For Denny Higa, taking care of Oʻahu’s parks is more than a job. It is a way of life.
As the Adopt a Park Volunteer Coordinator for the City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Parks and Recreation, Denny connects residents, organizations and businesses with opportunities to care for the island’s parks.
His own journey with the Parks Department began in an unexpected place: a swimming pool.
Denny learned to swim as an adult, in his 30s, through a free City program. Lifeguards encouraged him to become certified, and he eventually became a lifeguard and joined the City full time.
After working at pools and recreation sites for about a decade, Denny wanted a change.
“I was stagnating,” he recalls. “I just wanted something different.”
About three and a half years ago, a temporary assignment with Adopt a Park opened.
“I needed something different,” he says. “So I jumped on it. Little did I know.”
Today, Denny sees his role as much more than organizing park cleanups. He sees it as helping people develop a deeper connection to the places they share.
His philosophy is simple: “Everybody can make a difference.”
Small efforts, big impact
The Adopt a Park Program creates long-term partnerships between the City and community members who want to help care for Oʻahu’s parks.
The commitment is two years, with at least four work days each year. Projects can include litter removal, bulky trash and green waste removal, wiping out graffiti, painting, landscape maintenance and clearing invasive vegetation.
The need is significant. The city’s Department of Parks and Recreation maintains hundreds of city parks, botanical gardens and more than 1,700 acres of undeveloped land across Oʻahu.
“We don’t have enough staff to maintain the parks that we manage,” Denny says. “We need help.”
Volunteers do not replace City workers. Instead, their efforts can free Parks staff to focus on essential responsibilities such as restrooms, refuse collection and other maintenance needs.
Denny encourages groups to start small. “The park is not going to be done overnight,” he says.
An hour of work today can lead to another hour next week. Small efforts become habits, and habits can become lasting stewardship.
City programs like "Adopt a Park" help with maintenance and revitalization of various parks found across Honolulu. Photo courtesy: Denny Higa
The “Manny Aloha” lesson
Denny saw that philosophy in action through Manny Pangilinan, also known as Manny Aloha, and his Island Wide Cleanup Project in conjunction with Parley for the Oceans.
A surfer, Manny set out to circle Oʻahu, stopping at beach parks and spending about an hour cleaning each one.
The effort eventually included 82 beach parks, 714 volunteers and 2,301 kilograms of trash, including 1,625 kilograms of plastic. Among the volunteers were 146 keiki from Ocean Uprise and other local groms.
For Denny, however, the numbers were not the most important part.
It was Manny’s message that people do not need to organize a massive cleanup to make a difference. Even 30 or 45 minutes of picking up rubbish at the beach can help.
Denny remembers thinking, Manny gets it.
A 90-year-old example
Denny has an example of that philosophy in his own family.
His father, Larry, is about to turn 90 years old. Larry has adopted two neighborhood parks near his home.
Together, father and son have painted curbs and bollards, power-washed restrooms, painted baseball dugouts and lines, trimmed vegetation and worked on other improvements. They keep going back.
When Larry first started, he wanted to accomplish everything in one shot.
Denny suggested something different. “Do an hour,” he told him. “We’re done. Next week, do another hour.”
One hour became another, and the work has continued for more than a year.
For Denny, his father demonstrates that stewardship has no age limit. You do not have to take on an enormous project. You simply have to care about the place near you.
Larry is Denny's dad and has adopted two neighborhood parks near his home. Photo courtesy: Denny Higa
Every park has a story
Ask Denny about his favorite park, and he will not name one.
“North, south, east or west side, all have beautiful parks,” he says. “Not all of them. Some could use more TLC. Absolutely. But they all have different gems in them.”
That is part of what he enjoys about the job.
“There are wonderful people that I get to meet, wonderful places that I get to see,” he says.
And every day brings something different.
“It’s never the same.”
Even Denny’s colorful rubber duck shirts that he is known for wearing have become part of that connection.
After receiving several compliments while shopping at Safeway in a bright yellow rubber duckie shirt, he began wearing duck shirts to work. They became an icebreaker, prompting strangers, construction workers and community members to stop and talk.
At Royal Kitchen, one person complimented his shirt and started singing the “Rubber Duckie” song. Someone behind the counter joined in, “you’re the one!” Everyone laughed.
For Denny, moments like that matter because relationships are at the heart of community stewardship.
And that brings him back to the question he hopes more people will ask when they see something that needs attention.
Not simply, “Who is going to fix this?” but “How can I help?”
For Denny, those words may say more than a thank-you ever could. “One person can make a difference,” Denny said.
To find out more about adopting a park, log on to the city’s website at https://www.honolulu.gov/dpr/volunteer-give/adopt-a-park-program/
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