Help Bring Us Home After the Maui Wildfires

My name is Cassidy Risien, my partner is Edgar Gonzalez and our fur baby chihuahua is Nemo. We moved to Maui only 9 short months ago filled with hopeful optimism for the life we would create here in “paradise”, but unfortunately the hopes dreams and plans we had hatched have literally gone up in smoke. Although we were spared from the direct effects of the flames, we now find ourselves grappling with the indirect fallout of what has occurred.

We have lost our jobs as a result of the fire’s devastation and are “ineligible” to receive unemployment benefits because we have not lived or worked here long enough to qualify for assistance. The entire workforce and job market out here has taken a hit and we are unable to find alternate work, nor do we feel that it is our place to take away jobs from the people of Hawaii who have called it home for generations.

We have now gone several weeks without income or employment before discovering our ineligibility, and it will, unfortunately, be another few weeks before we can get ourselves back to a place where we can start earning for ourselves again.

We have made the tough choice to leave the island and return home to our family in Texas to regroup and recover. However, we are now facing the challenge of figuring out how to leave the island. It is not as simple as buying a plane ticket or packing up a Uhaul… It means that we are forced to surrender and leave behind all that we have built and acquired during our time cut short here. There are so many of us out here right now struggling to afford the basic needs that it makes shipping or selling our belongings a virtual impossibility, therefore we will be simply donating what little we possess to those even less fortunate. On one hand, we feel blessed to be able to help those who will remain here on Maui as the island heals, and on the other hand, we face the reality that we must leave here with only what we can fit in our suitcases.

We will be leaving behind a house full of furniture, home goods and kitchenware - all of which can be easily replaced in time. The more difficult items that we will need to replace upon our expedited and necessary relocation include our reliable yet older used car and our mattress, both of which we purchased within the last 6 weeks. We hope that all of these items will help ease the struggle of others as they work to rebuild their lives out here on this tiny island that they call home, however, it does put us in a challenging situation as we work to reestablish ourselves once we return to a place that we can call home.

We have been blessed by friends who have encouraged and supported us in setting up a Gofundme campaign. We are hopeful that this will provide us with some assistance to get us back home and allow us to start anew. We are grateful to have the love and support of our family, however, we do not wish to be a financial burden on them. It is very hard and humbling to ask for help like this, especially because I know that there are so many others who have been impacted far worse than we have. However, that knowing doesn’t change the fact that we are in a very tough situation. So we are swallowing pride and letting go of the negative and critical self-judgment to speak up and ask for help.

We graciously ask that you please share our story within your communities or extended “ohana” as you see fit and we thank you all with the deepest gratitude and appreciation for your help.

Mahalo nui loa,

Cassidy, Edgar & Nemo