Category Archives: Community

Taking Issue

Richard Ha writes:

Gloria Baraquio writes a column in the Hawaii Tribune-Herald, and last month she had a column called Auntie, Sistah, Bruddah or Cuz? It was about a conversation she had with friends about “the rules” –- when do you call someone Auntie, Sistah, Bruddah or Cuz? What’s the difference between Bruddah and Cuz? And more.

It reminded me of something that happened to me recently, and after her column appeared I sent Gloria this note:

Aloha Gloria,

I am 62 years old now. Six or seven years ago, when I was into serious power lifting, a kid I estimated to be 17 or 18 years old called me Uncle in the gym. As in, “Excuse me Uncle while I grab this dumbbell.”

“I not your uncle.” “No call me Uncle if you no can out lift me.” “If I’m your uncle then I should be able to slap your head.” I said all this to myself. I think there should be a rule that one cannot call another person in the gym Uncle.

That was 6 or 7 years ago. When it happened, my thinning hair stood up. But soon after that, I found the humor in the situation. I like to find any excuse to laugh.

A couple of weeks ago, a young guy maybe in his late 20s/early 30s was entering One Plus One Café with his wife and young child while June and I were leaving. He jumped forward, pulling the door open for us, and said in the most sincere, respectful way possible: “You go, Ta’ta.” I accepted in the most gracious way I knew how –- nodding, body language, “Thanks, eh.”

On the one hand it was so nice to see respect for traditional values. On the other hand, I’m a ta’ta. “Did you hear that, June? He called me ta’ta.” She laughed, knowing that I refuse to even accept senior citizen discounts.

Anyway, you know what I mean. I love your column.

Richard

I got a note back from her. It started,

Hi Ta’ta. That’s HILARIOUS!

Farm Stand!

There is something interesting going on behind the scenes at Hamakua Springs and I talked Richard into letting me tell you about it.

They are fixing up a small building that has long sat empty on the road at the edge of the farm, and the plan is to open a farm stand there, probably around late August.

It will most likely be open on Saturday mornings, though everything is still in preliminary stages right now. Richard says the number one goal is to serve the farm’s neighbors in Pepe‘ekeo (though you are welcome, too).

On Fridays, you’ll be able to come here to the blog and see what produce will be available the following morning.

“It will depend on the season,” Richard told me. “I can tell you for sure that we’re going to try to do watermelons and melons during the off-season. Smaller, personal-size specialty melons, like the French Chrentais. That’s an orange-fleshed melon with a real sweet aroma you can smell through the skin.

“And pumpkins at Halloween, and I don’t know what else yet. This is all kind of new to us, so we are doing a lot of experimenting.”

He says they don’t intend the farm stand to compete with the supermarkets. In addition to selling “seconds” of bananas, tomatoes and other produce, they will test-market different, interesting produce there.

You’ll get to see (and buy) some of the fancy vegetables Hamakua Springs grows for and sells to chefs, but which aren’t available in the stores. Like really tiny baby lettuces, different-colored carrots and radishes and small eggplants and squashes that are great for throwing on the grill. Richard says they are tastier than some of what’s available at the market, and I can attest to that.

There will also be gift baskets of various combinations of produce.

“We’ll do what we do,” he says, “and develop it along the way. Who knows where it will go. It’s kind of exciting. I know that we’ll be very responsive to the people and what they want to see.”

Richard is very open to ideas as they think through the scope of the farm stand. “I’d like to hear what people think might be unique or interesting—something they’d like to see in a farm stand that’s not being done now, or a kind of product that’s not being produced now,” he says. “We’re just open to all kinds of suggestions.”

If you have ideas, you can comment here or contact Richard directly at “mkeabanana@aol.com.”

You’ll have to stop by the farm stand if only to have a look at the building, too, because it has an interesting history. It sits near the old airstrip, and Richard says they assumed it had been used to support the airplane operation, which the sugar plantations used to fertilize the sugarcane.

