honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, August 2, 2009

A day in Kalihi with youth from Japan is 'It'

Advertiser Staff

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Alan Okami hosted the children from Holy Family Home in Osaka, taking them to Menehune Mac in Kalihi.

Photo by Alan Okami

spacer spacer

You know when you find "It?" I'm not talking about Gatorade. I found "It" years ago and have been pursuing it ever since. Yesterday was my turn to host the children from Holy Family Home in Osaka, a home that provides care for children without parents or with parents unable to give care to them. After a nine-year search, I finally found them. We went on one of my "Day in Kalihi" tours with my friends/partners in promoting the Kalihi area.

First stop, Menehune Mac. Two of the family members who own and operate this fantastic operation are Neal and Susan. We all got our special hats and, voila, enter the chocolate factory. Unlike Willy Wonka, this one is real.

Nothing but chocolate here, as in 100 percent chocolate, no fillers, no wax and no oils. All natural.

Our tour guide extraordinaire is Jenna. She gives us the skinny on how to hand-make the goodies. After our lesson, everyone was put to action. Each person got to make their own six-piece chocolate set and send it through the cooling tunnel. What an adventure!

Next stop, Jimmy Chan and Hawaiian Chip Company. Jimmy has a beautiful new warehouse in Kalihi Kai.

We got to sample some chips hot off the cooker. Soooo 'ono! Come to find out, Jimmy was an orphan out of Korea, so this was a special tour for him.

Then on to my place. We had a surprise visit from Aaron Chan of Hawaiian Moon, bearing gifts for all the children. Each one of them now has an authentic "Made in Hawaii" Aloha shirt or dress.

After our tour, we sang them our song and gave each one of them an 'ukulele and a promise. We aim to build a program with the home to visit them each year and build an 'ukulele with every child that passes through their doors. I already love them; after all, I have been waiting a long time for this.

Hence the title of my blog entry, the Song of my Heart. I want "It." More than anything else in the world. "It" drives me, "It" consumes me. I want to make a difference. I want these children to know that though distance may separate us, there are people who care for them deeply.

Needless to say, getting back to work was rather difficult. How can you come down to Earth after spending some time in heaven? It's a beautiful place, filled with children and love. A lot of folks believe that's where God lives. Surprisingly, his home is amongst us, if we are willing to quiet our heart and look for it. The big God lives in the little moments of life, waiting for us to meet him. Nine years — not such a long time to search when you find what you have been looking for.

Alan Okami is the vice president of KoAloha Ukulele. He manages the company and coordinates its marketing efforts. Read his blog at http://kaleookalihi.honadvblogs.com.