Rivers Institute Reflects: Two Years with Marianist PULSE Volunteers

Spectacle of Saints is excited to welcome guest blogger Leslie King this week. She is the Director of the Rivers Institute which brings key partners in the Greater Dayton community together to promote, preserve and protect our watershed. Leslie has a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture from West Virginia University in Environmental Protection. She has over 20 years of experience in leadership development and experiential-based education. She also studied abroad for several years. A native of Montgomery County, Leslie is passionate about the Miami Valley's largest natural resource.

Wai and Waiwai: Water and Wealth

Rivers Institute RiverMobile

In the past two years, Ani Artero and Kierstyn Oshita, the Rivers Institute’s two Marianist PULSE volunteers have traveled across the Great Miami River Watershed spreading the RiverMobile’s outreach message to schools, communities and events of all kinds. The partnership with the Marianist PULSE program has allowed us to more than double our outreach capacity. Since the fall of 2016, the Rivers Institute has reached over 8,500 participants with Ani and Kierstyn’s service, support and leadership. However, the past two years of success can be measured in many more ways than just statistics and numbers.

Rivers Institute is passionate about our watershed!

Recently, while visiting Chaminade University of Honolulu from which both Kierstyn and Ani graduated, I learned that the word for water in the Hawaiian language is wai and the word for wealth is waiwai.  It was explained to me that Hawaiians understand the importance and value of water in such a way that they see it as the ultimate wealth, and with that wealth comes responsibility and stewardship. As I sit and reflect on the past two years working with the Marianist PULSE volunteers these are the two words that continue to come to mind: wai and waiwai, water and wealth.  

These two words capture the essence of the Marianist PULSE volunteer’s role with the Rivers Institute as the RiverMobile coordinator. Their main role is to educate others on the importance and value of our local water resources and rivers, while fostering stewardship and the personal responsibility to care for that water. This outreach message was an easy one for both Ani and Kierstyn to share, as they both truly believe in the value and importance of water, having deep backgrounds and experiences living on islands and within the Hawaiian culture. I remember interviewing Kierstyn for the position and describing the RiverMobile coordinator position to her. Afterwards I asked what her thoughts were and if she had any questions. She responded, “that sounds like a dream." More and more I understand her response and how, as a born and raised islander, she naturally felt a deep connection to the Rivers Institute’s work from the minute she learned about it. 

#MP1 Volunteer, Ani

#MP2 Volulnteer, Kierstyn

This concept of wai and waiwai also captures the impact the Marianist PULSE volunteers have had on the Rivers Institute. Both, Ani and Kierstyn have brought such a wealth of knowledge, gifts, talents and skills to our lives both professionally and personally, which we will continue to value for years to come. I know I can speak for all the River Stewards in saying what a blessing each of them have been the past two years, and how essential they have been to our work. Just as it is impossible to exist without water, it seems it would have been impossible to accomplish what the Rivers Institute has the past two years without the partnership with the Marianist PULSE program. As Kierstyn begins her last few weeks with us and as Ani begins a new job with a Marianist retreat center, the Rivers Institute feels eternally grateful for the time they spent with us in the Great Miami River Watershed and all we learned from them. We wish them well in their journey and know they will continue to spread our outreach message about the importance of water and being a steward of it wherever they are. May they both be surrounded by wai and waiwai for a long, long time to come.

Mahalo Nui Loa,

Leslie

 

Rivers Institute River Stewards