Big Island Honda - Kona

April 7, 2012
As a local sponsor and supporter of the March of Dimes March for Babies, members of the Big Island Honda - Kona staff joined the local community to walk for our children.  It is the longest-running and most widely recognized walking event in the nation, generating more than $1.5 billion for the March of Dimes over its 42-year history.

This fundraiser incorporates thousands of volunteers participating in a fun-filled day of walking to raise money to support lifesaving research and programs to make sure every baby gets a chance for a healthy start in life. Each walker raises money from friends, family and business associates, and then enjoys the festivities at one of our many Hawaii locations. Marches range from 1 to 10 miles-most are about 6 miles.

Proud Sponsor of The Kona Bullettes U16 Girls Rugby Team

Big Island Honda - Kona Supports Local Ocean Swimming

The pictures show two "swim boxes" that are on the pier at the Kailua Kona bay waterfront.  All of the swimmers use these "boxes" to store their gear as they swim in the ocean.  The previous box was pretty flimsy. When the tsunami hit the coast in March 2011, it disappeared.  After several months of having to put our gear on the ground, Big Island Honda donated the materials, Marty Barger and local triathlete Luis DeLa Torre donated their labor and built the original larger box on the left of the picture.  These new boxes are constructed with the new artificial decking and stainless bolts and screws so it should stand up to the harsh environment at the oceans edge.

The boxes needed to be semi-portable, as they must be moved each year when the Ironman competition comes to Kona.  It also needed to be stationary so people couldn't move it aside and drive vehicles onto the pier, so the state asked us to attach the box to the yellow poles in the picture.  About six months later, a tourist tripped on one of the attaching cables and the state asked us to build another smaller box to fill in the gap between the yellow poles.  Again, Big Island Honda stepped up to the plate and donated the materials and Marty Barger, Giovianni Paciello and Frank Parisi put together a smaller version of the original swim box.  The box was completed this weekend. 

Pictured left to right:  Marty Barger, Frank Parisi and Giovianni Paciello