UHM Nursing partners with Kōkua Kalihi Valley for The Great Kalihi Cargo Haul
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Sau Hsu, KVIBE Coordinator
March 1, 2012 shsu@kkv.net (808)843-1545 (office)
KVIBE LAUNCHES MOBILE REPAIR SHOP, INSPIRES ENTHUSIASM FOR CYCLING AND HEALTH THROUGH “THE GREAT KALIHI CARGO HAUL” GROUP RIDE.
Honolulu – Kokua Kalihi Valley invites cycling enthusiasts to join The Great Kalihi Cargo Haul. The Kalihi Valley Instructional Bicycle Exchange (KVIBE) is partnering with UH Manoa Nursing students and the Queen’s Medical Center to provide a bicycle safety instruction and one hundred free bicycle helmets to the youth whom participate at KVIBE. On Saturday, March 17th KVIBE and partners will host a group ride up to Kokua Kalihi Valley’s Ho‘oulu ‘Aina Nature Preserve, where participants will learn about land preservation and restoration as well as the rich history and culture of Kalihi Valley that often goes untold.
Youth will be encouraged to pedal from KVIBE’s brick-and-mortar warehouse to Ho‘oulu ‘Aina Nature Preserve. At the Nature Preserve, youth will work on the land amongst KKV staff, volunteers, and the community of Kalihi. This is in tandem with Ho‘oulu ‘Aina’s Third Saturday Community Work Day. A KKV shuttle will be provided for youth who wish to participate at the Nature Preserve but are unable to make the bicycle group ride.
Local business such as McCully Bicycle and Sporting Goods and Fresh Café will be providing The Great Kalihi Cargo Haul with incentives for participation. Domestic businesses such as Terrible One BMX and Clif Bar will complete the sponsorship.
The Great Kalihi Cargo Haul will officially mark the launch of the mobile annex KVIBE. Provided by funding from the Hawaii State Department of Health’s Healthy Hawaii Initiative, a domestically hand-crafted Metrofiets cargo bicycle will be utilized to expand KVIBE’s reach within the community. Following the March 17th launch, bicycle education, safety training and repairs will be provided on a regular basis at convenient locations throughout Kalihi Valley.
The group ride is open to all bicycle enthusiasts, who should gather at KVIBE’s Warehouse at 1638 Kamemeha IV Road at 7 AM on March 17th. KVIBE asks the community to please consider a twenty-dollar donation to provide helmets for future youth cyclists.
Kokua Kalihi Valley is a Community Health Center that has promoted healing and reconciliation in Kalihi Valley for 40 years. KVIBE, an afterschool earn-a-bicycle program that serves nearly 200 Kalihi Valley youth each month, was established in 2004 and is currently funded by the Healthy Hawaii Initiative of the Hawaii State Department of Health. Through KVIBE and other programs, Kokua Kalihi Valley is addressing the social determinants that impact health, including access to active living opportunities. Further, KVIBE provides a safe space for positive development, and to use bicycles as a means of instilling Kalihi Valley youth with a greater sense of self-confidence, improved life-skills and hope for the future. More information can be found at www.kkv.net or www.k-vibe.blogspot.com.
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