As we have all seen and witnessed on television, the tragedy in Maui is just hard to fathom. As of the date of this newsletter our Keller Williams family has been unable to locate one of our agents. He is among the 850 missing. Please pray for his family as they navigate this difficult time. In addition, 15 of our agents lost their homes and five agents had family members lose their homes. It will take a long time to identify all of the missing. And some will never be found. Rebuilding their lives and the town of Lahaina will take 5 to 10 years. Not only have people lost their homes, but many have lost their livelihood.
Long after the cameras are gone and the media coverage is over, we will continue to be there for our brothers and sisters in Maui. Keller Williams has three offices in Maui and we are doing incredible work and fundraising for Maui. In the early days after the tragedy, Keller Williams opened their offices for shelter so people had a place to sleep, we used the offices as a staging area for food, water, and supplies. The charitable arm of our company called KW Cares will be there to financially help and support our family in Maui as they rebuild their homes and their businesses.
If this tragedy has touched you and you’d like to help, there are many ways to do so. Below are some links to some nonprofits and national organizations that are helping in the relief effort and you’re more than welcome to share this information with anyone you feel comfortable with.
I would also encourage you to consider giving to somebody who is “boots-on-the-ground” and making a difference in the community every day. My friend Tyler Coons is a real estate agent in West Maui. The day after the fires, Tyler and his team set up a soup kitchen in a parking lot and every day since the fire, they have been feeding people, giving them water, giving them supplies, and housing them in vacation rentals. To date, Tyler and his team have served almost 7,000 meals. It’s this type of grassroots, local effort that is really making a difference. Tyler has set up a 501c3 so your contribution is 100% tax deductible. Here is a link to his page so you may donation: Lahaina Restoration Fund
Thank you for your prayers and your donations. Your support means all the difference to people rebuilding our lives.
Mahalo,
Dan Polimino