Don Ramos, a born-and-raised Kahuku man who has worked at the Public & School Library for the past 26 years, is quietly trying to spread a message on the side through one of Hawaii’s most common “billboards” — a tee shirt with his own unique HEkeas [read it in Hawaiian English!] design.

“About a year ago I had a sudden desire to spread a message of hope to everyone, but especially youth, so I came up with a shirt, HEkeas. Even when you’re at a low point, or your life is not quite right, the Lord does care about us,” he said. “That’s the message that I wanted to give to the people, that there is hope. I just wanted to turn the focus to the Lord; it’s not about us, it’s about Him.”

“Surprisingly, it’s been catching on,” said Ramos, who noted he works with Kahuku.org at Kahuku High to print the shirts. “In less than two weeks I’ve sold about 60 shirts.”

“I just feel like I’m a messenger, and the Lord is the message,” continued Ramos, who was born and raised Catholic but says his shirt is non-denominational. “It’s for people who may be at a point in their lives where they turn back to the Lord. He’ll take care of us regardless of where we’re at.”

Ramos pointed out he’s not doing this to make money. “The few dollars that I do make, I donate a portion to charity. I like to donate to Catholic Charities of Hawaii, and I normally donate to Aloha United Way. I basically just want to get the message out.”

To order the shirts, call Ramos at 293-7683 (h), 808-397-8173 (c) or email him at HEkeas@aol.com. They are available in adult sizes, S–XXXL, white letters on black for $10 each, or white letters with black outline on red for $12 each.