Aloha everyone,

We are the Hana Hou Music Program, a non-profit music organization dedicated to our mission to develop, advocate, and provide music education in Maui, Hawai’i, and to serve as a free musical resource to the community regardless of background, artistic ability, or economic circumstance.

Originally, our team planned to fly out to Maui, Hawai’i for our 2023 Season but, as you may have already seen on the news, Maui is currently experiencing extreme wildfires that have already been declared to be the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than 100 years. Due to this unprecedented circumstance, Hana Hou Music Program has decided to cancel its 2023 Season and turn its focus towards fundraising and spreading awareness of what is happening on Maui.

The wildfires started on Tuesday, August 8th, and have since grown into a devastating inferno that is continuing to cause immense destruction and disaster on the island of Maui. The flames of these wildfires are leaving no one unaffected but the towns that were particularly hit the hardest are Kīhei, Kula, and Lāhainā. The vibrancy of these areas in Maui are quickly being consumed and replaced with ghostly versions of what they once were. The empty shells of homes, schools, businesses, historical and sacred sites, and more leave the survivors with nothing but memory to hold onto as they shift through the debris of what was once their neighborhood. Unfortunately, these are the lucky ones. Many lives have been taken by these fires and the number of deaths has only been multiplying as bodies are being uncovered with little to no luck identifying those who have been burned alive. The damage that these fires have already caused is nothing short of a catastrophe, but as a Maui based arts organization, we are committed to being a source of stability and comfort in any capacity we can.

Our team of administrators and musicians are currently in Ann Arbor, Michigan diligently working to find ways to send aid to Maui. We are collaborating with Hoaloha Polynesian Dance Group, and the University of Michigan’s Hawai’i Club and Oceanic Student Association, to schedule several benefit concerts in the area to raise awareness of the situation, as well as raise funds to send to Maui-and Hawai’i-based organizations to provide monetary aid. The purpose of this GoFundMe is to expand the opportunity to make donations towards Maui Fire Relief focused funds. It is amazing to see so many people already stepping up to help but we understand that the plethora of options can be overwhelming and not always accessible. To remedy this, the Hana Hou Music Program has decided to create its own fund that will be a combination of GoFundMe and any in-person contributions, that will later be distributed equally amongst four selected organizations that we have researched and stand by. They are the Hawai’i Community Foundation, the Hawai’i Restaurant Association, the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, and the Maui Humane Society. We encourage you to make a direct donation to any of these organizations if you wish or look into the following list of individual GoFundMe's started by families and businesses affected by the wildfires, if you would like to support any of these individually.

The Maui community is strong, resilient, connected, and full of love, but not immune to disaster and hardship. During this vulnerable time for Maui, we hope that you will join us in providing strength and support for these individuals and families who have been affected. Monetary gifts towards this GoFundMe are much appreciated but simply sharing and spreading awareness of this urgent situation is also vital and will not go unnoticed. This is the first step of many and we hope that you will unite with us in this collective effort to ensure Maui’s safety, recovery, restoration, and continued place in this world. On behalf of the Hana Hou Music Program team, we are grateful to you for whatever kindness you are able to provide as we try to do our part during this difficult time.

With care,

Kisa Uradomo

Colin Crake

Diane Park

Jesse Bruer

Linda Zhang