Pahoa Lava takes all from Teacher

Shannon Harbaugh, a teacher of ten years at Pahoa High & Intermediate School, has worked tirelessly to establish her home in Puna on the Big Island of Hawaii.  Last week the Kilauea eruption resulted in an ongoing lava flow which has covered her land and destroyed her humble home.



Shannon bought one acre in Kapoho and, bit by bit, had built a lovely simple little home on it.  She had dreams of expanding it to include space to host dance classes, and regularly opened her home to loved ones for fun or comfort.  It was her sanctuary, her place to charge her batteries, and her vision-turned-reality from before she had even moved to Hawaii.  Because she never got to see it finished, it was uninsured, and all of her time and money invested is now unrecoverable.

As a pillar of our rural Pahoa community, Shannon has contributed to the developing lives and educations of ten years worth of students at Pahoa High & Intermediate School.  I have seen her work overtime on a daily basis, and empty her own wallet to provide her students with food and basic supplies.  She regularly organizes events or heads committees out of the goodness of her heart, with no incentive or requirement to do so.

She is one of my best friends, and I am making this campaign to ask for your help.  If you know her, or not, and have anything to give, she is deserving of it.  Due to money owed on her student loans, land payments, and home developments, she has a lot to catch up on before she is able to afford to start rebuilding.  Mahalo for your consideration.

-Kendra Tidwell