But he has since learned the building predated the airstrip, and thinking back, he remembered there were leather harnesses in the building when they bought the farm. It turns out the building was there to support mules, back when the plantations used to plow with mules.

We’ll update you here as plans develop. And if you have ideas and want to help shape the farm stand, let us know.

We’re almost halfway to our goal of sending Keaukaha Elementary students on field trips they otherwise won’t get to take. Click here.

– posted by Leslie Lang

Adopt-a-Class

Richard Ha writes:

Lately I have learned a lot about Keaukaha Elementary School.

Such as that the school cannot afford to take its students on field trips. The field trips its students usually take are walking excursions around the neighborhood.

Keaukahaschool

My friend Duane Kanuha and I have this big idea, and we’re asking for your help: We want to send Keaukaha students on excursions that broaden their horizons and help them develop excitement for learning and positive attitudes about their place in the world. It’s my opinion that if Hawaiian kids are comfortable with their place in the world, they will not hesitate to participate in that world.

I’m specifically thinking about excursions to Hilo’s new astronomy center ‘Imiloa. ‘Imiloa is particularly powerful because it situates the Hawaiian culture and scientific knowledge in parity with the highest level of astronomy. It is a “discovery center” that celebrates both science (the world-class astronomy atop nearby Mauna Kea) and Hawaiian culture (including the marvels of traditional Hawaiian voyaging, navigation and much more).

It’s a place where Hawaiian kids see that there are careers and avocations directly related to their culture, and that these cultural traditions are important enough that they are celebrated in a world-class museum. And that the people pursuing these careers and passions are people who look just like them and their families.

Through my involvement with the advisory board of the UHH’s Keaholoa STEM program (a group that supports college-age Native Hawaiian students in Math and Sciences) I have learned that the most important years for a child are the formative years from Kindergarten to 8th grade. Children need to be engaged between K and 8th grade in order to be successful at the college level in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).

I’ve also learned that between Kindergarten and 8th grade is when children develop their beliefs about their place in the world.

I compare the situation at Keaukaha Elementary to that of my grandson Kapono, a Kamehameha Schools student who thinks that all his school’s incredible facilities and programs are “normal.” It’s all he knows. Consequently, nothing is beyond his horizon.

I also think of St. Joseph’s School. Hamakua Farms donated some produce as part of a recent St. Joseph’s fundraiser, which the school held at Restaurant Kaikodo. The fundraiser raised $10,000.

These schools have the funds and the ability to nurture their students through those important “formative” years. But what about students at schools like Keaukaha Elementary School, which doesn’t have adequate funding and where students do not have access to the same sorts of resources?

I asked Lehua Veincent, Keaukaha Elementary School’s principal, how much it would cost to send each class at Keaukaha Elementary School on an excursion to ‘Imiloa twice a year. With a 50-passenger bus costing about $300, and entry fees at $5.50 per student, it would cost about $600 for each class to take one trip to ‘Imiloa, where students can see what Hawaiians have done, and can do.

Imiloa3_2
‘Imiloa photo by Macario

Keaukaha School has seven grade levels (K – 6th), and just one class per grade. We are soliciting people to adopt one grade, for one semester, for $600 – which will send them on a field trip during that semester of the 2007-2008 school year.

For instance, one person (or group) would donate $600 in order to sponsor, say, the 3rd graders on a field trip to ‘Imiloa during the second semester.

We’ll let the teachers, of course, have final say where they go for a field trip. We just want to make sure that should they choose a visit to ‘Imiloa, money will not be a barrier.

After the excursion, the students will write letters thanking the sponsors and saying what they got from the trip, which we will post.

When you realize that because of lack of funding, Keaukaha Elementary students are confined to a walk around their neighborhood for field trips, you can see that this is a very specific place where we can make a real difference in kids’ lives.

My interest in Keaukaha Elementary School came about as a result of my work on a subcommittee of the Hawai‘i Island Economic Development Board that was working with the TMT people – the ones considering putting the Thirty Millimeter Telescope atop Mauna Kea.

