Kaiser Permanente marks annual Day of Service with volunteer project at Paeloko Learning Center 

More than 100 Kaiser Permanente physicians, providers, nurses, clinical and administrative staff, and their family members came together on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to serve at Paeloko Learning Center as part of the 2026 Kaiser Permanente Hawaiʻi Annual Day of Service, hosted by Hawaiʻi Permanente Medical Group. 

Volunteers spent the day supporting Paeloko Learning Center, a Native Hawaiian education center in Waiheʻe that offers immersive, hands-on learning through cultural programs, educational field trips, and environmental restoration. Projects included clearing and cleaning loʻi kalo, planting native species, preparing bamboo horns and stamps for cultural workshops, and improving facilities that support Paeloko’s year-round programming. 

“Welcoming people here to work alongside us is truly meaningful,” said Kumu Lei Ishikawa of Paeloko Learning Center. “It reflects the ʻōlelo no‘eau, I ola ʻoe, i ola mākou nei – when you thrive, we all thrive. We’re deeply thankful to everyone who showed up to help mālama Paeloko and care for this place together.” 

Hawaiʻi Permanente Medical Group (HPMG), which oversees care delivery for Kaiser Permanente Hawaiʻi, has hosted an annual Day of Service since 2010, bringing health care teams into communities across the state to serve alongside trusted local partners. 

“Health care doesn’t begin or end in a hospital or clinic,” said Chris Martin, MD, hospitalist and assistant area medical director for Kaiser Permanente on Maui. “When we volunteer in places like Paeloko, we deepen our understanding of how health is shaped by land, culture, food systems, and connection. This type of ʻāina-based service reminds us that caring for people also means caring for the places that sustain them – and that community health is built through presence, partnership, and shared kuleana.” 

The Maui project was part of a coordinated statewide effort involving more than 1,000 Kaiser Permanente Hawaiʻi physicians, providers, nurses, staff, family members, and community partners volunteering simultaneously on Oʻahu, Maui, Hawaiʻi Island, and Kauaʻi.