Spring was in the Air at the Outrigger Kiahuna Plantation

By Marianne Thesken

The first Outrigger Kiahuna Plantation Employee Easter Basket Contest and Silent Auction took place on Good Friday. Each department created an Easter basket representative of their team. The Grounds department’s basket was full of gardening goodies, the Front Desk’s basket contained Outrigger logo items, and the Accounting department’s basket overflowed with office supplies. The Housekeeping department basket’s had an international theme and was full of fresh island fruit and cascaron (dough balls) to name a few of the treats. Many individuals entered baskets as well. There were plenty of baskets to please babies, keiki, crafters, puzzle lovers, and even “desperate housewives.”

The Security department took First Place in the team division, with a basket woven by Lead Security Officer Fernando Constantino and filled with survival items like a first aid kit and flashlight. Dianne Newman from the Homeowner Liaison office won the top prize in the individual division with her creative butterfly basket full of treats.

With all the baskets displayed in the lobby, the silent auction began. Guests and employees bid on the baskets and the competition was fierce. The Building Maintenance Basket was the largest basket full of island delicacies and wrapped in a Maile lei brought in $140. Overall, the employees raised $874 for the Visitor Industry Charity Walk.

On Easter Sunday, following a beautiful sunrise service, the Easter Bunny stopped at the Housekeeping department to wish the team a Happy Easter. Later, he hopped over to the great lawn and hid thousands of eggs for the Easter Egg Hunt, including several golden eggs — the children had a great time searching for the eggs. Homeowners, guests, and employees joined in the celebration and had the opportunity to have their photograph taken with the Easter Bunny.

Mahalo to Gana Maheshwaran and Bevin Parker-Evans for organizing the Easter Egg Hunt and to all the employees who helped make the event a success.