Today the people of Lahaina and West Maui have woken up to a world that is entirely different than when they closed their eyes last night. Lives lost, homes burnt to the ground, and businesses gone forever - the devastation is unfathomable. The people of Maui need our help.
West Maui has been a part of the Dyer, Cain, Barnes and numerous other family's lives for over 40 years. Every summer since we were kids we’ve run the streets of Lahaina and beaches of Kaanapali. Some of our family lives there year around and runs local businesses. Dr. Wayne Dyer lived there the last 15 years of his life. This place has our heart and soul, has given so much to all of us, that we need to help give back…and we’re asking your help.
** The Wayne Dyer Family Foundation will be matching up to $50k in donations.**
**new update: The Barnes family’s foundation (The Sambar Foundation) has also committed to match up to $50k to organizations and families affected by this tragedy**
Today, we have countless friends and acquaintances there figuring out the destruction in Lahaina. We still have family staying to offer relief and others waiting to get out of West Maui. We don't know yet where this money will go. We’re just promising that we will make sure it goes to helping the people who need it to rebuild their lives, their homes, and Lahaina.
There are going to be thousands of people that need our help. An entire town was lost and who knows how many lives. There is so much that can’t be replaced with the loss of Lahaina. Obviously the people, the homes, the livelihoods. West Maui is forever changed. But what is uniquely lost, is the history of Lahaina.
Lahaina was full of buildings dating back to the 1800s. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1802-1845. It was home to some of the first Christian missionaries on the Hawaiian Islands and Lahaina was full of beautiful old churches and missions. Then Lahaina became the center of the global whaling industry creating this beautiful kaleidoscope of ships, a harbor, bars, restaurants and churches. William Owen Smith planted what would become Americas largest Banyan Tree in 1873. And this was all stitched together by one of the coolest streets in America, Front Street.
We’ve never done this before. So we’re asking for your trust that all proceeds will be given to non-profits or directly to people in need who have been the most impacted by this disaster. These funds will only be going to year-round residents, the locals who are the heart and soul of the Maui community. The Dyer family will be making a size-able donation to local rebuilding efforts as well once those efforts are firmly established. This fund is to help the community in their immediate needs of shelter, food, medical, and materials. If you are a local family in immediate need or know of a local family in need, please contact the administrators of this account as we will be providing funds to you directly. Mahalo Nui Loa from our family to yours. We appreciate your support.
