Testimonies received from BFED Committee.

Hello,

I am writing to the BFED Committee to urge it to appropriate funding for the Lanai Cat Sanctuary. I understand that there is huge pressure to allocate funding to the areas on Maui that were destroyed by the fire last year. However, there is great pressure on the wildlife on Lanai. Predatory feral cats on Lanai cause great harm to small animals and birds. The cat sanctuary helps to control this by the spay/neutering program for stray cats on the island. This is essential in controlling the population of feral cats.

As a side note, the cat sanctuary is also a tourist attraction, of which there are few on Lanai. I have visited the cat sanctuary, twice on the same day, as it was such a fantastic experience. The cat sanctuary has also rescued many cats that became “strays” after the fire that destroyed much of Lahaina. These cats would have become feral and impacted the wildlife on Maui if not rescued.

I urge the BFED Committee to appropriate funding for the Lanai Cat Sanctuary.

Thank You,
Bruce Howard
425-802-3826

Aloha Maui County Councilmembers,

My name is Roan Reinecke and I am testifying in strong support of the Kekaulike High School Foundation’s Upcountry Winter Festival 2025.The inaugural Upcountry Winter Fest took place in November 2023. The festival included a craft fair, holiday display, food trucks and booths, non-profit information booths, keiki games, and entertainment – not to mention that Santa and Mrs. Claus graced us with their presence.

Here are a few stats from 2023:

55 Small businesses/vendors participated

9 Kekaulike complex clubs and organizations participated from 4 of the 7 schools within the complex

60 Volunteers came from the Upcountry community to make this festival successful

9 Non-profit organizations provided information to festival goers on their mission and impact on the community

1,096 Attendees were counted!!!

For the 9 Kekaulike complex clubs and organizations that participated at the food booths and keiki games, they were able to generate almost $7,000 in sales. These clubs and organizations range from Kaiapuni Class of 2024 to Pukalani Elementary School Robotics to Na Ali’i Boys Soccer. Of the other 55 vendors and small businesses this festival supported, based on our after-festival survey, the vendors were very pleased and are looking forward to coming back this year.

The Kekaulike High School Foundation aims to support the ENTIRE Kekaulike complex, through scholarships for students and grants for teachers. In 2022, their initial year of supporting the community, they have facilitated providing $8,500 in scholarships to seniors pursuing higher education and $1,000 in grants to Upcountry public school teachers. This increased in 2023 to $9,700 in scholarships, with $500 of that total coming directly from funds the Kekaulike High School Foundation was able to raise, and $250 in grants to Upcountry public school teachers. Because of the success of the 2023 Upcountry Winter Festival, the Kekaulike High School Foundation was able to allocate $1,000 in scholarships and $1,500 in grants to Upcountry public school teachers for this year. This event also serves as the Kekaulike High School Foundation’s main fundraiser for the year.

The King Kekaulike high school foundation gave me a $2,750 scholarship that helped me transition from highschool to college. I had unexpectedly lost my dad in March of my senior year which significantly altered my plans for college. It was extremely emotionally difficult. The scholarship gave me the funds for my first semester of College here at UHMC. It was recognition and support of me as a student and would have made my dad very proud of me. This scholarship helped set me up for success as I am set to receive my Associates Degree in Liberal Arts and am transfering to UH Manoa in the fall. The Kekaulike High School Foundation is a source of support and encouragement for me as well as other students in the Kekaulike Community.

Aloha from Lanai!
My name is Olivia Pascual and I am in support of the Maui Economic Development Board’s grant. I am a mother of 3 girls, two of which have taken advantage of the great opportunities from MEDB. My oldest is now a senior in high school, graduating next month. My second child is an 8th grader. My youngest is just 6 years old, but I look forward to having my youngest get involved with future MEDB events. My older 2 children have greatly benefited from MEDB and their past events. I feel that their passion in STEM is a big influence from MEDBs camps and events they have attended in the past. I strongly urge you to support their mission and vision to continue to provide learning opportunities for the youth. Afterall, they are OUR FUTURE.

I am from the island of Lanai and I can personally tell you that MEDB has provided fun and educational opportunities to our Lanai students. As you may know, living on the island Lanai poses a challenge for our youth in which resources and opportunities may often be limited due to our location. Travel and financial matters are often a barrier to organizations coming over to Lanai and providing learning opportunities for our students. MEDB has been a vital part of our student's learning process. This organization has dedicated so much of their time and energy into promoting growth and professionalism in our youth. Our Lanai kids included!

