Sharing the spirit of Aloha for Lahaina

My name is Deondre Keli'i Valle. I am a native Hawaiian from the island of Maui. My family is from the town of Wailuku, Maui. I have many friends and ohana that live in the town of Lahaina, Maui. If you have not heard about the devastating fires and hurricane-force winds that wiped the city of Lahaina off the map, please go do your research.

Lahaina was once the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii and is now a staple on Maui for tourists that visit from around the world every day. But more importantly, it is home to more than 13,000 residents and native Hawaiians. Everything from local ma and pa shops, major nationwide stores, malls, restaurants, schools, King Kamehameha III Elementary School, the boat harbor is essential for smaller islands nearby, and much much more all burned down and gone.

Local residents have lost their homes and lives. It is a sad day for the island of Maui and the state of Hawaii.

I own a small construction company here in Ogden, Utah called Aloha Precision Tile. As a native Hawaiian myself, from the island of Maui, I want to help. As now a tenured resident of Utah for the past 10 years, I now call this home.

My goal is to invite all of the residents here in Utah who have been to Lahaina or those who have not been to even Hawaii, to learn what the spirit of Aloha is and share anything you can to help in the efforts of aid and relief to those in need. I encourage all reading this to step up to the plate and breathe the breath of aloha by donating money to help us not only get essentials like food, water, clothing, toiletries and hygienic supplies. Let's go a step further and help the people of Lahaina rebuild and get their lives back together. So when you go back to visit one day with your children and grandchildren... or when you go there for the first time... You can see what your Aloha did to support the community firsthand. You can visit what you paid for personally.

I believe that Utah has the Aloha spirit alive and well. Please, share some aloha with our fellow mankind. Share some aloha with the people of Lahaina. I am asking for your help to love those who need it most today.

*update 8/17/23

These funds are not going to the big corporations relief funds. They are going to our people on the ground fighting the good fight. My cousin in Kahului is hosting families at his shop. They can bath, eat, charge phones, get clothes, rest, sleep, cry, pray. My friend who lives in Lahaina Hawaiian Homes. He is doing the same with several displaced families. My friend is a manager of Lowe’s in Kahului and he is bringing supplies, donating supplies, food, clothes, water to Lahaina daily. Sending funds to Kama’aina Kidswho is helping with free child care. Sending funds to various restaurants providing free meals.