The Island of Hawai’i YMCA hosts Lahainaluna High School’s hula class for Merrie Monarch
The Island of Hawai’i YMCA will host 17 students and 3 chaperones from Lahainaluna High School’s hula class (Papa Hula O Lahainaluna) from April 3-7, 2024. Our friends from Maui will call the YMCA’s multi-purpose-room “home” during their stay. They will sleep at the YMCA, use our showers, and be fed meals from our certified kitchen. Students will do hula performances, attend the festivities, be recognized at the Merrie Monarch festival and be the YMCA’s guests in the Merrie Monarch Royal Parade.
The YMCA reached out to our membership for cash donations to help support this experience. Donations will be used towards enhancing our Maui friends experience of Merrie Monarch. The YMCA membership came through with an outpouring response of donations.
In addition to the donations received from the YMCA membership, the Island of Hawai’i YMCA sought grant funding to cover large expenses that included: ground transportation, fuel, meals, incidentals, toiletries, blankets, pillows, etc. In a collective effort to provide immediate and long-term support to the people and places affected by the Maui fires, the Hawai‘i Community Foundation activated the Maui Strong Fund through financial resources to support to partners on the ground on Maui.
We are honored to announce that we are a Maui Strong Fund grantee. With these funds, we are working to support the students of Papa Hula O Lahainaluna during their stay in Hilo.
The YMCA partnered with Kumu No’eau Kalima of Halau Hula Kauluola and Kumu Eva Palakiko of Papa Hula O Lahainaluna to facilitate, coordinate activities, logistics, guide and provide enriching cultural experiences and exchanges for the students who were adversely affected by the Maui fires.
Learn more about the Maui Strong Fund, including how you can apply for funding, please visit hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/maui-strong.
For more information, contact Martha Rodillas at 808-935-3721 martha.rodillas@islandofhawaiiymca.org