“Kulia” means to strive. It’s only fitting that it’s the name of the residential complex being brought to life by the Mutual Housing Organization, a non-profit property development and management organization that aims to help fellow Hawaiians achieve their dreams through affordable housing. CIH Events was honored to have collaborated with them for its groundbreaking event to the public last November 15, 2019.
Kulia is a soon-to-rise residential property of thirteen two-story townhouse buildings with 120 affordable rental apartments. To be constructed on 7.13 acres of land donated by D.R. Horton – Schuler Division, it’s expected to be home to 120 low-income households, or 420 individuals of which 15% are formerly homeless. Along with the homes, there will also be a community meeting center. Kulia will have its first occupancy by October 2020, and will be constructed completely by Vertical Construction Corp in April 2021. It’s truly a visionary project which is set to make a change on the lives of many.
To officially kickstart the construction of Kulia, an on-site groundbreaking event took place to celebrate. It saw all kinds of important guests, such as Hawaii government officials, including Governor David Ige and Mayor Kirk Caldwell, the Mutual Housing Organization board members and employees, partners who supported the project such as DR Horton, Bank of Hawaii, engineers, contractors, Hawaii Housing Finance & Dev Corp, funders, architects, designers and consultants. The program began with a blessing by priest, martial arts sensei, and human rights activist Dr. Kahu Kaleo Patterson. There were also official welcomes, guest speakers, and of course a communal lunch that was catered by CIH Events.
For lunch, we provided a buffet of hearty but healthy lunch, feasted on with sustainable bamboo plates and biodegradable plastic cups. We were also able to have onboard our good friends at Teapresso who donated ice-cold boba tea drinks for everyone to enjoy. We were glad to see everyone come together and celebrate this milestone. We’re very thankful for the opportunity to provide the food and drinks that kept their tummies happy and full!
Although the day began with some showers of rain, it turned out to be a beautiful one altogether with a nice cool breeze. Nothing warmed our hearts more than seeing all the guests entertained and delighted, which made this event production and planning definitely worth it. We wish the best for this project, and everyone who will be finding their homes in Kulia!
