GoFundMe drives seek to help out Kauai flood victims

A preschool on Kauai’s North Shore that has been serving families for 40 years was severely damaged by the mid-April floods but is finding hope through its online GoFundMe campaign.

More than 2 feet of water rushed through the Aloha School Early Learning Center in Hanalei, upending furniture in the classrooms, dousing kids’ pictures and damaging the floors and walls.

Now Ashley and David Guerrero, co-directors of the preschool with 36 students, are trying to raise $37,500 on GoFundMe to repair damage and reopen as soon as possible. So far, they’ve raised about $34,600 and say they are grateful for the help.

“Everyone’s familiar with GoFundMe and it’s easy to access,” said Ashley Guerrero. “We just want to repair the school right away. The faster we can get the school up and running, the faster our families can start rebuilding their own homes and get back to a normal life.”

Some of the families, she said, have lost their homes, while others are still stranded in Wainiha and Haena.

The school, which rents space from Christ Memorial Episcopal Church, is a registered nonprofit accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, open since 1978.

Since the torrential storms hit Kauai and East Oahu, more than a dozen GoFundMe crowdfunding campaigns, big and small, have popped up online.

Some are for specific individuals, including a disabled veteran and a big-wave surfer, while others are for families with damaged homes, an organic farm, a church, an art gallery in Hanalei and Kauai’s canoe clubs. Then there are the umbrella fundraisers such as “Kauai flooding relief” or “Help Kauai.”

While it used to be common for banks to set up an account for a family or individual following a tragedy, Hugh Jones, a senior deputy attorney general in the state’s Tax and Charities Division, said crowdfunding platforms are now very popular.

“These crowdfunding platforms can be very effective in raising large amounts of money for very important causes,” said Jones.

For instance, NFL football player J.J. Watt last year raised a whopping $37 million on youcaring.com for his “Houston Flood Relief Fund” for victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas.

“People with that kind of star power can use this platform for socially beneficial purposes,” he said.

Donors can give directly to nonprofits such as the American Red Cross or Hawaii Foodbank, but can also give through a crowdfunding platform, which some charitable groups use to raise funds. The campaigns can go “viral” on social media and are easily shared on Facebook and Twitter. Donors can list their names or remain anonymous.

The donations, however, are tax deductible only if given to a registered charity.

People also need to be aware that crowdfunding platforms take a percentage of the amount raised, Jones said.

GoFundMe, for instance, takes a 2.9 percent processing fee plus 30 cents per donation, according to spokeswoman Kate Cichy, to cover the cost of third-party credit card processors and the secure transfer of funds. She added that the Kauai flood-related campaigns are backed by a GoFundMe guarantee that will refund donations if funds are misused.

Donors giving to crowdfunding platforms should do their homework, said Jones, especially if they do not know the person who is collecting the money. Registered charities can be looked up on the state’s online database.

“Despite what the crowdfunding platform tells you about the guarantee, crowdfunding can’t guarantee that person is going to use the money as they’re promising,” he said. “I call it a leap of faith that that person is using the money as they’re promising.”

To date, however, no fraudulent crowdfunding cases have been brought to the state attorney general’s office.

“So far we haven’t had any,” he said. “Hopefully, it’s the aloha spirit.”

The campaign that has so far raised the most — more than $284,000 — is the Hanalei-Haena Flooding Fund spearheaded by several partners including model and volleyball player Gabby Reece, wife of surfer Laird Hamilton. The fund has a goal of raising $1 million.

Reece posted a personal pitch for help on Instagram on April 16, with a link to the fundraiser in her bio. The post, so far, has gotten more than 18,000 views. Hamilton also has a link to the fund on his Instagram bio.

“All of the money will go to the people with the most immediate needs,” she said in the post. “You have my word on that. I know the people who are organizing this. I just want to say thank you so much for your support, and we’ll get these people taken care of.”

She said by phone that she and Hamilton, who grew up in Wainiha, are just doing their part as members of the community. The team also set up a “We Love Hanalei” list on Amazon.com for people to donate specific items such as muck boots, insect repellent and first-aid kits.

Rachel Parker launched a campaign to raise $10,000 for her brother, Fletcher, and his Ke‘alohipa’a Farm, which lost equipment, crops and a beloved pet dog. As of Friday, she was pretty close to her goal.

Daniel Anthony of Kaneohe used GoFundMe to raise $2,000 for a last-minute “Ku‘i for Kauai” campaign. Three waves of volunteers came to his daylong event, where steamed taro was pounded into paiai, the precursor to poi.

Anthony shipped 300 pounds of paiai overnight to his surfer friend Kamalei Alexander on Kauai, who distributed it to people in need there, from the west side all the way to Hanalei. Anthony called it “ancestral emergency food.”

The paiai was sealed in coffee bags, with a personal note of aloha, and signed by those who helped pound it.

Nalo Farms in Waimanalo, which grows salad greens, raised its goal of $100,000 to save the farm within two weeks, and has now surpassed its goal, with nearly $104,000 pledged.

Owner Dean Okimoto said he initially considered filing for bankruptcy after floods put his farm under 4 feet of water and damaged the irrigation system. One of his workers suggested using GoFundMe, and he felt rejuvenated seeing how quickly people responded.

“It was phenomenal,” said Okimoto. “My workers are amazing. They cleaned it all up and they’re plowing.”

Even after the goal was reached, people continue to donate. Okimoto said he plans to donate funds above the goal to nonprofits serving Kauai.

Guerrero said she is very appreciative of all the support so far. The school has also received help from the Hawaii Community Foundation and volunteers, including parents, teachers and others.

She keeps the GoFundMe community updated through video posts. In the latest one, volunteers are seen cleaning and painting the school.

Repairs will cost more than originally anticipated, even with insurance, given the extent of the damage, Guerrero said. Instead of just replacing floors, the entire foundation had to be poured and external walls replaced. But the outpouring of support has been uplifting, she said.

On the last day of preschool before the flooding, she said, “we had class as usual, not knowing that was going to be the last day. We had plans for a fundraiser the following week. We had parent-teacher conferences. We were getting ready for graduation.”

Related links

>> Flood-related Go FundMe campaigns: gofundme.com/cause/hawaii-­floods

>> Attorney General’s Registry of Charitable Organizations: ag.ehawaii.gov/ charity/welcome.html