HONOLULU (KHON2) — What started as a small project to make the Ala Wai Canal cleaner is now expanding. With the Genki Balls Organization at the Honolulu Festival, volunteers are able to connect with people from all over.

“A lot of tourist are interested, you know, we had um people from Canada [and] all over the US coming out here. They were interested in what we were doing and how, you know, they could potentially take that knowledge back home,” said Kouri Nago, Genki Ala Wai Project member.

The organization has been inviting groups to toss genki balls in the Ala Wai Canal right outside of the Hawaii Convention Center throughout the day, sharing their knowledge with over 100 people. Nago said he is surprised “to see that kind of support from the public, so we appreciate that.”

He then went on to add, “it gives people from all over the world a chance to give back and help restore our environment and leave the place better than they found it perhaps.”

Not only do the genki balls receive recognition from outside of the country, but they’re also bringing people together in hopes of reaching their goal of tossing 8,000 genki balls per month.

Jenny Do, Eco Rotary Club of Kakaako president, put together an event on Saturday, March 11. “We actually went over a goal, and we made 5,392 Genki balls this morning, so we can throw them into the Ala Wai on April 1 at the Ala Wai community garden,” said Do.

The Genki Ala Wai Project said it’s excited to see new faces on Sunday March 12, as the Honolulu Festival continues… and so does the tossing!