I joined that group because I was determined that should this extensive, multi-million dollar telescope project come to Mauna Kea, it would actually benefit the people of Hawai‘i. We all know this isn’t the norm re: the telescopes atop Mauna Kea.

I started to ask some basic questions, such as: Where is the center of the universe for all things Hawaiian on this island? I determined it was Keaukaha Elementary School, because it has been in existence for 75 years and its primarily Hawaiian alumni are spread far and wide.

Then I asked myself, “What is the tangible benefit of astronomy in Hawai‘i to the Keaukaha community?” I could not find anything the community would agree was a direct benefit. But that’s a whole other story.

I learned a lot about Keaukaha Elementary School as a result of all this. And I found something very specific we can do to help its kids.

Here’s how it works. You can adopt-a-class for the whole $600, or be a partial sponsor by donating $300, $200 or $100. Click here to see who’s already sponsoring what class, and which classes are still available.

Download and fill out the commitment form, fax it back to me at 981-0756 (if you’re off-island, it’s area code 808), and we’ll update the website chart to include your name. Please mail me your check, made payable to the non-profit Keaukaha School Foundation, within 30 days (or by the start of the semester; those details are here).

And then sit back and know that you are making a real difference in the lives of children in our community.

CAN!!!

Richard Ha writes:

I was asked to give the commencement speech at the Hawai‘i Community College graduation last week. I immediately thought of stories my dad told me when I was growing up, and how they affected me all of my life.

Here’s a copy of my speech:

***

Good evening, graduating students, parents, teachers, Chancellor Freitas and visiting dignitaries. Thank you for inviting me to speak.

Tonight, instead of giving you a regular speech, I want to tell you stories of what I think helped influence me along the way. Hopefully it can help you as well.

I believe that: If you can imagine it, you can do it! And you can do it without sacrificing your core values along the way. Being street smart is the way to get there.

I flunked out of UH Manoa and was drafted into the Army. I applied to go to officer candidate school and volunteered to go to Vietnam. I was not the best student, but I had common sense.

After I left the service, I went back to school and got a degree in accounting. I kept all my core values and was able to reach several of my long-term goals, and am still working on many others. To me the most important things are:

1. Follow your dreams.

2. Look for several solutions to each potential problem, and then look for one more, just in case.

3. Do not sacrifice your core values for any reason.

At the dinner table, Dad would tell stories. He was a farmer then, but he did a lot of other things in his life. He would tell stories about taking on huge projects with large obstacles and unbeatable odds. He always figured out a way around the problems.

He would always say, “Not, no can!!” (pound the table) “Can!!!!” (pointing his finger in the air). And the dishes would bounce off the table.

He would go on to say, “There are a thousand reasons why ‘No can.’ I am only looking for one reason why ‘Can!’”

Those words, “Not, no can!!” (pound the table) “Can!!” stayed with me all my life.

Although “Not, no can! Can!” was the thing that stood out in my mind for many years, much later I realized that it was the way he taught me how to be a survivor that made it possible for me to make “Not, no can! Can!!” work.

It is easy to say it and it is dramatic. But how do you actually make it work? And how do you make it work without sacrificing your core values along the way?

These stories that Pop told helped me visualize solutions to problems before they occurred. He taught me how to be a survivor.

Some people call what he taught me “street smarts.” Others call it “common sense.” If you have to pay someone to teach you how to do this, it’s called “contingency planning.” Whatever it is called, I learned how to do that.

1. He told us kids about aholehole fishing at night with a couple of friends on the tip of a rocky point. It was at my tutu lady Meleana Kamahele’s place down Maku’u. There were no collapsible poles back then—they used long, two-inch-around real bamboo poles. They had lanterns shining on the water when he saw, in the darkness, white water coming! The wave came in and pounded on the rock where they were standing, and covered everything. He told me, “I climbed up the bamboo pole, hand over hand, and lifted my legs up and the wave passed right underneath.” His two friends ended up in the water and he helped get them out. It captured my imagination. What a story and what an impact on a young kid.

