Fantastic Fridays

Rep. Glenn Wakai (right) spent an afternoon on Fantastic Friday painting over graffiti on a freeway overpass.

"We are trying to turn something terrible into something positive."

That is what Representative Glenn Wakai had to say about a project in which students from Moanalua Middle School are using their Furlough Friday days to paint over graffiti defiling property in their community.

"It's embarrassing that our kids are out of schools so often," said Rep. Wakai. "While that battle continues to be waged between government workers and the Governor, I believe in turning negatives into positives. We give children lessons about civic responibility. We don't just hand them a brush, we talk to them about the importance of character and pride."

The students and other volunteers have already covered graffiti near the entrance to Moanalua Gardens Park and on the freeway overpass of in Moanalua Valley. They're known as the Fantastic Fridays Crew and was made possible through the contribution of several organizations including Totally Against Graffiti (TAG), the Painters Unions, McDonalds, the Honolulu Police Department, and the Office of Rep. Glenn Wakai.

Volunteers stand in front of freshly painted columns at the entrance to Moanalua Valley.