LIHU‘E — Ann Hettinger, of Aloha Publishing Hawai‘i, said on Tuesday that more books are going to Maui for students impacted by the wildfires during a meeting of the collaborative partners, including the Hawai‘i Department of Education, Aloha Publishing and Namolokama Canoe Club.
“When we heard about the situation on Maui, we reached out to Mr. Daniel Hamada’s office to see if there was anything we could do to help. He referred us to Miki Kamimura and Joanna Dunn with the Hawai‘i State Department of Education (HIDOE) on O‘ahu who said they were assembling book bags for the students that were displaced by the fire on Maui,” Hettinger said.
“Five hundred of the book bags were for elementary students. This is something we could help with. We wanted to share the Aloha books with students to help put a smile on their face and give them a glimmer of hope.”
However, Aloha Publishing, a state-approved entity with the HIDOE, did not have the funds to cover shipping and handling expenses to O‘ahu where the books would go into 500 school bags for the Maui students.
Hobey Beck of Namolokama Canoe Club heard of the plight.
“They are our ‘ohana. When the board heard of what was needed, there was no hesitation. We just needed to know that giving was pono. The Maui community came to Namolokama Canoe Club’s aid following our devastating floods in 2018. We lost most of our canoes and sustained major property damage,” Beck said.
“Kihei Canoe Club on Maui called and said they were sending a canoe over to help us rebuild. That canoe sent from Maui helped us rebuild, and we were able to continue sending paddlers all over the world to compete. We chose to give to Maui because it’s the pono thing to do.
“We selected the Aloha Books because they teach our kids how to live properly with respect and thankfulness for all we have. Our hope is to inspire this next generation to grow up seeing positive change after the devastating fires they went through.”
These efforts resulted in 500 Aloha books being sent to O‘ahu, and then to Maui.
A letter from Kamimura stated, “Just wanted to let you know we were able to send book bags to Lahaina students that are currently enrolled at other Maui schools. The book bags containing Aloha Books were shipped to the school’s librarians to distribute to the Lahaina students.”
The distribution included 63 students from Pomaika‘i Elementary, 33 students from Kahului Elementary, 37 students from Wailuku Elementary, 75 students from Pu‘u Kukui Elementary, 19 students from Waihee School, 122 students from Kamali‘i Elementary and 20 students from Maui Hub.
“The saying, ‘It takes a village to educate a child’ takes on greater significance with this,” Hamada said. “The students want to learn, and support for this desire can be as simple as a pencil, a set of slippahs or a new book. Mahalo, Ann and Lahela Chandler Correa for your continued kindness, open hearts, and support for students.”
Hettinger and Chandler Corea both said, “True Aloha from the pu‘uwai, or heart, can help us heal.”
The Aloha books aim to spread the important, universal message for readers of all ages, and from all places. The word “Aloha” may have become diluted from everyday use, but for the two ladies that are Aloha Publishing Hawai‘i, it is a way of life they feel must be kept alive in its fullness, especially during a time when the society feels divided.
“We are forgetting as a society how to treat each other,” Aloha Publishing said. “The lessons in this book are beautiful reminders.”