2. And he would say, “If an earthquake came that was so strong it would knock everybody down, what you going do? You jump in the air and do a turn. Hit the ground and immediately jump back up again.”

How come do a turn, I asked? “Because after a few jumps, you see everything,” he answered. I thought, “Yeah, that’s right!”

3. You are driving 55 miles per hour and a dog crosses the road in front of you. “What you going do? It’s going to happen so fast that you have to know ahead of time what to do.” You have no time to look in your rearview mirror; you can drift to the left as long as there is no car coming; you can drift to the right depending on the road shoulder. You can tap your brakes, but only so far before you start to risk the driver in the back. “What you going do?” Pop said.

“Press the gas and run ’em over.” I did not understand at the time. But he was saying, rather than risk human lives, you should press the gas and eliminate the chance of doing something wrong.

When I think about it now, he was saying: to avoid the chance of doing something stupid, run over the dog. Hard to do? Life is hard. Sometimes you gotta make the call. You don’t want to hesitate and hurt somebody else. He said it was okay if you kill yourself. But not okay to kill somebody else.

These were lessons in being prepared for emergencies and being prepared for life. And as a result it became second nature to me. And I would always go through “what-if” scenarios in my mind. So if a situation occurred, I always had several alternatives worked out in my mind. It became second nature with me.

I can remember two times when it might have made the ultimate difference. The first was in a rice paddy in Vietnam, when a sniper opened up on us. We ran and jumped into a small depression next to a thatched hut. When we hit the ground we realized there were three guys already hiding there.

I knew that this was not good; one grenade could get us all. So I grabbed my radio operator and told him, Let’s go. And we ran for cover a short distance away. Bullets flew all around us. As soon as we hit the ground we heard a loud whump! A grenade had been thrown right into the place we left. Street smart? Common sense? Whatever! It helped me do the right thing.

The second time was when I was in Texas, flying at 100 mph down a two-lane road, top down, in my 62 ’Vette. All of a sudden there was another car overtaking, and there were three of us on a road meant for two. “What you going do?”

I immediately flipped my blinker to the right and started to slide over, communicating nonverbally. I did not give him time to make the wrong move. Three of us flew past each other with inches to spare. I knew exactly what to do. I did not even get nervous. I just looked in the rearview mirror and nodded to myself: Yep. ’At’s how!

I did not realize until much later that this street smarts, common sense, contingency planning thing is what made it possible for me to implement: “Not, no can! Can!!” When you have long-term goals, you are faced with short-term decisions along the way. Making the wrong short-term decision will hurt you in the long run if it causes you to give up your core values. Sometimes, you just have to press the gas and run over the dog in order to keep your core values.

You can keep your core values and make the right short-term decisions if you have street smarts. When you are street smart you will figure out just how far you can go toward your long-term goals without causing yourself too much damage. You will know how much room you can give yourself so you don’t have to sacrifice your core values.

If you cannot find a solution that will allow you to keep your core values, no matter how tempting, don’t give up your core values. Remember: “Not, no can! Can!!” You can find that solution that will allow you to keep your core values.

But to balance things off, in case someone misinterpreted Pop’s generosity, he would lean forward and say, with a clenched fist and a mean face, to an imaginary person: “No Mistake my Kindness for Weakness!”

I can tell you right off that your core values are worth fighting for, and if you’re street smart you can figure out how to make the right decisions, even if there is a short-term disadvantage. In the long run, it is how you are able to keep your core values that will define you. It’s not money; it’s not fame.

Some of the important core values are:

1. Your family is most important.

2. Taking care of the keiki now, and a hundred years from now, is most important.

3. Your good friends are most important. I said good friends; I did not say bad friends.

4. Your word is most important.

5. Taking care of the most defenseless around you is most important.

6. Leaving no one behind is most important.

7. Taking care of your community is most important.

8. Taking care of the environment is most important.

If you’re street smart, you can figure out how you are going to reach your long-term goals without sacrificing your core values.

