A beautiful packet of thank you letters just arrived from Keaukaha Elementary School. Its kindergarten students went on their first excursion sponsored by our Adopt-A-Class program — more specifically, sponsored by John and Linda Tolmie, who generously “adopted” the kindergarten students for the first semester of this school year.

“Mr. Ha and Mr. & Mrs. Tolmie,” wrote teacher Wendi Kimura and the kindergarteners in B1. “Words cannot express how thankful I am to have such special people like you in our lives. We would have NEVER been able to take our keiki on a field trip like this. This is a field trip that will not be forgotten. For myself, living in Hilo all my life, I have never pulled a carrot out of the ground or picked my own pumpkin from a patch. It was so heartwarming to see eyes light up with delight. I thank you for providing our keiki with these awesome experiences!”

Kindergarten teacher Sarah Uchida wrote, “Mr & Mrs. Tolmie and Richard Ha, Thank you so much for giving us this opportunity to visit Kahua Ranch. We had so much fun picking carrots, picking our very own pumpkin, and getting dirty. Your generosity is very appreciated.”

They and kindergarten teacher Ruth Jarneski took their students to Kahua Ranch in Kohala. “They learned about farming and were able to pick their own carrots and pumpkins, which was a big thrill,” says Principal Lehua Veincent. “Even as rainy as it was that day, the children learned and had fun.”

We are thrilled to see our Adopt-A-Class program in action!