My name is Yasmine Lindskog. I split my time between Belgium and the United States and previously lived on Maui, where I remain closely connected to the community. I am organizing this fundraiser for Jennifer Oberg and Craig Mullins with their knowledge and permission to help them recover from the damage to their home.

I have known Jennifer for over five years. She is my friend, colleague, and the director of The Sewing Hui, where I work. Through my work with The Sewing Hui and my time living on Maui, I have seen firsthand how much Jennifer and Craig have given to the Maui community.

On August 16, 2026, Hurricane Lala devastated their Maui home, including the space they have generously opened to The Sewing Hui as its sewing studio and community gathering place for the past three years.

During the storm, a wall of water came rushing down the hill toward their home. The water hit the house, came in through the foundation, rushed down the stairs like a waterfall, and spread throughout the sewing studio. The damage is significant. The flooring, walls, and other areas of the studio and home have sustained extensive water damage. The estimation of cost for remediation, repair, and replaced of damaged items is $30,000.

Unfortunately, insurance will not cover this damage caused by the hurricane.

The timing could not be more heartbreaking. Jennifer was supposed to fulfill a dream she has carried for 37 years. Last spring, she was accepted into the MFA Costume Design program at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA), one of the top costume design programs in the country. The program accepts only two students each year, and she has spent months preparing for this next chapter.

But after seeing the damage to their home and the studio, Jennifer has made the incredibly difficult decision to postpone graduate school to January 2027. Instead, she will remain on Maui this fall with Craig to deal with the aftermath of the storm, repair their home, and help get the sewing studio back into good condition.

For anyone who knows Jennifer and Craig, this is especially difficult to see because they are usually the people helping everyone else. For years, Jennifer and her family have given an extraordinary amount to the Maui community.

Long before The Sewing Hui, Jennifer was the PCNC at Haiku School and volunteered countless hours to help run the Haiku Ho'olaule'a for several years. She's been a Development Director at Roots School. She volunteered at the Montessori School of Maui, helping to run the PTO. When she had her dressmaking business in Makawao, she donated time to do alterations on prom dresses for girls who obtained their dresses from Becca's Closet at King Kekaulike High School.

When COVID-19 created a severe shortage of masks on Maui, Jennifer immediately went to work. She helped organize volunteers who collectively made and distributed more than 10,000 masks for the community, and from that effort, The Sewing Hui was born.

When the Maui wildfires devastated our community in 2023, Jennifer once again responded immediately. Through The Sewing Hui, she helped gather sewing supplies for sewists in need, collected, created, and donated pillowcases and materials, and found ways to support people during an unimaginable time.

Over the past six years, Jennifer has poured countless unpaid hours into The Sewing Hui, mentoring young people, creating opportunities for people to learn and connect through sewing, supporting local artists and sewists, bringing back the fiber arts show at the county fair, and strengthening arts and culture on Maui. Under her leadership, The Sewing Hui and its volunteers have created and donated more than 35,000 handmade items for people and throughout the community, as well as costumes for our performing arts organizations - Alexander Academy, Maui OnStage, MAPA and ProArts.

For the past three years, Jennifer and Craig have given something even more personal by opening part of their own home to The Sewing Hui. Their home has provided the organization with a studio where people can gather, sew, learn, create, volunteer, and make things for others throughout our community. Now their home is the place that needs help.

I am creating this GoFundMe because I believe this is our opportunity to give back to Jennifer and Craig after they have spent so many years giving to others. We are seeking to raise $30,000, based on the current estimated cost of remediation, repairs, and replacement of damaged items. Funds will go directly to Jennifer and Craig and will be used for water-damage remediation, removal and replacement of damaged flooring and wall materials, drying and treatment of affected areas, repairs to the foundation/interior areas impacted by the flooding, restoration of the portion of their home used as The Sewing Hui studio, and replacement of damaged items including items used by The Sewing Hui - books, tools, supplies, costumes, fabrics, and furniture. If repair costs change as the full extent of the damage becomes known, funds will be applied to other necessary storm-related repairs and recovery expenses.

It broke my heart to hear Jennifer describe what happened, to hear about the wall of water coming into their home, to see the damage left behind, and to know that she has made the decision to put a dream she has carried for 37 years on hold so she can stay on Maui and help put things back together.

Jennifer and Craig have opened their home and their hearts to this community again and again, and now we have a chance to show up for them. Please consider making a donation to help Jennifer and Craig recover from this unexpected disaster and repair their home. No amount is too small, and every contribution will help move them closer to rebuilding the damaged space and getting back on their feet.

If you are unable to donate, please consider sharing this fundraiser with your friends, family, and community. Thank you for helping us give back to two people who have given so much to Maui.