So when you see white water coming, climb up the fishing pole and lift up your legs. If the earthquake is strong, jump in the air and do a small turn. If you can remember these things you will know what I mean when I say: “NOT, NO CAN!” (pound the table) “CAN!!”

Thank you, and good luck, everyone.

***

I seemed to hit my target audience well. I could see the guys really engaged. Some of the girls were more interested in talking story, but a strong-looking Hawaiian girl was waving her fist and yelling, “Right on!”

At the end, when I said, “Not, no can! Can!” and pounded the table, they yelled with me, “CAN!!” It was fun.

At least 10 students coming through the line afterward commented and even thanked me for the speech. They had to shake hands with maybe 10 people, so it was hard to make comments. But some did. I was pleased.

The Haps

It was happening in downtown Hilo last Friday, when St. Joseph School held its “Hilo’s Happening” fundraiser to raise money for the school’s scholarship and tuition assistance program.

About 170 people attended the event held downtown at Restaurant Kaikodo. Hamakua Springs donated produce for the evening, which featured heavy pupus among other treats.

Room

Beforehand, the farm’s Charlotte Romo took the restaurant’s head chef a sampler box, which included some of our experimental crops like eggplant and baby squash.

Charlotte, who has two daughters at St. Joseph’s, attended the event with her husband Rodrigo.

“The chef created some really nice pupus from our produce,” she said. “There were crisped eggplant slices topped with sautéed mushrooms; there was a pasta with eggplant, squash and tomatoes; he made a delicious crostini with the cocktail tomatoes that had a hint of spice; and there were cucumber caps filled with a rich, smoky, cheese filling.”

Cucumbercaps

Plate

In addition to pupus, the evening included a wine tasting, live entertainment by Ted and Eric Young, a silent auction of art work donated by such artists as Henry Bianchini, Jane Chao, Macario, Ira Ono and others, and more.

Woodworker and bowl turner Syd Vierra brought some of his bowls in various stages of production. “There was a buzz around the bowls and the artist talked about how he makes them,” said Charlotte. “Some are colored; they are really gorgeous.”

Moms, teachers and some of the high school’s students participated in a fashion show, wearing fashions from local boutiques such as Hana Hou, Rainbow Jo, Diva’s Boutique, Love and Lace, Chi Chi La Fong and also Macy’s.

“Everyone looked very sharp,” said Charlotte, “and Mrs. Hoshide could easily be a supermodel instead of a first-grade teacher, but we’re glad she isn’t!”

Some St. Joseph’s high school students put on a trash fashion show, as well. Teresa Fuata, who has two children at St. Joe’s and is vice president of the school’s Parent-Teacher Guild—and who organized the event—described it. “They used recycled materials, creating, actually, stunning outfits,” she said. “One was coffee filters; there were old maps, plastic bags. It was a hit of the evening.”

Fashiontrash

Sharon Alapai of the Hilton Waikoloa prepared desserts, as did Penny Yu.

Charlotte called the elegant Restaurant Kaikodo the perfect setting. “Everyone was dressed Hilo style—from shorts and flip-flops to tuxedos. Also, St. Joseph’s is such a small school,” she said, “that it was fun to have a grown-up event and see everyone kick up their heels, including the sisters.”

Teresa Fuata says the event grossed nearly $10,000. “It was a very successful evening,” she said. “And it was very fun. People are already saying they’re looking forward to the second annual one.”

Astrophysicist at Work

Richard and June recently took their grandson Kapono and granddaughter Kimberly to ‘Imiloa. That’s Hilo’s state-of-the-art, primarily NASA-funded, $28-million, 40,000-square-foot exhibition and planetarium complex, which strives to present both science—the world-class astronomy being done atop Mauna Kea—and the mountain’s highly significant cultural importance to Hawaiians. Most in the community seem to agree it does a good job at both.

