"If you plan for a year, plant kalo. If you plan for 10 years, plant koa. If you plan for 100 years, teach children."

Kimokeo Foundation has been there for the Hawaiian immersion community in West Maui since the Maui wildfires devastated the town in August 2023. One of our most substantial impacts was making a $100,000 contribution towards their non-profit organization, Nā Leo Kālele. These funds will be used to support Hawaiian immersion education in West Maui as they courageously piece their community back together and build their own, new version of their school. In the past, we have also granted Nā Leo Kālele financial support to hire a Hawaiian language teacher to teach Hawaiian language in Lahaina. 

 In honor of the 30th anniversary of Wailuku's Hawaiian immersion preschool, Pūnana Leo O Maui, Kimokeo Foundation presented a $30,000 to the school's non-profit, Nā Leo Pūlama O Maui. The intent of the gift was to provide funds to support their new school that will be built in the future.

In Central Maui, we also continuously support Hawaiian immersion schools by providing opportunities for them to fundraise. One example is having a class participate at one of our outreach events and fundraising for themselves by making lei for the South Maui community. We’ve also been a sponsor of Nā Leo Kāko‘o ‘O Maui’s (Central Maui’s Hawaiian immersion non-profit) annual golf tournament.