Art, Aloha, and Children's Dreams
Beloved friends,
This holiday season, many families in Hawaiʻi are doing what they have always done: creating life, beauty, and resilience on land shaped by fire, deep in the thrum of Makahiki—the turning of the year—an island-wide season that weaves Thanksgiving, Solstice, Christmastime, and New Year's into one sacred arc.
Makahiki is a time when the land rests and people realign with balance, gratitude, and peace.
The challenges facing families here are not the result of neglect or lack of care. They are the consequence of economic hardship created by too many taking without giving back, of land dispossession, and of generations of decisions made far from this place by people who did not understand—or honor—who and what they were affecting.
And yet, the children of Nanawale continue to imagine, create, and dream.
On Friday, December 27, Pacific ArtWavEs is honored to partner with the Nanawale Community Center to offer a full-day gathering for 30 children and their families—a day of Peace Flag-making, shared nourishment, and creative belonging.
This is not a "fix" for the complicated mistakes of the past. Rather, the rite of passage that unfolds during ArtWavEs events offers a collective correction:
a moment when community shows up to say to children and families so close to the spirits of the land—
Your visions matter.
Your joy matters.
Your future matters.
Peace Flags are not decorations. They are statements of hope and personal agency, created by children whose creativity is a renewable resource—one that has never been depleted, even when corrosive economic systems have tried.
We are seeking two additional volunteers who feel called to spend the day:
•       mentoring children in drawing, painting, and scrolling
•       offering calm presence and encouragement
•       witnessing AWE coming to life in Pele's domain
•       in a volcanic region where imagination is as powerful as lava
This will be a day of local, seasonal food, shared laughter, movement circles, and mythic awakening. The ArtWavEs silk-painting day restores something essential—not because families are lacking, but because everyone deserves more than survival.
Everyone deserves AWE..
If you are looking for a way to give during the holidays that is grounded, relational, and real, this is an invitation to stand with children who need good food and soul food, as well as your love—and whose visions of prosperity and happiness deserve to be seen and celebrated.
Please reach out if you feel called to volunteer, or to support this work in another way.
To volunteer, call 808-345-0050.
If you are unable to volunteer but feel moved to give, your holiday donation is warmly welcomed:
PLEASE DONATE HERE: https://www.gofundme.com/f/bn2wcd-children-for-peace
Your tax-deductible support helps us continue providing Peace Arts that create meaningful days, vibrant arrays of Peace Flags, and long-term hope for children and families in Puna and beyond. ArtWavEs teams are always seeking future-facing artists committed to a world that works for everyone.
Mahalo for reaching out with your interest and staying in touch!
With respect, gratitude, and aloha,
Marya Mann
Pacific ArtWavEs