Last year, my daughter and a friend were able to attend the 3-day Summer Camp for girls. Everyday, these kids came home from their activity and talked about the new friends and connections they've made. They also talked about their travels and fun activities they learned from their teachers. Communication skills and networking are developed through these programs.

For Lanai residents, our means of transportation is either via ferry or the plane ride. Both means of transportation can be costly and also time consuming for travelers. With MEDBs funding, the youth of Lanai, along with their chaperones have been sponsored so that they are included in these Maui events. I am tearful as I am typing this testimony because I have seen the wonderful blessings and opportunities it has provided not only to my daughters but also to other youth on Lanai.

I strongly believe that every youth has a potential to do something great. But greatness also requires guidance and development from those who are successful in their field of work. This is what MEDB offers to our children—guidance, education, and development of our children. Please consider AND APPROVE Maui Economic Development Board’s grant.

Thank you for your time.

Aloha,

Olivia Pascual

Testimony in support of Maui Economic Development Board’s Economic Development Grant

Aloha BEFD Committee,

My name is Carrie DeMott and I am enthusiastically in support of the Maui Economic Development Board's grant programs. Through the years I, as a teacher, have benefited from programs designed for educators to enhance their skills and now, my 6th grade son is fully engaged in STEMWorks programs at Lokelani, one incredibly valuable program for our keiki.

My son has struggled in school, from the time he was quite young. Finding an adult mentor and classes of interest have been challenging to say the least. As he prepared for middle school, I worried. Fortunately, Lokelani has an amazing after school STEMWorks program, which he looks forward to every day. My child is excited about what he is learning and looks up to the talented teachers/coaches that run these programs.

Having opportunities for middle school students, with passionate educators and mentors, is vital for our kids. At this age they are in desperate need for positive role models who take an interest in who they are. They are searching for connections and need to find things they are excited about learning and doing. Without these opportunities, our kids will become apathetic about learning and look elsewhere for outside connections. We all know what that can lead to.

Please continue to fund these worthwhile programs. For kids like my son, who don't find a lot of purpose or connection with traditional academics, it is just so incredibly important. Our public school students deserve these opportunities and the payoff to our community, having young people who are passionate and who have found purpose in STEM, will be exponential! We cannot afford not to support programs like this.

Mahalo for your time and continued support,

Carrie DeMott
Parent & Teacher
808-344-5164
cdemott@napueo.k12.hi.us

Aloha Maui County Councilmembers,

My name is Kaitlin Kitagawa and I am an alumni of King Kekaulike High School, as well as a recipient of a scholarship offered by the Kekaulike High School Foundation.

I am testifying in strong support of the Kekaulike High School Foundation’s Upcountry Winter Festival 2025.

The inaugural Upcountry Winter Fest took place in November 2023. The festival included a craft fair, holiday display, food trucks and booths, non-profit information booths, keiki games, and entertainment – not to mention that Santa and Mrs. Claus graced us with their presence!

Here are a few stats from 2023:
55 - Small businesses/vendors participated
9 - Kekaulike complex clubs and organizations participated from 4 of the 7 schools within the complex
60 - Volunteers came from the Upcountry community to make this festival successful
9 - Non-profit organizations provided information to festival goers on their mission and impact on the community
1,096 - Attendees were counted!!!

For the 9 Kekaulike complex clubs and organizations that participated at the food booths and keiki games, they were able to generate almost $7,000 in sales. These clubs and organizations range from Kaiapuni Class of 2024 to Pukalani Elementary School Robotics to Na Ali’i Boys Soccer. The other 55 vendors and small businesses at this festival also indicated that they were very pleased and look forward to participating in the next event.

The Kekaulike High School Foundation aims to support the ENTIRE Kekaulike complex, through scholarships for students and grants for teachers. In 2022, their initial year of supporting the community, they have facilitated providing $8,500 in scholarships to seniors pursuing higher education and $1,000 in grants to Upcountry public school teachers. This increased in 2023 to $9,700 in scholarships, with $500 of that total coming directly from funds the Kekaulike High School Foundation was able to raise, and $250 in grants to Upcountry public school teachers.

Because of the success of the 2023 Upcountry Winter Festival, the Kekaulike High School Foundation was able to allocate $1,000 in scholarships and $1,500 in grants to Upcountry public school teachers for this year. This event also serves as the Kekaulike High School Foundation’s main fundraiser for the year.

