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Martin Sinclair, the acting manager of Hualalai Club, is out of quarantine and is already involved in moving the club forward to the benefit of membership. He’s been hanging out at The Trading Company, getting to chat with members. You can email Martin at: martin.sinclair@fourseasons.com
Martin, unmasked. Hawaii enforces strict lockdown measuresI put on Facebook recently that I feel life has become freeze dried and could fit in a Tubberware bowl.  Instead of hither and thithering, we’ve been locked in place. Now that is changing in many parts of the United States. But Hawaii maintains its 14 day quarantine and is SERIOUS about it. The aloha is still here, but it’s morphed to fit the pandemic times.
Clean up after your pets.
Thank you, Bill McDowell Sorry, dear readers, If you clicked on yesterday’s post, nothing happened. No notes. Your editor admits to being technologically impaired. Hope this one works. đđ¤
The Ohana Foundation Invites You to Read Wonderful Notes of Mahalo.
It melts my heart knowing how much you all care. As I drove away after picking up my kit, I saw home owners waiting to say hello and I started to cry. I have never felt so proud to be part of a community. Yes. Something special is happening here. If youâre interested in being part of it, or inviting a friend to do so, please visit us at HualÄlaiOhanaFoundation.org or email nicoleilani.hof@gmail.com or call us at 325-8177.
A Note from Nico Leilani Verissimo Thank you to each and every one of the 77 Hualalai members who collectively contributed to the Hualalai Crisis Response Fund appeal for support, raising $350,000 in just a few short weeks. We reached out to furloughed employees to ask them what their greatest needs and concerns were. They told us that food, support for utility payments and basic life necessities were most pressing. So, in true âohana fashion, we reached out to the local business community to ask for their support. And, gratefully, those businesses stepped up to provide support in the form of additional gift cards on our purchases to KTA Super Stores, Foodland, Hawaii Electric Light Co., Target and Costco. Recognizing the caliber of Hualalai employee talent and training, Target even offered to hire furloughed employees until such time the resort is back to normal operations. Wow. The Hawaiian word for this is âkakouâ meaning âinclusivenessâ and âwere all in this togetherâ. Kakou is the language of âWEâ and, here at the âOhana Foundation thereâs nothing more important. On May 1, 2020, in partnership with the Hualalai Resort and Four Seasons leadership, the Hualalai âOhana Foundation distributed 400 carefully curated customized âOhana Kokua Kits to local employee families through a drive-thru parade here at Hualalai. It was no small feat to get 400 cars in and out of Hualalai in under 2 hours but we did it – thanks to you! Itâs amazing what âWEâ can do together. Employees didnât know what was inside their Kokua Kits but we made sure to make them feel loved. And since âGood Newsâ bars seem to be in short supply these days, we included a roll of âLifesaversâ along with the gift cards and flyers on our scholarships and medical support programs. Just because – why not? Thank you to the members who created homemade âWe Miss You!â signs and drove your golf carts to the distribution site. Seeing you lined up with your signs and shakas held high was just golden and unforgettable. May Day is lei day in Hawaii and your aloha really showered the employee âohana with the type only Hualalai can offer. Your concern for the well-being of the employee âohana is clear. And because words cannot possibly capture the depth of aloha and appreciation that the employees have for what you have made possible, we figured it would be best if we shared their heartfelt, overjoyed, tear-inducing thank you notes with you instead. We like to call them âTissue Box Mahalosâ because thatâs just the only way to describe it. We know youâre busy and thereâs not a lot of time in the day. But, if nothing else, please read the note on the first page of the link below. To us, it says everything. Enjoy!  LINK TO MAHALO NOTES HERE It melts my heart knowing how much you all care. As I drove away after picking up my kit, I saw home owners waiting to say hello and I started to cry. I have never felt so proud to be part of a community. Yes. Something special is happening here. If youâre interested in being part of it, or inviting a friend to do so, please visit us at HualalaiOhanaFoundation.org or email nicoleilani.hof@gmail.comor call us at 325-8177. âWEâ are all here for you.
