Kai Kai and everyone around her...

Chris Mendoza is organizing this fundraiser.

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Hi, I started this fund for my daughter Calei. Some may know her as Kai but we all know her by her energetic outgoing personality. As many of you know, Maui suffered our country's most devastating fire in the past century. Many people lost their lives in the fire and this number continues to rise. Others have been displaced permanently due to their homes being lost in the fire along with all their possessions. A majority of the community lost their source of income with almost all businesses on Front Street being completely lost in the fire.

As many of you may know, Kai went to Maui to rebuild her life 2-years ago. She wanted a slice of paradise. The island will either accept you or not. The island accepted her and she started a new life, with new friends and a new job at Fleetwood's On Front Street (cover photo was earlier this year at her job). This job and area she loved so much was the source of many of her new social groups. After the fire, Kai banded as many of her co-workers and friends together as possible and tried to find shelter for everyone.

Other funds and charities have been set up to assist Maui and the fire and relief efforts and this is not meant to take away from those donations. I wanted to start this fund to help Kai and her network of friends who may not see immediate relief from FEMA or unemployment in the interim. This money is not only to help Kai get through these difficult times but for her to also help out her friends who have helped her start a new life on the island. When I told her about starting a GoFundMe for her needs, her immediate response was, "Yes! We can then distribute the money to all my friends and coworkers who need help!" If you know her, that is a typical response. Always thinking of giving everything she owns to help someone else.

When the fires broke out, I got on a plane the next day to check on Kai because I had not heard from her due to the cell sites being down. Luckily by the time I landed, I received word that she was safe. As a war veteran, the biggest challenge coming home after being exposed to trauma was processing all the horrific experiences and images that stayed embedded in my mind. When I finally linked up with her and talked with her, other than death, I experienced one of the worst things a parent familiar with trauma can experience. She had the thousand-mile stare and continual pauses of silence in our conversation that indicated she was ruminating in her thoughts. To see your child suffering from the invisible wounds of trauma is heartbreaking.

If you are unable to provide a financial contribution that is okay. By simply reading this fundraiser until the end, hopefully Kai, her friends and the people of Maui will feel your energy and compassion for their situation, and that is enough. If possible, in lieu of a financial contribution, you can reach out to her and let her know you are thinking of her and everyone on Maui. The biggest gift someone can lend to a trauma survivor is the gift of letting them know they are not alone.

Thank you for reading this.