Last year, I was awarded the Debbie Hisashima Scholarship for my work in STEM and my goal to pursue a STEM-based career as a bioengineer. This scholarship honors the late Maui teacher Debbie Hisashima, who dedicated her life to introducing students to the world of STEM. She was an influential person in both my little brother’s and my lives. Her efforts, among those of King Kekaulike staff, are what led me to pursue my major and career. It fills me with joy to know that her legacy lives on in this scholarship administered by the Kekaulike High School Foundation, so she will continue to help students pursue STEM.

Receiving this scholarship was also crucial to my academic plans. Biomedical Engineering is not a major offered at Hawaii’s colleges, so I was forced to attend a school in the continental US, which increased the cost of my education. The total cost of tuition, housing, and supplies at my college, Santa Clara University, ranges from $70,000 to $85,000. Even though my parents have stable jobs, the cost is still overwhelming for my family. This scholarship allowed me to fund my education at Santa Clara University, where I plan to earn both a bachelor’s and master’s in biomedical engineering.

Overall, I believe that the efforts of the Kekaulike High School Foundation are exemplary and deserve support. I highly recommend them for your consideration.

Mahalo for the opportunity to testify in strong support of the Kekaulike High School Foundation and Upcountry Winter Festival 2025.

Kaitlin Kitagawa
KKHS Alumni and Scholarship Recipient
(808) 868-9753
kkitagawa868@gmail.com

Dear Members of the Maui County Council:

My name is Naomi McCall and I am the new treasurer for the King Kekaulike Foundation and a parent of twins who will be graduating from King Kekaulike High School in a month.

I am testifying in strong support of the Kekaulike High School Foundation’s Upcountry Winter Festival 2025.

The inaugural Upcountry Winter Fest took place in November 2023. The festival included a craft fair, holiday display, food trucks and booths, non-profit information booths, keiki games, and entertainment – not to mention that Santa and Mrs. Claus graced us with their presence!
Here are a few stats from 2023:
55 - Small businesses/vendors participated
9 - Kekaulike complex clubs and organizations participated from 4 of the 7 schools within the complex
60 - Volunteers came from the Upcountry community to make this festival successful
9 - Non-profit organizations provided information to festival goers on their mission and impact on the community
1,096 - Attendees were counted

For the nine Kekaulike complex clubs and organizations that participated at the food booths and keiki games, they were able to generate almost $7,000 in sales. These clubs and organizations range from Kaiapuni Class of 2024 to Pukalani Elementary School Robotics to Na Ali’i Boys Soccer. Of the other 55 vendors and small businesses this festival supported, based on our after-festival survey, the vendors were very pleased and are looking forward to coming back this year.

The Kekaulike High School Foundation aims to support the ENTIRE Kekaulike complex, through scholarships for students and grants for teachers. In 2022, their initial year of supporting the community, they have facilitated providing $8,500 in scholarships to seniors pursuing higher education and $1,000 in grants to Upcountry public school teachers. This increased in 2023 to $9,700 in scholarships, with $500 of that total coming directly from funds the Kekaulike High School Foundation was able to raise, and $250 in grants to Upcountry public school teachers.

Because of the success of the 2023 Upcountry Winter Festival, the Kekaulike High School Foundation was able to allocate $1,000 in scholarships and $1,500 in grants to Upcountry public school teachers for this year. This event also serves as the Kekaulike High School Foundation’s main fundraiser for the year.

Mahalo for the opportunity to testify in strong support of the Kekaulike High School Foundation and Upcountry Winter Festival 2025.

Sincerely,
Naomi McCall
KKHS Parent
Treasurer, Kekaulike High School Foundation
Kula, HI

Aloha BFED Committee,

I am writing in support of the Ka Ipu Kukui program funded through OED. I am part of the 2023 cohort that graduated in May 2023. This program is necessary for the next generation of leadership in Maui Nui. The layout of each topic whether it be Water, Land, Ag, Science, or even Medical - is done in a way where participants can see many perspectives so that we can come to terms with where we stand on any critical issue that our community faces. I love that it's encouraged that if you need more information from a speaker, the program provides you with their direct contact. Many of the presenters welcome deeper conversations that are open and honest.

Anyone in a leadership role in this County would highly benefit from being in this program. It not only makes for better leaders but also better stewards in the community. Please continue to fund and support this vital program through OED.

Mahalo,
Patty Copperfield