This piece of the rock called Hualalai remains a haven and has become a home to many of us, hunkering here.
photos by Bill McDowell
And for a tiny taste of the ocean, click the link below.
At the last Eleo Talk Story meeting, which was held on Zoom, people discussed how important it is to support local independent book stores. Kona Stories Book Store is not open because of Covid 19, but the owner will accommodate to your book needs! The phone number is 808-324-0350. On-line: www.konastories.com. It’s definitely worth your time, especially right now, to check out the Weekly Club Update. As well as important announcements, you can find information about the on-line programs the Four Seasons is creating for us. Â And then, flyers like the ones for Mother’s Day flowers, are posted here.
The spirit of Aloha is alive and well.Hualalai furloughed employees received their Kokua kits on May 1, expressing their gratitude as they came through the drive-thru distribution center. Thanks, Hans Riddervold and Bill McDowell, for the photos that give us an idea of what took place. Thanks to all who have donated to make this possible. Thanks to the Ohana Foundation who made all of it work. Thanks to the volunteers and the Ohana Foundation staff for their tireless efforts. The notes of appreciation are already coming in.
photo by Bill McDowell This Friday, May 1, from 9-11:00AM, the Ohana Foundations Crisis Relief Fund will be gifting over 435 employee families with their Kokua Kits. Employees will be receiving a combination of gift cards for Target, KTA, Foodland, Costco and/or HELCo credit toward utility bills plus an anonymous donor is including $100 for each kit.  BTW, each of the vendors kicked in additional percentages to our large block buy of certificates so our dollars parlayed the ability to reach even more employees! To confirm, the distribution plan for May 1 is scheduled between 9 and 11 am. Letters A-L will be there between 9-10 am and letters M-Z will be there from 10-11 am. It is a drive thru, very organized to keep traffic within the gates of Hualalai to a minimum. Thank you to everyone who has donated to make this possible. And thank you to the Ohana Foundation for making it work.
On Thursday, out of gray and gloomy skies, this crimson sunset appeared. I can only think it’s a metaphor for good times ahead.
photo by Bill McDowell The Hualalai Ohana Foundation launched a fund on March 27 to raise money to support furloughed Hualalai employees facing urgent financial situations. See HualalaiOhanaFoundation.org/crisis-response-fund. On April 2, an employee survey was sent out to 700 furloughed employees to better understand their needs. Most responses were from full time employees who have worked here for over 5 years, who have 1-3 children and combined household incomes of less than $99,000. The top concerns included how they would make ends meet for basic needs: food, utilities and medical. Employees expressed their gratitude for the outreach and extension of support provided by our homeowner community through the Hualalai ‘Ohana Foundation. On April 15, an email was sent to employees announcing the opening of applications for the employee Crisis Relief Fund.  As of today, 250 applications have been received. An outreach to employees will  continue through all possible channels. The Hualalai ‘Ohana Crisis Response fund has raised $259,980 from 56 donors. Every dollar donated will go directly to employees to help answer the needs they expressed. May 1st, in partnership with the Hualalai leadership team, the Ohana Foundation will be distributing support to employees through a Hualalai ‘Ohana Drive-Thru Pickup.  Gift cards to local grocery stores and stipends to provide support for their utility bills will be distributed. There has been a tremendous show of support from several local businesses, including KTA Super Stores, Foodland, and Target who have stepped up and provided in-kind matching funds in the form of gift cards. Award amounts will be based on the final number of applications and donations received but the awards will be in the range of $400 to $1,000 in value.  The goal is to help maintain balance in the lives of those who make Hualalai our beloved home. From the camera of Bill McDowell with an egret photo from me.
Kona Butcher Shop is a  great all year round resource, but especially terrific right now for us Hunkering Hualalai Survivors. Kona Butcher Shop will deliver!
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