Support the Keanini Ohana in Lahaina, Maui

Aloha Friends and Family,

Beautiful Lahaina, Maui will always be a very special place for our ohana. My name is Cindy (Ching) and my dad (born in 1917), along with his brothers and sisters, was born and raised in Lahaina where they had a family store along Front Street in the 1930s. Most attended Lahainaluna, and some ventured to Oahu, Big Island, and Molokai. We visited this historic town many times, and I was there just three days before the tragic fire that destroyed the city. We enjoyed a small family reunion, celebrating the life of our cousin, Brenda Wong.

We're heartbroken for our three cousins who still live there and lost everything along with their homes. Deanna (and Ernie) Cabatingan, Wendy (and Wayne) Keanini, and Brandie Simon (Brenda's daughter). Thankfully, they are all safe and not injured by the fires. They are currently staying with a friend or relative in the Wailuku area. All of them are lifelong Lahaina residents working in the community they love and are known for their generous and kind gestures to friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Wendy taught for over 30 years at King Kamehameha III Elementary School, which was also destroyed in the fire. We hope to show them the love and support that they gave to so many others.

The funds will go directly to these three families that lost their homes in the devasting fires to help them rebuild their homes and lives in beautiful Lahaina. Any financial support is greatly appreciated, and I also believe the well-wishes on this site will give them the strength to recover from this tragedy. Mahalo nui loa from our ohana.

Cindy

The family's old storefront in Lahaina.

Brandie, Cindy, Wendy, Liz (friend), and Brenda