Los Alamos Rotarian Alison Pannell sews a Memorial Day lei Friday in Honolulu. Courtesy photo

The Honolulu Town Hall invited the public to help create thousands of Memorial Day leis to adorn graves at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Courtesy photo

By LINDA HULL
Vice President
Rotary Club of Los Alamos

While visiting Hawaii, Los Alamos Rotarian Alison Pannell volunteered Friday to help assemble 38,000 fresh-flower Memorial Day leis at the Honolulu Town Hall.

The Town Hall is just one of many sites designated for sewing these memorial leis made from blossoms collected by the Oahu Parks & Recreation Department.

Once the leis are completed, they are stored in a huge refrigerated van until today when they are placed on the graves at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in honor of those men and women who served in the United States Armed Forces and gave their lives in doing so.

During the time Pannell volunteered at the Town Hall, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi spoke, and the Royal Hawaiian Band founded in 1836 by King Kamehameha III performed.