Kokua: Pulling together to make it happen

KWP crew builds fence for the new Hawaii Wildlife Center in North Kohala.

Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success. - Henry Ford

Our funders call it “in-kind donations” and we call it “kokua”.  Either way, it’s how we make things happen in the non-profit world of conservation in Hawaii. When a crew on Maui needs help to get a long stretch of difficult fence line done, we send along a couple of our crew members.  When we need help fighting an invasive tree, the Big Island Invasive Species team shows up with sprayers and workers.  We plant trees on Mauna Kea and build fences in North Kohala, and get help in return with our own planting and fences. We lend our tools and even our spouses. By pulling together, we get more work done — to benefit the environment, native species, and our communities.

These donations of time, expertise, and materials go a long way to “match” the dollars we get in grants, building our capacity to reach our objectives.  Every dollar of volunteer labor or community donation allows us to pursue double that amount in grant funding.

Mahalo nui — thank you very much! — to our community donors and tireless volunteers. You truly make it all possible!