KAHUKU — When members of the Baligad family gather for their annual reunion next month, they'll include a road cleanup as part of the weekend activities.

It's something they have done for years to commemorate Rafael B. Baligad — known to all as Papa — the patriarch of the family who brought a wife and four children from the Philippines to Hawai'i to give them a better life working for the Kahuku Sugar Plantation.

About 60 people will join the reunion at the plantation home where Papa raised his children, and maybe 25 of them will don the orange T-shirts of the state Department of Transportation Adopt-a-Highway program, said Benjamin Baligad, youngest son of Rafael and Filipinas Baligad.

"We use this highway cleanup as a way to get the family together," said Baligad, 52. "We do it to commemorate Papa, and we wanted to do something for the community."

Family togetherness was a strong value for the elder Baligad, and even when times were toughest and he was out of work for an extended time because of a strike in 1958, he managed to keep the family — which had grown to eight children — together, said his son.

"Somehow we survived without pay just by going to the beach, fishing, growing our own vegetables," Baligad said. "He still kept the family together."

The cleanups, stretching from the St. Roch Catholic Church to just before the entrance to the Turtle Bay Resort, makes a tremendous difference to how the area looks, said Sherry Martinez, a Kahuku resident and longtime friend of the Baligad family. Knowing that they do it to honor their Papa makes it especially significant because they show respect for the elderly, Martinez said.

"That's what it's all about, the 'ohana," she said. "I think that's what that family stands for, taking care of the family, meaning the community."

The decision to adopt the highway came after Papa Baligad's death about 10 years ago. It was something the family thought they might do for a couple of years, and after the oldest son died a couple of years ago, they thought of ending the practice, Baligad said.

"Then we remembered he wanted to see if we could do it for 10 years," he said, adding that this year is the 10th anniversary of the family highway cleanup.

Debbie Sarsona, the manager for Kahuku Village, said the years passed so quickly that it's hard to believe that the family has been picking up trash four times a year for 10 years. Sarsona said they do a better job than other cleanup groups, and she appreciates the effort that stems from their plantation upbringing.

"Ben is from the sugar plantation, so I think they have this strong feeling about the community and giving back to the community," she said. "That's probably been a driving force for them."

Jerry Chew, a Kahuku resident and friend of Benjamin Baligad, said the family makes a big sacrifice to do the cleanups but that is the way they are: giving, community-minded.

"I give his family a lot of credit," said Chew, a computer consultant. "They really take the time to do that, and sometimes I feel really guilty or lazy. I have other priorities, but I think they sacrifice a lot of time."

Four of Papa Baligad's eight children and his wife have died, leaving only four siblings to carry on the tradition. Two of them still live in Kahuku, one is in Mililani and the other lives on the Big Island. Several of their children live on the Mainland.

There are thoughts of ending the cleanup, but it's the one thing that guarantees a family get-together, Baligad said.

"It's probably something we'll discuss during the family reunion," Baligad said. "Most likely, we'll continue. It's a good thing. It's a good community thing."

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com.