The Has and their grandchildren watched the planetarium show, and afterward went up to see who was controlling the computers. “It turned out to be this very nice, confident UHH student working part-time,” says Richard. “Her name was ‘Ahia Dye.”

Twenty-six year old ‘Ahia, who grew up in Kailua, O‘ahu, is graduating this semester from the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo with a bachelor’s degree in Astronomy and a minor in Physics. She is also studying Hawaiian Studies, and will continue on at UHH after graduation to complete her undergraduate degree in that field as well.

“The more I get into the professional field,” she says, “the more I realize the importance of knowing both your culture and the science together. It’s an important background to have. I’m finding it very very helpful, and fun too.”

I asked ‘Ahia how she became interested in the sciences, and she told me about her elder brother, a physicist, who always talked to her about their natural environment. “We would walk down to the beach and he would explain to me that the moon rises about an hour later every night,” she says, “and how the sun changes its position along the horizon as it rises throughout the year.”

‘Ahia’s job at ‘Imiloa is an internship she got through participating in UH Hilo’s Keaholoa STEM program, an NSF-funded program that supports Hawaiians in the sciences. Coincidentally, Richard is a new advisory board member of the program.

“There are about 20 interns now,” says ‘Ahia. “Besides going to school full time, they all participate in internships in their fields. That’s what kept me in astronomy, this internship, and given me an edge. Getting into the field is so different from studying the books. And being surrounded by so many Hawaiian kids; seeing all of us striving and moving forward in fields where we’re not so well-represented.”

Now that she’s graduating, she has been offered a position at ‘Imiloa.

Richard says, “I’m sure she doesn’t realize how important it is, what a role model she is, as a female native Hawaiian astrophysicist. It blows me away.”

‘Ahia is a role model in another way, too. She overcame a learning disability to get to where she is today. “I’m very dyslexic and I was failing out of 9th grade,” she says. “I was a good student, but I just wasn’t doing well.” Her parents enrolled her at Honolulu’s Assets School.

“They focus on what you can do there,” she says, “and push you in that way. They pushed technology and math and sciences. It was really fun. It’s different for every person, but what Assets did for me is they taught me how to interpret information and how to more quickly absorb it using different mediums.”

Richard was not the only one impressed with ‘Ahia; she also had a major impact on his grandson Kapono, who is 17. “He’s the kind of kid that has had no trouble with advanced math,” says Richard, “but he had not found his calling. Seeing ‘Ahia in action just blew him away. It gives me chicken skin to talk about it. Now he wants to volunteer to work at ‘Imiloa, and she said she would try to help him get in there.”

‘Ahia has only positive things to say about Kapono. “I think he’s going to be just outstanding,” she says. “He already has that mentality. He knows enough about computers, he’s going to learn a lot about astronomy, he already has the people skills, and he’s very nice and also motivated.

“My boss Shawn Laatsch, the planetarium manager, has been working in planetariums since high school,” she added. “I can see the same look in Kapono; the same ‘ano [nature] as Shawn. I think he’s going to be really great.” — posted by Leslie Lang

Fire Engine Red

Richard Ha writes:

We have a contingency plan in place in terms of who to give our excess tomatoes to when we have an unexpected spike in production. So when we did recently, we were ready. We had already decided that we would give extra tomatoes to teachers, public safety personnel and caregivers.

Recently I wrote about taking cocktail tomatoes to several elementary schools for them to distribute to their students, staff and teachers.

This week, for the first time, we were able to give to public safety personnel. We had enough cocktail tomatoes that we were able to give one container to every firefighter and EMT on the Big Island.

Ff_paramedics_jesse_wayne
Paramedics Jesse and Wayne

Okinaka
Firefighter Okinaka

Medic3_marvin_grant
Medics Marvin and Grant

Dispatchers_dori_penny_capt_lum
Dispatchers Dori and Penny with Captain Lum

They told us they were really grateful that someone from the community felt moved to so such a thing. I told them our workers are happy to work for a company that can do it. It’s a win-win situation for everybody.

