By Diane Harding, Branch Representative

As many of you know, the Outdoor Circle and all its branches have been going through changes over the past year, and as a result, we are now a more resilient and sustainable organization both fiscally and structurally.

One of the major changes has been to our policy on memberships, which included standardizing the membership dues rates for all branches Island-wide, and standardizing the membership term associated with your renewal or join date.

The new term of membership policy now sets a 'Date of Record' for all members of the organization.  This is the date on which all dues paying members are 'counted', for a variety of reasons, including determining who is allowed to vote at TOC's yearly Annual Meeting held in late August, and for determining how many members each branch has, for the purpose of disbursing TOC funds back to them.  This date is set to June 1 of any given year.

In the past, each branch kept track of its members' status similar to how magazine subscriptions are handled.  In other words, if you joined in May, your membership was  good till the next May.  Now, all branches are moving to a new schedule, where your membership term always goes for at least one year, and always terminates on June 1 of a given year.  For example, if you joined in February 2014, your membership is good through June 1, 2015.

Regarding this point, June 1, 2014 is just around the corner, and many of you have not renewed, and are set to expire on that date. 

Please consider renewing your membership if you have not done so already. It’s very easy to do.

You can go to the Outdoor Circle website (outdoorcircle.org), click on Membership, and then pay on-line (via 'Click & Pledge', which is similar to Paypal).  Simply add the Individual Membership ($25) to your cart and at 'checkout', when you give your name and address, you can specify your branch affiliation (Lani-Kailua).

If you prefer to pay by mail, there is a Membership Form there for you to print and mail in to the Central Office.  

Your support is important to us, and enables us to continue the great work we do.  TOC will do its best to accommodate late joiners where possible, but it is important to have a final count by June 1, so please try to renew by that date.  Also, please consider inviting a friend to join as well!

The 21st Annual "I Love Kailua" Town Party on Sunday was another huge success thanks to the Lani-Kailua Outdoor Circle. The best of Kailua was on display this past weekend from food, clothing, jewelry, art and more. People also learned about the bike share program in Kailua, the efforts to "Keep it Kailua", updates from the Kailua Urban Design Task Force, and the effort to protect Kawainui Marsh. 

A special mahalo to everyone who helped to make the plant sale so amazing! There were orchids for days, as well as anthuriums, native plants, food-bearing plants, and lots of expert advice on gardening. 

Proceeds from the "I Love Kailua" Town Party support community planting projects in the Kailua area, including maintenance for exceptional trees, traffic triangles in Kailua, and other beautification efforts.  Thank you for your on-going support of LKOC's efforts to "keep Kailua clean, green, and beautiful." 

Photos from the 2014 Town Party
See, Hear, and Taste Kailua, Midweek April 9, 2014
See more event photos and receive updates by liking LKOC on Facebook 

Members of The Outdoor Circle came out to support Malama Manoa's regular 1000 tree giveaway this year.  For several years, Malama Manoa has given away one tree per person with the help of countless volunteers. This year, more than 1,400 plants were available for pick-up at Manoa District Park and more than 100 volunteers pitched in. 

They also had expert arborists and horticulturalists on-hand to answer people's plant questions. The Honolulu Woodturners demonstrated bowl-making and other interesting woodworking skills. 

The plants were raised by volunteers -- at their homes and schools -- and donated to the give-away. If you are interested in helping to raise plants for the next tree give-away, contact the 1,000 Tree Giveaway Committee. 

"Tree-For-All" by KITV news
Photo album for the 1000 Tree Giveaway
See more event pictures by liking the Manoa branch of The Outdoor Circle on Facebook!