Community celebration will feature free family-friendly activities and Dan Buettner

Blue Zones Project^® invites the community to the West Hawaii Celebration Kickoff event from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on August 26 at the old Sports Authority at Kona Commons (74-5450 Makala Blvd.).

Brought to Hawaii through an innovative sponsorship by HMSA in collaboration with Sharecare and Blue Zones, LLC, Blue Zones Project is a community-by-community well-being improvement initiative designed to enable community members to live longer, happier lives with lower rates of chronic diseases and a higher quality of life.

The Blue Zones Project came to Hawaii Island in 2015, beginning with East and North Hawaii. With the addition of West Hawaii as a Blue Zones Project Community in 2017, Hawaii County becomes a county-wide Blue Zones Project community in America. To date, the Blue Zones Project has engaged over 7,800 individual residents and more than 170 organizations on Hawaii Island. 48 of these organizations have become Blue Zones Project Approved^™ so that the healthy choice can be the easy choice in the community.

The kickoff event will feature a presentation by Dan Buettner, National Geographic Fellow and New York Times best-selling author of “The Blue Zones” and “The Blue Zones Solution,” and highlight the opportunities available to all residents to boost their well-being through engagement in Blue Zones Project.

Attendees arriving early will receive complimentary Blue Zones Project t-shirts and coupons for a smoothie discount provided by Jamba Juice, while supplies last. Attendees will also have a chance to win prizes and can participate in these free, family-friendly activities related to the Blue Zones Power 9^® well-being principles:

Move Naturally Activities

• Bike Rodeo by PATH (People’s Advocacy for Trails Hawaii)
• Move Naturally Mat featuring Zumba, Pound, Hula for Healing and Yoga

Downshift Lounge

• Lounge décor by Lowe’s and a Kanikapila Corner
• Demonstrations of Body Stress Release, massage, acupuncture, rolfing and relaxation techniques by DoTerra

Keiki Zone

• Inflatable activities sponsored by Hawaii Electric Light Company
• Keiki and ohana activities include Keiki ID and carnival games by Hawaii County Community Policing, photo booth, coloring area and face painting

Plant-Slant Kitchen

• Healthy and ono food samples by KTA Superstores, Island Heart Care, Evolution Bakery, Under the Bodhi Tree, BioAstin and Hawaiian Spirulina by Cyanotech, Hamakua Macadamia Nut Company and the Fish Hopper
• Healthy drink samples by Mauna Kea Tea, Solt-ti Organic Beverages, Bai Antioxidant Drinks and Pitaya Plus
• Connect to the foods of our kupuna with Hawaiian food samples of uala poi (sweet potato), ulu (breadfruit) and kalo (taro)

Discover Your Purpose  

• Build community through volunteerism and support for nonprofits including Habitat for Humanity West Hawaii, Hawaii Public Health Institute, Full Life, West Hawaii Community Health Center, and Queen Liliuokalani Long Distance Canoe Races

Other partners include Ceeds of Peace, Choice Mart, Creative Arts Hawaii, Inscentive, Kona Acupuncture Studio, Kona Commons, Kona Community Hospital, Konawaena High School, Massage Medical Center, McDonald’s, Pacific Media Group, PSAV, Royal Kona Resort, Trunk Trainers and more.

“By focusing on environmental change and making the healthy choice the easy choice, West Hawaii residents have an opportunity to create a stronger and healthier community, one that we can all be proud of. We hope individuals and families will come out to learn and experience how we can all live longer and healthier,” said County Councilmember Dru Mamo Kanuha, one of the leading advocates to bring the Blue Zones Project to West Hawaii. “Mahalo to HMSA for proudly sponsoring this project for our island, as a future model for other communities across the country.”

Blue Zones Project Kickoff
Saturday, August 26
Kona Commons, Old Sports Authority
74-5444 Makala Blvd., Kailua-Kona 

Doors Open, Activities Begin – 1:30 p.m.
Program Begins – 3:15 p.m.  

Speakers:

• Barbara Kossow, Deputy Managing Director, Mayor’s Office, County of Hawaii
• Dru Mamo Kanuha, Council Member, District 7, County of Hawaii
• Maile Medeiros David, Council Member, District 6, County of Hawaii
• Karen Eoff, Council Member, District 8, County of Hawaii
• Michael Stollar, President and Chief Operating Officer, HMSA
• Elisa Yadao, Senior Vice President, Consumer Experience, HMSA
• Dan Buettner, National Geographic Fellow and New York Times best-selling author of “The Blue Zones” and “The Blue Zones Solution”

To learn more about Blue Zones Project, visit http://hawaii.bluezonesproject.com. For more information about the Kickoff, visit http://info.bluezonesproject.com/wh/kickoff.

GET INVOLVED!

Find more recipes, events, and community updates at hawaii.bluezonesproject.com