Kalihi Valley Nature Park and Active Living Center

In 2003, Kokua Kalihi Valley (KKV), a comprehensive family services and healthcare agency, received a grant to transform a 100-acre tract of unused land in the Kalihi Valley into the Kalihi Valley Nature Park and Active Living Center. Gary Gill, KKV's Active Living Program Coordinator, envisioned a place where the community could begin to "get back to the land and heal the wounds of their urban existence." The community has embraced his vision, evidenced by a number of community members and volunteers from local organizations and schools, including Honolulu Community College, Halau Lokahi, the Boy Scouts, the National Park Service, and even the local Pig Hunter's Association, who have volunteered their time and energy to restore the house and the surrounding land.

The goal of this program is to create a connection to nature, gardening and hiking for the Kalihi valley's urban residents.

With new roofing, plumbing and electricity courtesy of students from Honolulu Community College, the abandoned, overgrown home is now a residence, a meeting facility, and a classroom for its community members. The dilapidated structure in the middle of the rain forest has become an oasis for active living, community action, cultural education and environmental stewardship. The surrounding land is being transformed into organic community gardens that will provide space for hundreds of people to be more physically active, grow and eat healthy foods to improve their diet and learn to be less dependent on more expensive sources of fresh produce.