RAM Wishing Well

Of the many charities I support, the Realtor's Association of Maui's Wishing well for Maui Students is perhaps my favorite.  It allows me and my fellow Realtors the opportunity to be directly involved in bettering our community.

The goal of the Wishing Well is simple: To improve the educational experiences and opportunities of students of Maui County’s public schools by identifying specific needs and coordinating resources of potential donors with individual schools in the receipt of goods, services, and monetary funds.

As the West Maui Regional Director, a board member for the Realtor's Association of Maui, and a volunteer on the West Maui Wishing Well committee, I have had the opportunity to work on several exciting projects. 

Our first project was to raise funds to cover the lunch fund deficit.  Many children in our public schools do not have the $1.00 needed per day for lunch.  The West Maui Wishing Well committees raised enough to cover this deficit for Princess Nahi'ena'ena Elementary, King Kamehameha III Elementary, and Lahaina Intermediate.  We then set our attention on raising money and coordinating volunteers to support Lahainaluna High Schools 2008 Project Graduation.  

In addition, we've been working to renovate the dorms at Lahainaluna High School, which house almost 100 students.  Through a generous $10,000 donation of one of my clients, and the work of many volunteers, we were able to build two computer labs for both the Boy's and Girl's Dorms, complete with computers, printers, and supplies.

Boy's Dorm: Computer Lab Before                   Boy's Dorm Computer Lab After
 LHS Boys Dorm Before  LHS Boy's Dorm After

 Boy's Living Room Now
 LHS Boys Dorm Living Room
My next hope is that we can find furnishings to create a safe and home like environment for these students, who are living far away from the comforts of home and family.

We've built a website that allows teachers and the schools to easily post their wish lists, to coordinate volunteer projects, and to provide access for donors.  Donations to the Maui Public School of your choice can be made through the RAM Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization.  To access the Wishing Well School Wish Lists, please visit: www.ILoveMauiSchools.com 

The Wishing Well has already had a dramatic and direct impact on our public schools.  As such, this volunteer work has proven to be some of the most rewarding I have ever done.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if I can help in any way.

Mahalo!