Help Aunty Ti Rebuild Her Home After Fire

Aloha mai kākou,

My name is Keala Recaido Campbell; I am the niece of Aunty Precita “Ti” Recaido AKA Miss Ti to all her students.

I am starting this fundraiser to help Aunty after her home was lost in a devastating fire on the afternoon of January 21, 2022.

While the fire consumed absolutely everything she owned, she is thankful that no one was hurt and the homes near hers were spared.

Though Aunty doesn’t have biological children, she has spent her life as part of the village that raises many keiki, as a special education EA at Konawaena Elementary for the last 35 years. She was preparing with much anticipation to retire in April. While retirement can represent a new, exciting, hopeful chapter in life, one can never imagine having to start all over again in this way.

All of her earthly belongings (aside from her vehicle, which thanks to the quick thinking of her brothers and sister-in-law, was saved), were lost in the fire. Nothing spared.

We are hopeful that with all of your love and support, we can help Aunty (Miss Ti) rebuild. Rebuild with the hope and anticipation of a long and happy retirement, in a home open and welcome for all those she loves.

The money raised will help to:

1. Clean up the debris from the fire.

2. Replace basic necessities.

3. Start building a new home.

*Aunty resides on kūleana lands which does not afford the option of homeowners insurance.

*If you prefer to donate via Venmo @precitarecaido

Mahalo in advance for any kōkua, and may the New Year bring you much joy!

Here is a note from Aunty:

“When I returned to work in July 2021, I had an episode where I blacked out after a staff meeting. It was a scary experience waking up to EMS and being taken to the hospital, not knowing what happened. I then went through a series of medical tests to find out why I blacked out without previous symptoms or indicators of what was wrong only finding irregular heartbeat that may have caused the blackout. After several doctor visits and tests, my cardiologist required a more invasive test which needed to be done in the hospital. This test resulted in further procedures to prevent a major heart attack. We decided to do the procedure at Queens Medical on Oahu so that I would be able to recover at my sister’s home, since I live alone and would need support. After working with special needs students for 35 years at Konawaena Elementary, I decided it was time to plan for retirement this coming April. After a few weeks of recovery and doctors release to return home to Kona, I received a call from my brother telling me that my house was on fire.The news was devastating and I was in shock with disbelief and powerless to do anything about it while I was still on Oahu. I have lived in this house for 37 years and have fond memories of being here with grandma & grandpa during summer breaks. As old as it was, it was home and a place where family & ‘ohana would come and feel that it was their home away from home. I had hoped upon my retirement to repair the home as needed and be able to live a calm, quiet and peaceful life. I am grateful that the surrounding homes and families are safe and no one was injured. I am trying to remain calm and positive as I face this unexpected challenge.”