KIMOKEO FOUNDATION

KIMOKEO FOUNDATION CONTINUED TO HOST ITS NA LIKO I KA LA'I PROGRAM, WHICH INCLUDED FOUR HAWAIIAN CULTURAL WORKSHOPS FOR HAWAIIAN IMMERSION STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES. PARTICIPANTS LEARNED ABOUT HAWAIIAN CULTURAL PRACTICES AND MADE HAWAIIAN CRAFTS WHILE BEING INSTRUCTED BY HAWAIIAN CULTURAL PRACTITIONERS IN OUR NATIVE INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE. THE FOUNDATION ALSO CREATED ITS ONLINE HANAI I KA 'AO AUDIOBOOK SERIES WHICH INCLUDES 22 ORIGINAL HAWAIIAN AUDIOBOOKS WHICH CAPTURE THE KNOWLEDGE GAINED BY NA LIKO I KA LA'I YOUTH AND THE HAWAIIAN CULTURAL PRACTICES THAT THEY LEARNED DURING THE PROGRAM. WE CONTINUED TO PARTNER WITH HANONA AND HOLANI HANA TO PROVIDE LODGING FOR OFF-ISLAND HAWAIIAN CULTURAL PRACTITIONERS WHO VISIT MAUI TO CONDUCT TRADITIONAL HAWAIIAN HALE (HOUSE) BUILDING PRACTICES AND TRAINING IN WAIHE'E AND WAILUKU. WE ALSO SUPPORTED MEMBERS OF HUI MALAMA LOKO I'A TO TRAIN MAUI RESIDENTS ABOUT HAWAIIAN FISHPOND RESTORATION MASONRY SKILLS. WE HAVE EDUCATION PARTNERS ON MAUI AND THROUGHOUT THE STATE. FOR A SECOND YEAR, WE PARTNERED WITH PACIFIC AMERICAN FOUNDATION'S NALU (NATURE ACTIVITIES FOR LEARNING AND UNDERSTANDING) STUDIES PROGRAM BY PROVIDING EDUCATIONAL AND LOGISTICAL SUPPORT FOR THEIR SCIENCE PROGRAM. NALU STUDIES CONNECTS MAUI NUI'S STUDENTS IN HANDS-ON OUTDOOR AND LABORATORY ACTIVITIES IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE ON MAUI.

IN 2023, KIMOKEO FOUNDATION, WITH THE GENEROSITY OF ITS DONORS, HELPED IN THE RESPONSE AND RECOVERY OF MAUI WILDFIRES VICTIMS FROM THE TRAGIC EVENT THAT OCCURRED IN AUGUST 2023. KEEPING IN LINE WITH ITS MISSION FOR EDUCATION, KIMOKEO FOUNDATION PROVIDED HAWAIIAN IMMERSION SCHOOLS AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS ON THE WEST SIDE OF MAUI WITH BACKPACKS, SCHOOL SUPPLIES, UNIFORMS AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE INCLUDING A LARGE DONATION TO SUPPORT LAHAINA'S HAWAIIAN IMMERSION SCHOOL TO CREATE A SAFE SPACE FOR LEARNING AND TO ASSIST WITH THEIR EDUCATION NEEDS. THE FOUNDATION ALSO PARTNERED WITH A LOCAL BUILDER TO PROVIDE 7 SURVIVORS WITH TEMPORARY RESIDENCES BY PROVIDING 4 TINY HOMES FOR THEM. THE FOUNDATION WORKED WITH MANY LOCAL RESTAURANTS AND CHEFS TO PROVIDE OVER 1,200 MEALS TO RESIDENTS AND VOLUNTEERS AT COMMUNITY HUBS THROUGHOUT WEST MAUI. KIMOKEO FOUNDATION PROVIDED WEST MAUI RESIDENTS WITH NEW FORMS OF GROUND TRANSPORTATION, PURCHASED SUPPLIES FOR TEAMS WHO WERE HELPING IN RECOVERY EFFORTS AND DISTRIBUTED THOUSANDS OF BOXES OF DONATIONS TO COMMUNITY HUBS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MAINLAND SUPPORTERS.