HomeMy WebLinkAboutComm No 0021.155 - Testimony - CA-7 - PONC fund and Maintenance fundAiki Anthony Bothell
8th grade student
Volcano School
Volcano, Hawaii
Charter Commission
Hilo, Hawaii 96720
Aloha Commissioners.
My name is Aiki Bothell and my parents are from the Kailiawa family
line. We live in Volcano, Hawaii and I am an 8th grade student at
Volcano school of Arts and Sciences IVSASI. My class helps with a
program we call the Kawa project and I am honored to go to Kawa twice
a month and Malama the aina [care for the land], and Aloha the aina
[love the land]. Kawa is magical and full of wildlife and we've spent two
years of blood, sweat, and tears to help this now life -filled area that was
before a quiet, sad filled land. When I first went there, it smelled like
sadness and the sand was filled with negativity.
But two years ago, a brave group of heros IKumu lames Akan, Uncle
Duane, Aunty Clarrisa Pua, Uncle Kaui Felder] stepped up for this land
and guided us through the trees and trash and gave us windom on how
to aloha. And now, Kawa is our Wahi Pana. This place gives us freedom,
widom, and happiness. We've spent so many time with our hands and
feet to make this place more pleasing to the eye. And we find more
people coming to Kawa to help us. We have a garden full of native
species and we spread them around Kawa. We helped a lot of wildlife
and even uncovered old artifacts.
Comm. No. 21.155
We want to uncover Kawa once again and the 2% land fund will help us
a lot! We want to make Kawa for locals and tourists alike to have this
place as a special, wildlife reserve forever!
Please help us with this project and keep the 2% land fund. We promise
that from this generation to the next, we will work on this area until its
uncovered its full potential. Our island loves us and we shall love it
back! We shall teach the next generation about Aloha aina [love the
land] and teach them of teaching the next generation on Aloha the Aina!
Thank you for reading and I hope you understand!
Mahalo, Aiki Anthony Bothell.