We appreciate all that fire personnel do for our community. Mahalo from all of us at Hamakua Springs County Farms.

Exploring Historic Hilo

Richard Ha writes:

This past Saturday, June and I went to a book signing at the Book Gallery in downtown Hilo. Leslie Lang was autographing her new book, Exploring Historic Hilo.

With the Hilo Farmers Market bustling with activity around the corner, parking was hard to find. We parked several blocks away, across from the East Hawai‘i Cultural Center at Kalakaua Park, and walked over.

It was appropriate that it was a busy day in small town Hilo. It lent excitement to this special event.

We had never been to a book signing before and it looked exactly as I imagined it would. People were chatting animatedly with Leslie, she was wearing a nice flower lei and her books were arranged on the table around her. She was the focus of attention. We bought a book and asked for her autograph, and then: “On second thought, can you also sign another one?” We chatted for a short while and then had to move on.

Leslie_book_signing_002

From the first time Leslie interviewed me for an article in the Hawaiian Airlines in-flight magazine Hana Hou, I knew she had a special talent. We sat down for a short time and she was all business. No wasting of time.

When I saw the story, I was floored. She got so much information out of me in such a short time and it was expressed accurately and in just the right tone. Just the right tone. That’s a luxury in many cases.

Since then, I asked her to develop a website for us. When it was done, I told her, “That’s the first time someone’s ever captured exactly what we are all about.”

Later I asked her to help me put together a blog. For almost a year now we’ve written three posts per week, every week. Sometimes she writes the post, and other times I do. When I write it, she edits and offers suggestions for additions or clarifications. But when she’s done with it, it is still me. She keeps my personality intact, warts and all. She also writes press releases and puts together various other written materials for the farm. I’ve told her before: “When it comes to writing, you are like a master wood carver and I am like a carpenter.”

So it was a thrill for me to stand in line and get her autograph. Exploring Historic Hilo is a pictorial history of Hilo, with archival photographs and captions that detail the town’s history. It’s a great book to give as a gift. We’re going to go to her next signing and get a few more.

You can read more about Leslie’s writing at her website. And if you would like to talk with her about writing for your company, I’m sure she’d be happy to talk with you. Email her at leslie@leslielang.com.

Leslie writes: Just as that post where Charlotte and I called Richard “ethical” made him uncomfortable, so, too, does it make me squirm a bit to post this. But I thank you, Richard, for all your very kind words. It is truly a delight to work with you.

Thank You’s, continued

Richard Ha writes:

We recently received some great thank you letters from students in Emma Kato’s 4th-grade class at Hilo Union School, after taking some surplus tomatoes to that school, as well.

Ms. Kato wrote: “…We always ask our students to reach out to others to make lives better. You certainly did that to us.”

And her students wrote some very interesting, impressive and fun letters. A sampling:

Hilounion5

Dear Mr. Ha,

Thank you for the extrodanary tomato. It tasted magnificent.

I learned hydroponics is a way to grow plants without soil. You get about 130 inches of rain a year and that you’ve been working 30 years from your website.

I used them for a nori, tomato, viniger mix but I ate one plain.

Aloha, Trent

Hilounion2

Dear Mr. Ha,

Thank you for donating your delicious tomatos at Hilo Union School. I’m sure every student was pleased.

This tomatos is very sweet and has just the right amount of acidity. My family and I enjoyed eating it for dinner. Once again I would like to thank you for the tomatos.

From, Crystelynn

Hilounion6

Dear Mr. Ha,

Thanks for the great tomatoes that you donated to our school.

It was good and sweet in our lomi and salads.

I gave it to my mom and she made salads with it. My family and I enjoyed your delicious tomatoes.

Once again I would like to show my appriciation.

