Mental Health Services For Youth On Maui Receive A Funding Boost
The money will support schools, multiple community partners and nonprofits, but more will be needed.
A new initiative launched with a $1 million donation to Maui United Way aims to shore up Maui驶s mental health systems and address the needs of children impacted by the Aug. 8 wildfires.
Stephanie Smith, chief marketing officer of Sentry Insurance and president of the Sentry Insurance Foundation, said Monday the , with Sentry providing continued financial support and resources over time.
The Wisconsin-based company has long-standing ties to Maui, its chairman and CEO Pete McPartland said. Sentry has served as a sponsor of the PGA Tour in Kapalua since 2018 and previously donated $1 million to nonprofits such as Maui Food Bank and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Maui in the immediate aftermath of the fires.
The PGA Tour will return to Kapalua in early January.
“Maui is a Sentry community,” McPartland said during the announcement event in Kapalua, “we said that well before the fire.鈥
Maui United Way is currently in the process of determining how to allocate the funds, its president Nick Winfrey, said. The funds will support multiple community partners and agencies from Maui schools to nonprofit organizations.
Some funding may go toward training staff in schools and after-school programs to recognize and address students’ mental health issues right away, Winfrey said. Maui already lacked adequate mental health support for children before the fires, he added, and he now worries even more about student well-being as some families struggle to find stable housing and prepare to spend the holidays in hotel rooms.
“This is a generational issue that will need attention in perpetuity,” Winfrey said.
Richard Carosso, principal at Lahainaluna High School, echoed Winfrey’s concerns, adding that approximately 40% of his students previously lived in the area impacted by the wildfires.
Around 30 Lahainaluna staff members are also unable to access their homes at this time, Carosso added, and he worries that some students and teachers may eventually leave school because of mental health issues or housing insecurity.
鈥淎s we hit winter, it鈥檚 going to be a crisis period,” Carosso said.
Since Lahaina’s four public schools reopened last month, over 2,000 students have reenrolled in classes, said Department of Education deputy superintendent Tammi Oyadomari-Chun in a Board of Education meeting last week. Approximately 1,000 students have chosen not to return to Lahaina驶s public schools, with many opting to enroll in other public schools on Maui or non-public schools across the state.
Since resuming classes after the fires, schools have doubled down on efforts to address staff and students’ social-emotional needs. At Sacred Hearts School in Lahaina, staff have received counseling from Catholic Charities Hawaii, while students have enjoyed regular visits from dogs and their trainers from Assistance Dogs of Hawaii, principal Tonata Lolesio said in Monday’s event.
At Lahaina public schools, teachers and staff have received training in areas such as Psychological First Aid, traumatic grief in children and self-care, according to the . The U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps has also assigned mental health providers to each reopened school.
But while the corps’ presence on campus is welcomed, teachers aren’t always aware of what mental health supports are available, said Hawaii State Teachers Association president Osa Tui Jr. in last week’s BOE meeting.
Winfrey emphasized that it will take more than $1 million to build up Maui’s mental health systems and ensure that all children have necessary support moving forward.
“This is the first step of many in the long road ahead,” Winfrey said.
Civil Beat鈥檚 education reporting is supported by a grant from Chamberlin Family Philanthropy.
Civil Beat鈥檚 community health coverage is supported by the Swayne Family Fund of Hawaii Community Foundation, the Cooke Foundation, and Papa Ola Lokahi.
