Friday, January 27, 2017

Announcing our Inaugural Kalihi Ahupuaʻa Ride!




1st Annual Kalihi Ahupua’a Bike Ride

Saturday June 24, 2017
Ride Starts @ Ho'oulu 'Āina, 9:00am-Pau (Around 12:00pm)
Space is limited so register today!

Thanks to the generous contribution of the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, Kokua Kalihi Valley and KVIBE are excited to announce Hawai'i's newest educational bicycle ride, our first annual Kalihi Ahupua'a Ride! This Ride will lead riders through the culturally rich Ahupuaʻa of Kalihi, making important “Story Stops” at historical landmarks where riders will learn and experience Kalihi. Along the Ride, you will see three of the newest art installments in Kalihi, community-created murals in collaboration with 808 Urban that depicts the story of Kalihi as told by its residents.


Finishing the route at Sand Island
Kevin (Left: Youth Specialist & Program Manager) and Jordan (Right: Community Outreach Coordinator) at the the start point: Hoʻoulu ʻĀina.

During the Kalihi Ahupuaʻa Ride, participants will learn about the cultural and historical significance of the storied places of Kalihi and their roles in the changing face of Kalihi. This ride is designed to uplift community spirit by offering the general public information on health resources, nutritious food access points, cultural and historical knowledge about Kalihi, and instilling a sense of pride for those who call Kalihi home.

The Kalihi Ahupua'a Ride is also a fundraising event for the various youth programs. All funds raised for this Ride will be shared between our youth programs.  While it is free to ride in the Kalihi Ahupua'a Ride, making a donation gives back to our community and ensures that our youth programs are able to sustain itself into the future. Through your kind donations, we are able to provide healthy and organic after-school meals, purchase needed supplies for activities, and opportunities to go on educational field trips!

Whether you donate $10 or you decide to become a sponsor, you are supporting programs that serve Kalihi Valley youth. Donate what you can and ride with us! If you would like to make a donation or sign your organization up to be a sponsor, click here or fax/mail a sponsorship application by downloading an application here. For more information on sponsorships, please contact our Community Outreach Coordinator, Jordan Ragasa, at jragasa@kkv.net.

We have limited space, so be sure to register early!

Register today by clicking here.

Click here to download a poster!


Mahalo to the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii for their generous contribution!

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Ride VIBE! visits KPTʻs Kaluaopalena Community Garden

(Originally Posted: Nov 30, 2016 06:52 pm)


Aloha KVIBE Family,

We are excited to announce December's Ride VIBE! Second Saturday Community Event will be doing some ʻāina-work at Kūhiō Park Terraceʻs (KPT) Kaluaopalena Community Garden on Saturday December 10. We'll be departing KVIBE at 9:50am and bike or walk our way to the garden. If you already know where the garden is, we will meet you all there! Our workday will start at 10am and pau at 3pm.

Please bring a water bottle and garden clothes (covered shoes and clothes you don't mind getting dirty). Bring a friend, too!

They also have a bunny hutch with lots of cute bunnies to pet. It'll be a super fun day for hana hana!

See you all there!

Mural Celebration Mahalos!

(ORIGINALLY POSTED: NOV 23, 2016 08:21 PM)

Aloha KVIBE ʻOhana,

The Crew is so touched by the amount of support and appreciation for the work for our new shop mural, and the overall progress happening in the shop. We had about 100 community members in attendance on Monday--notably the most people we've ever seen attend a KVIBE event!

Jordan Ragasa (Left: Community Outreach Coordinator) and Edward-Kevin Faller (Right: Program Manager)
Re-Spect is a value we uphold at KVIBE. It means "to see again". When we re-spect one another, we see them in a different light. We understand their stories, their traumas, their environments. From this, comes the process of reconciliation. (Photo Credit: Daphne Manago)
Many said the most powerful part of the event was seeing the youth hold mini Culture Circles at the start of the event. A Culture Circle is a protocol we follow at KVIBE, where we sit in a circle and share our names, gender pronoun, an ancestor, a home, and how we feel. Attendees were touched to see how our youth were able to demonstrate leadership roles and being welcoming hosts.
Kalihi Youth standing with beauty, grace, strength, and leadership. For Kalihi. For the keiki! (Photo Credit: Ashley Galacgac)

Our mural depicts the past, present, and future of our bike shop. In the past, our shop was an egg distributor, which is represented on our mural as an egg. Two youth leaders are depicted working on bikes in the present. Finally, our future is represented by the doors opening up into the shop...the future of Kalihi is being built in the shop.

We hope you come out to visit us! Check out the new mural, help out at the shop, make a donation!
KVIBE is excited to continue to foster community, healing, and reconciliation with Kalihi's young leaders.

Special Mahalos:
  • Hoʻoulu ʻĀina: Kanoa for sharing Kalihi Valley-grown ʻawa with the community, and Kaʻohua for taking beautiful photos of the event
  • ROOTS for cooking up a huge pot of stew for attendees. It was such a treat! 
  • KKV Grants Team for helping KVIBE find grants that keep our doors open to our future leaders of Kalihi
  • Natanya and the Civil Beat Crew for amazing coverage of our program and sharing our story with the world
  • Amanda and My, our two amazing community artists who brought our vision to life in just four days! 
  • Our youth, who enrich the work that we do so much love and hope
Mahalo Nui for all the Support!
KVIBE Staff

From the Archives: Check out this throwback video by Aloha Fixed. Graffiti art has always been a part of KVIBE culture.
Painting KVIBE from ALOHA FIXED on Vimeo.

Mahalo Civil Beat: "This Kalihi Bike Shop Is Helping Kids Learn Life Lessons"

(Originally Posted: Nov 21, 2016 05:43 pm)

Aloha KVIBE 'Ohana,

Our Team woke up to find this beautifully written article that tells the story of the transformative community work that is happening in our bike shop. We've been receiving non-stop messages of support and affirmation from the community! We want to send a very deeply felt MAHALO PIHA to Natanya Friedheim and all of the Civil Beat Team, the family and friends of KVIBE who support our program...and of course the youth who enrich the work that we do. 

We are truly humbled to serve Kalihi!

Sebastian Supapo, 10, works on the rear wheel of a bike at KVIBE. (Photo Credit: Cory Lum/Civil Beat)

Randell Dejesus, right, a 15-year-old Farrington High School student, is a senior intern at KVIBE. Here he assists 10-year-old Wally Jakabot. (Photo Credit: Cory Lum, Civil Beat)


Read the full Civil Beat article by clicking the link below!
This Kalihi Bike Shop Is Helping Kids Learn Life Lessons: It’s easy to miss the small bike shop at the base of the Kalihi Valley, but there’s a lot going on inside. Bike parts hang from the walls and young people laugh above a radio’s thumping beat. Neighborhood kids, mostly boys ages 7 to 16, pour into the shop after school. They come from Kalihi’s working …