers at Kūhiō Park (KPT). After seeing an overwhelmingly positive response from the community, Pearl, Daisy and Diena knew they had to keep the ball rolling.  

Although the goal to serve every Kalihi community has been tough to achieve, the team is proud of how far their “passion project” has come. It's been a long journey from the few tables with donated goods that they started with. Now, many other organizations have partnered with KKV to provide our community with education, resources and assistance with any hardships they might have. Relationships and trust have also come from these events. “People are coming out to tell us what they need,” said Pearl, KKV’s Public Housing Coordinator. “It feels so good to know they trust us with their needs.” Medical Billing Specialist Daisy added, “some community members didn’t even know KKV existed, so we got to connect a lot of families with our care.”  

It wasn’t just by chance that Pearl, Daisy and Diena became the leaders of these events. They all felt it was their calling to serve Kalihi in this way. “I grew up with immigrant parents in a low-income household,” said Daisy. “This is my way to give back to my community and make sure they’re taken care of.” Pearl added, “I’ve also lived and worked in this community, and it can be hard. So, when we had the opportunity to provide for families and meet their needs, I couldn’t turn away. It’s so rewarding.” “I’m also from Kalihi and very proud of it,” said Diena. “We knew what families needed and took the bull by the horns and pushed it in the right direction. We are proud to do this out of the kindness of our hearts.”  

Currently, an event is held quarterly, or every three months at KPT. One of those events is the annual End of Summer Bash, which is held in partnership with Parents and Children Together (PACT). “People always look forward to this one because kids can get some clothes or school supplies for the upcoming school year,” said Pearl. “We try to switch it up each year with different resources and donations.” The team is also working with Kahauiki Village to make pop-up events a regular occurrence there. 

In the future, the team hopes to continue expanding the events to provide more outreach and resources for our community. “Even though it hasn’t been that long, I’ve seen a change in the families,” said Pearl. “They are more prepared and more knowledgeable, not anxious and stressed. I can’t explain how good that feels.” The goal is to sustain and maintain the events for generations to come. “We want to make sure the community always knows we’re here for them,” said Diena. “That’s the mindset we always try to have.” 

We want to say a big mahalo to everyone who helped to make this year’s End of Summer Bash possible: 

Community Partners: 
Better Tomorrows, Hawaii State Department of Health, Hawaii Literacy, Ohana Health Plan, Office on Equality and Access to the Courts Judiciary, State of Hawai'i, Parent and Children Together (PACT), PATCH (People Attentive to Children) and the University of Hawaii Cancer Center 

Donors: 
Assistance League Hawaii, Keiki2Keiki, Vanderlyn Hospitality Group and KKV staff and their friends and families.