Some 75 community leaders from around the island met with Mayor Bryan Baptiste recently to discuss ways of strengthening the island's communities.

The session was built out of Baptiste's four-year-old Ka Leo O Kaua'i program, in which local groups meet to discuss the needs of their individual parts of the island.

"You really get a sense of how we're all connected, and need to find common ground to accomplish things. It's rewarding to see people working together in different communities," said Ka Leo facilitator Laurie Ho.

For information on Ka Leo, call Catherine Stovall at 241-6398 or William Trugillo at 241-6246.