FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM A woman who did not want to be identified dressed children in costumes yesterday before a Halloween carnival at the Next Step transitional shelter for the homeless in Kakaako.

Carnival of Treats

UH medical school volunteers bring Halloween to children at a homeless shelter

EIGHT-YEAR-OLD Pisa Miecho giggled when she was dubbed "Super Bug" and donned a donated pink costume with black wings.

Pisa's mom, Samry Nikichiw, wiggled into a matching costume, and the two walked hand-in-hand at the festivities outside a Kakaako warehouse used as a homeless shelter.

Halloween came to about 100 homeless children who live in tiny cubicles at the shelter with their families.

About 40 student and staff volunteers from the nearby University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine threw a Halloween carnival for the kids at the Next Step transitional shelter, where they run a free medical clinic every Tuesday.

"We wanted to do something special for the kids," said Dr. Jill Omori, director of the Homeless Outreach and Medical Education Project, which coordinated the event with the student Family Medicine Interest Group.

Omori said the children at the shelter have nowhere to go trick-or-treating in the industrial area, so they came up with the idea of a carnival to bring some fun into their difficult lives. Omori, who runs the clinic, said it was important to address the children's mental health because they "have it hard in so many other ways."

FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM Erkin Terten and her baby, Rena Miecho, also dressed in costumes. The carnival was hosted by student and staff volunteers from the UH John A. Burns School of Medicine.

"I don't know if they understand, but I know they all are enjoying themselves," said Kubo, who volunteers at least weekly and throws a birthday party monthly.

Bags of treats put smiles on the faces of the children, along with games, craft booths and an inflatable jumper. Several businesses and groups donated goods and services to the event.

"It's fun," said Kayleen Lucas, 12, as she put on a glow-in-the-dark necklace. Kayleen lives in a cubicle with her father, who works for a seafood company, her mom, 2-year-old brother and 4-year-old sister.

Last year, she went trick-or-treating in her aunt's Kalihi Uka neighborhood. Her family lived with her aunt, but things got too crowded, her mother said.

Tarso Moth, 9, won a small bag of cookies after throwing three out of four bean bags into a target.

"We used to live here," Tarso said. But a few months ago, "we moved into a house in Kapolei."

Although he's happy to live in a house, Tarso misses his friends at the shelter.