Kokua

As I sat in the Kahului airport on August 10, 2024, one year and two days following the devastating fires of Lahaina, I toiled with very different emotions from that same day one year earlier. It was less about terror and fear and more about sadness and loss. Driving through the once thriving and vibrant community of Lahaina was overwhelming, knowing what was once there and now seeing what’s been lost.

Enter hope - as I witnessed the people that have lived through this, the locals, prove that strong community and spirit will persevere over adversity. Driving into town the bypass was lined with flags representing all ethnicities in the local culture and wreath after wreath, picture after picture of those who lost their lives in the fires. I learned a word on this trip as I watched a local Kahu conduct a one-year anniversary ceremony and moment of silence on the beach of Ka’anapali for those 104 people who perished and the countless others who lost everything but their lives - Kokua. Kokua means “help.” Its deeper meaning, however, is to extend help to others in a sacrificial way, with no intent of personal gain.

We witnessed Kokua in full action the entire week of our stay on the island of Maui. The people are strong, resilient and most of all so appreciative of receiving and giving help. 

The final night of our stay my wife and I were fortunate to attend a ceremony and blessing for the first residents of the Ka La‘i Ola community (Place of Peaceful Recovery). HomeAid Hawaii has spearheaded the effort under the leadership of its Executive Director Kimo Carvalho. Working closely with the Governor and Mayor of Maui, HomeAid with the assistance of countless other consultants, trades and government officials has managed in six months to get the site graded, infrastructure in, homes dropped and plumbing and electrical connected. Thirty-five residents were welcomed into the first 10 homes. The keys were handed over and each home was blessed. The first 35 of an estimated 1,600 displaced FEMA-unqualified people now have a dignified place to call home.

No news crews, no press or anyone else to make this event a spectacle. It was all about those first 35 people who have gone through an absolutely frightening and challenging year, losing everything. Thank you to Governor Josh Green for not using this event as a photo opportunity. He has demonstrated leadership at the finest level through the entire journey further perpetuating Kokua. How I wish we had more leaders with that kind of integrity.

We wouldn’t be here today without the support of our partners, the Leialiʻi neighbors, the countless community groups who contributed to this vision, and the thousands of donors to the Hawai‘i Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund and other generous contributors. A special thank you to close friends and clients for their generous personal contributions following my Lahaina post a few months back.

Thank you so much to everyone who has made this possible. Together, we are not just rebuilding homes; we are rebuilding lives. Should you want to provide kokua—help – please use this link: https://donorbox.org/ka-lai-ola.