I received the thank you letter below from “Maui Strong” HCF on March 27, 2024. Through the charity event last year in Cham, where my friends and I organized, we were able to make a small donation to the HCF. I also seize this opportunity to say a huge thank you to all the lovely musicians, hula dancers, helpers and friends who wholeheartedly agreed to the event immediately and without any gages. Once again a huge thank you to all of you! I would also like to thank the community of Cham, as well as the companies and people who also supported me financially at this event. The next event to support Lahain, Maui is coming soon. (Resume of the „Let’s help Maui“ – Event 2023)
Aloha Gerard,
I want to express my sincerest mahalo. You have made a difference for the people and places impacted by the Maui fires with your generous support of the Maui Strong Fund and, most of all, through your aloha for Maui.
“Aloha” is more than just a word; it is a way of life. It means mutual regard and affection and extends warmth and caring with no obligation in return. For the next five months we will introduce the acronym below that demonstrates values that help us achieve aloha—values we see in you!
Akahai (meaning kindness, to be expressed with tenderness)
Lokahi (meaning unity,to be expressed with harmony)
Oluolu (meaning agreeable,to be expressed with pleasantness)
Ha‘aha‘a (meaning humility, to be expressed with modesty)
Ahonui (meaning patience, to be expressed with perseverance.)
This month, we start with Akahai which means ‘kindness expressed with tenderness.’ All of us at HCF have been inspired by the wave of kindness demonstrated by donors like you, from all around the world, to give hope and support to our community in its time of greatest need.
We are grateful for the impact your kindness makes every day on Maui, helping underserved groups access aid for everything from food to medicine to grief counseling, helping to bring the community together in unity, and restoring burned lands so that there is greater healing for all. All of this was made possible by your extraordinary generosity.
You can see a complete list of your kindness in action in the grantees section of our Maui Strong Fund page. Support is shown in four major categories: Economic Resilience; Health and Social Services; Housing; and Natural, Historical, and Cultural Resources. As a recent example, in close partnership with other entities, the Maui Strong Fund also committed $50 million to an interim housing plan to deliver safe places to live for the next 2 to 5 years as the permanent rebuild occurs.
Akahai describes one part of your expression of Aloha for the people of Maui as they remain steadfast on their road to recovery. We will continue to send you more recovery updates in the coming months.
Me ke aloha (with aloha),
Mary Leong Saunders
Vice President of Philanthropy
Hawai‘i Community Foundation
Tales of Hawai'i 