A hundred Punahou School 5th-graders learned the lessons of empathy for neighbors, the significance of “home” and the value of giving from the heart through a house magnet fundraiser that selected Maui Economic Opportunity’s Maui Fire Relief Fund as the beneficiary.
MEO received the $203 donation from Punahou art teacher Katie Snyder on Sept. 9. Each student made a house magnet, with many making more than one, and sold them to their families and faculty for $1 each. Many buyers made additional donations, adding to the surprise gift to MEO.
“Through extraordinary privilege, my students have a safe place to live and go to school,” Snyder said. “By researching the needs of those impacted by the fires, housing was highlighted as a critical need going forward.
“I wanted my students to develop a sense of empathy for our island neighbors and also understand that it’s not the size of the gesture but the heart behind it that truly makes a difference.”
Each year, Snyder structures an art lesson around a chosen theme, which this year was “e Ho‘omoeā – Our Home to Dream and Discover.” With Lahaina marking the first year of the fire in August, she sought to connect the art experience to “home” and Punahou, the prestigious private school on Oahu, as “our home” and probe questions, such as “how do we want to feel at home?” and “how would it feel to not have a home?”
The idea for the project derived from a Florida school, which sold house magnets to help victims of the Haiti earthquake in 2010. Snyder perused the Maui Nui Strong website looking for an organization offering housing relief for Maui residents and came across MEOʻs Maui Relief TANF Program.
She “appreciated” that MEO was helping families secure housing, as well as school supplies, “so students can return to a school they can call ʻhome.’ ’’ In partnership with the state Department of Human Services and Hawai‘i Community Foundation, MEO provides housing, vehicle, utility, school supply and clothing relief for families impacted by the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfires through the Maui Relief TANF Program.
As of Monday, Oct. 7, MEO had assisted 6,500 individuals and disbursed $14.2 million through the program.
The process of making the house magnets began with students utilizing painted paper to create their houses and employing collage materials, markers and puffy paint for detail. A magnet was glued on and a coat of Triple Thick gloss added to make the magnets strong and shiny. Finished magnets were taped to a paper that showed MEO as the beneficiary of the fundraiser.
“My students were so excited to raise money and are so happy to learn it will be used to help families in need,” said Snyder. “They learned an important lesson about being the change that we’d like to see in the world.”
MEO CEO Debbie Cabebe was touched by the effort and the heart of the Punahou students. She was humbled that MEO was selected as the beneficiary.
“It’s difficult to truly grasp the impact and emotions of losing your home and possessions, from tangibles like clothing and food to memories in photos and mementoes,” said Cabebe. “These young students from Punahou School have made the effort. Their hands have touched the lives of those in need in Lahaina.”
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Fifth-graders at Punahou School made house magnets as a fundraiser for the MEO Maui Fires Relief Program. The project was centered on a theme, which this year is “e Ho‘omoeā – Our Home to Dream and Discover.”
Katie Snyder’s 5th-grade art students at Punahou School sold house magnets for $1 each to family and faculty with the proceeds going to MEO for wildfire housing relief efforts.
