Families of the HP community in Maui

You may have heard by now that devastating wildfires have swept through many areas of Maui. The fire that tore through Lahina left buildings destroyed, the Banyan Tree burned, and many residents with burns and without homes.

For those who don't know me my name is Max and I am a kid who loves baseball. While I was in Maui over the summer I had the privilege to join the Hitter's Paradise community not as a tourist but as part of their Ohana (family). Coach Mike Diaz (Left) and Coach Cameron (Right) took me right under their wing teaching me how to be a better ball player. Hitter’s Paradise is the only baseball training facility on Maui and the kids that go there live by four key values (in order):

1. God

2. Ohana (family)

3. School

4. Coach Mike

Coach Mike is a former major league baseball player who started Hitter’s Paradise to help kids from Maui have the opportunity to play at high levels. Baseball is their life and Coach Mike refers to his kids as "Cage Rats" because they are in the batting cage 6 hours a day working towards their dreams of making it big someday. Their goal is to play ball in college and Hitters Paradise is proud that they have succeeded in having each of their kids make it to play ball in college on scholarship over the past 36 years!

The fires have left many of these kids and their families without homes and without any equipment to work towards those goals. No bats, gloves, batting gloves, helmets, etc. Many are living in shelters and spending their days in the cages (with borrowed bats) to pass the time while the fires are still raging. This is simply not acceptable for these caring people that welcomed me into their Ohana so that is why I am here spreading the love of Aloha by asking you to donate so these players can get new equipment and help their families so they can be a little more comfortable during this terrible time and get back to living out their dreams. My goal isn’t to fund the Hitter’s Paradise business, but to help the individual players get a part of their lives back on track.

I am working with Coach Mike to make sure we’re getting new equipment to the kids who need it the most.

You can learn more about Hitter’s Paradise here: https://www.hittersparadisemaui.com

Mahalo (thank you) for whatever help you can give!

Max Shaw