Along with celebrating the appointed, MHLA also recognized the wildfire relief efforts of its members during the Annual Meeting. Maui’s visitor industry is experiencing a daily economic loss of nearly $13 million a day since the August wildfires.
“Maui nonprofits are a needed support system for our communities,” says Lisa Paulson, Executive Director of the Maui Hotel & Lodging Association. “With the hardships of the recent wildfires, it was crucial to make this hard-earned money available to them immediately.”
This summer, the Visitor Industry joined forces with The Salvation Army’s Adopt a Backpack Campaign to supply Maui’s keiki in need with school supplies for the upcoming school year. MHLA hotel properties and allied members successfully delivered the supplies requested in addition to $5,000 of monetary donations.
The Visitor Industry and Maui Hotel & Lodging Association responded to requests from Maui County and the American Red Cross for emergency assistance items for the communities of Kīpahulu and Kaupō. The rockslide occurrence on May 11 left these areas inaccessible and in need of life-saving equipment during times when emergency services response is delayed.
The Visitor Industry and Maui Hotel & Lodging Association responded to Maui District Health Office’s donation request for homeless outreach. Donations were sought to serve the needs of the congregate populations of domestic violence, substance abuse and homeless shelters.