Surfrider and Kohl’s Host Ohana Beach Day

Celebrating Family Hawaiian-Style

Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

When the month of April is here SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel always look forward to Ohana Day – a festive, Hawaiian-style celebration that brings family and friends to the beach to relax and learn about the earth…especially the ocean.

To join in the fun, head out to Seal Beach on April 16. From 9 am – 1 pm the Surfrider Foundation Huntington/Seal Beach Chapter is hosting an Ohana Family Beach Day at the Seal Beach Pier.

Co-hosted by Kohl’s department stores…

the event is expected to bring thousands of people to the beach…

to enjoy hands-on activities, marine biology instruction, lifeguard demos, surf /skate/body board lessons, music, raffle drawings, and more.

SurfWriter Girls learned that it was the spirit of Ohana – the belief that “we are all related to each other” – that emboldened the early Polynesian seafarers to make their long, migratory journeys in outrigger canoes to the Hawaiian Islands in 200 A.D.

Likening themselves to the shoots of the taro plant, which come from a common bulb (oha), the Polynesians felt that we are all connected – one family (Ohana) – and must work together, taking care of each other, and honoring the land that nurtures us all.

Surfrider volunteers will be on hand manning display booths, talking about ocean and coastal environmental programs and leading beach cleanups.

Businesses and organizations are sharing in the Ohana spirit, too, showcasing eco-friendly products and services and giving out samples.

 

In addition to bringing families and friends together for a fun day at the beach, Ohana Day is a chance to educate the next generation about the need to protect the earth’s resources. In the words of Tony Soriano, Surfrider H/SB Chapter Chairperson,

 

“Ohana is all about the kids…

and showing them how to respect others and the environment.”

Surf’n Beach Scene Magazine

SurfWriter Girls

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