Every year around IHS founder Fr. Claude du Teil's birthday, The Institute for Human Services puts on a volunteer project to celebrate Founder's Day with fun and good ol' hard work. This year, the projects were centered around our two shelters, namely the blossoming garden outside the Women/Family's shelter.
The day started off with about sixty volunteers signing up for various projects depending on their interest and skills. Projects included: retrieving and distributing mulch, planting new seedlings, building a new garden fence, harvesting vegetables and herbs, working on our wall garden, staking hibiscus near our Men's shelter, repainting handrails, and bringing up a new staircase for better roof access. The volunteers came together and worked efficiently with the guidance of project team leaders.
During the projects, volunteers shared stories about previous IHS projects they have participated in, mothers and daughters spent quality time together, and people that were once strangers became friends. There was a prevalent feeling of teamwork and accomplishment throughout the day. Though they were working hard, it was hard not to notice the smiles on their faces as small talk and stories were shared.
After a rewarding day, volunteers and staff sat down together to enjoy a lunch of enchiladas, tossed salad, watermelon, and homemade ginger iced tea. As the day drew to a close, IHS dedicated a rock memorial to the late John Sousa, former clinical director of IHS. The memorial was surrounded by native Hawaiian plants and adorned with a maile lei as Executive Director Connie Mitchell said a few words.
The work done during Founder's Day helps our garden and shelters continue to move forward. The seedlings, surrounded by new mulch, will continue to be a part of our growing garden. Everything we harvest will be put to use in our kitchens, making the meals IHS serves more nutritious. The new staircase will help us as we continue to expand our gardens and aquaponics system onto the roof.
Through our Founder's Day projects we were able to honor the legacy of Fr. Du Teil while continuing to look towards IHS' future. Good work to all our volunteers who helped out!
