Community Comes Together Through Farming and "Slippahs"

Honolulu, HI, September 23, 2009 --(PR.com)-- In a community beset by poverty and broken families, many Makaha Elementary students are able to find solace at what’s known as “The Farm.” For 30 years the programs at Hoa’Aina O Makaha have educated thousands of children and laid a foundation for a deeper sense of community within each of them. One of the requirements to participate at The Farm, is each student must wear footwear such as Hawaiian sandals. This unfortunately, is a luxury many cannot afford. With the assistance of the Hau’Oli Mau Loa Foundation, Scott Hawaii recently paid a visit to The Farm to see how they could help.

Hoa’ Aina O Makaha was founded by Gigi Cocquio in 1979. Being a former priest, his passion has and always will be helping people. Once he found his new home on the west side of Oahu after many years of traveling the world, he found the best way to continue his service was to create a place where people could come to make a difference and be a part of something. According to Gigi, people at The Farm learn this simple truth, “Work is a product of the mind, while caring is an attitude of the heart.” It is because of this motto that Scott Hawaii felt it needed to contribute to the success of The Farm.

Although every little bit of help is needed to maintain the daily operations at The Farm, Gigi is adamant about one thing, “You need to have footwear to participate.” On a daily basis students and volunteers are turned away because they lack footwear. Working on a farm can be very demanding and the thought of a volunteer injuring themselves is much worse than turning down their offer to help. To ensure no ones efforts would be refused again Scott Hawaii donated hundreds of “slippahs” (the footwear of choice in the Hawaiian Islands) to The Farm. Others know slippahs better by the common names sandals, flip-flops and thongs.

Scott Hawaii was founded in 1932. Now in its third generation, they continue to pride themselves on the same principles of quality and comfort that have made them a house hold name in the Hawaiian Islands.

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