Thank you, Kyson

Hilounion7

Dear Mr. Ha,

Thank you Mr. Ha for donating tomatoes to Hilo Union School. The school really appreciate the tomatoes that you donated.

We went to the computer and type your website and I found out you grow banana before you grow tomates.

I gave the tomates to my dad because I know how much my dad loves tomates. Cause he makes tomates with every meal. And we enjoy it.

Thank you, Kawehionalani

Hilounion3

Dear Mr. Ha,

Thanks for donating the cocktail tomatoes to our school. They were delicious!

We went to our computer lab and went to your website and learned about the benefits of growing with hydroponics. It avoids pests and diseases that can come with growing plants in soil.

I gave it to my grandma and she made saled and we ate it for dinner. And I ate a little and it was the best tomatoe I’ve ever eaten.

Aloha, Chaycelyn

Hilounion9

Dear Mr. Ha,

Thank you for the tomatoes. It was de-licious. It was juicey and sweet. It was like healthy candy in my mouth.

I just ate the tomatoes for lunch, plain like a fruit.

Aloha, Alohi

Hilounion1

Dear Mr. Ha.

Thanks for the fantastic tomato’s. When we went on the computer I learned that the benefets of growing with hydroponics are they avoid pests and deaseses. And the energy costs are lower. And I also learned that your farm grows award-winning tomatos, bananas, lettuce and cucumbers that are available throughout Hawaii.

When I brought the tomatos home, my grandpa from Phillipines made some kind of tomato sauce that taste good with rice and fish.

Aloha, Patrick

Hilounion10

Dear Mr. Ha,

Thank you for the great tomatoes. On your farm, your company grows a lot of other products. Like bananas and lettuces. My mom use the tomatoes in a salad.

Blaire

Hilounion4_2

Dear Mr. Ha,

Thanks for giving us the tomatoes, it was good. I ate my tomatoes and gave some to my parents. Thank you for thinking about Hilo Union and giving us the tomatoes to eat. That was a nice thing to do. So good luck and plant some more tomatoes.

Joseph

Thanks!

Richard Ha writes:

A couple months ago we had a short, sharp spike in tomato production, so we decided to give some of our surplus to the Keonepoko Elementary School students, their teachers and the rest of the staff. Keonepoko is a large school, and we were looking to give out several hundred 1-lb. containers of cocktail tomatoes.

We received thank you notes from the students in the mail. I read every one. The most interesting part of giving tomatoes to students is reading the notes they send back.

Here is a small sampling:

Mr. Richard Ha and Hamakua springs thank you for donating the tomatoes to the school. I really enjoyed the tomatoes, it tasted delicious. My family enjoyed it too. We ate it for dinner with rice, and sliced meat. The tomatoes tasted really ono with shoyu. And also hope you have a Happy Easter, and take care. From, Zaira

Keonepoko_1


Dear Mr. Richard Ha,

Thank you for the tomatoes. I loved them. My dad even loved them he made tacos with them. Everybody was washing them at the sinks and then they ate them. Almost the whole school ate them. Thank you for donating us delicious tomatoes.

Sincerely,

Ibrahim

Keonepoko_4


Dear Mr. Richard Ha,

Thank you for the tomatose. The tomatoes is very good. My family love the tomatse. Some time we play tomato fight. Then we plant the seed to grow more tomato.

Sincerely,

Kaysen


Keonepoko_6


Thank you Mr. Richard Ha for the tomatoes. I liked there nice taste it went well in my mothers salsa. It was the most nicest thing a guy like you could do for all the kids at Keonepoko Elm.

Crystal

Keonepoko_3


Dear Mr. Richard Ha,

Thank you Mr Richard. I liked the tomatoes. I really liked it. I throw a tomato at my fraind. Do you plant the tomatoes? My dad used to plant them when he was working with plants.

Sincerely,

Savannah

Keonepoko_7


Hi Mr. Richard Ha and Hamakua Springs, I thank you for the delicious tomatos and thank you for donateing.

Sincerely, Jensen

P.S. Please come again.