November is Foundation Month and a great time to review the projects that our Hawaii Clubs are doing because of our donations to The Rotary Foundation. It is truly amazing that portions of our donations are returned to the clubs for local and global projects. Our Clubs use these funds to buy books and supplies for schools, food and toiletries for our seniors, make improvements to our parks and generally improve our Island community. The Rotary Foundation also provides funding for Global Grants, which will help fund our 2026 Micronesia trip to provide medical education to residents and to help eliminate Polio around the world. 
The Maui Nui Marine Resource Council (MNMRC) was the recipient of a grant for $26,000 from the Hawai‘i Rotary District 5000 Foundation Maui Fires Relief Fund to continue restoration efforts at Kahoma Village in Lahaina. The project builds on community planting events held earlier this year and expands long-term recovery efforts for one of West Maui’s impacted neighborhoods.
With Rotary funding, MNMRC and community partners will plant more than 300 additional native and Polynesian-introduced plants, install three interpretive educational signs, and host hands-on workshops focused on soil health, composting, and reef-friendly landscaping practices. These efforts support both ecological restoration and community healing by expanding shade, restoring local vegetation, enhancing food security through fruit-bearing trees, and improving access to a safe public green space for Kahoma’s 600 residents and the wider Lahaina community.
This project is part of MNMRC’s larger land-to-sea approach to protecting Maui’s nearshore waters. By restoring healthy vegetation and eliminating synthetic landscaping chemicals at Kahoma Village, the project reduces polluted stormwater runoff that would otherwise carry sediment and contaminants to the ocean and nearby coral reefs.
Joanne Laird, a member of the Rotary Maui Fires Relief Fund Advisory Committee, shared: “The funding provided by Rotary demonstrates the unified commitment among Rotarians to support the Lahaina community throughout its recovery process.” According to Jill Wirt, Project Manager: “MNMRC is grateful for Rotary’s partnership in advancing recovery, resilience, and environmental stewardship rooted in community leadership.”
P.O. Box 3325 Honolulu, Hawaii 96801
