Group donates to Malama Family Recovery Center
Members of 100 Plus Women Who Care Maui chose nonprofit Malama Family Recovery Center (Malama Na Makua A Keiki) as the winning cause at their quarterly meeting Sept. 6 at the Fairmont Kea Lani, Maui.
The organization meets for one hour four times each year to nominate and hear from local charities or other causes nominated by its members.
Names of the nominated organizations are put into a hat and three are randomly chosen. After each chosen organization makes a five-minute presentation followed by a five-minute question-and-answer session, members vote with a secret ballot for one of the causes and the organization with the most votes receives a $100 check from every member.
The amount collected for Malama on Sept. 6 was $9,372, and event organizers expect more donations to come in as members who were unable to attend send their checks.
Malama provides caring, holistic substance abuse treatment to women and children so families can live safe, independent and healthy lives. It is the only women-specific addiction treatment center on Maui and the only place where babies and young children can stay with their mothers in treatment.
Funds donated at the event are supporting Malama’s programs that strengthen mother-child/baby bonding and increase attentive parenting practices in order to improve and support the entire family’s well-being.
“We are grateful beyond words for this tremendous outpouring of support, especially from the women in our community,” said Lisa Ponichtera, Malama’s clinical director. “For an organization like ours that operates on a very limited budget, a donation of this magnitude makes a big difference. We hope each and every one of the women who played a part in this knows that their gift will make a direct impact on the mothers, children and families we serve. It’s amazing to see the difference that a determined and compassionate group of individuals can make when it comes to helping those who desperately need treatment and support.”
The first 100 Plus Women Who Care Maui meeting was held in December 2014, and since then it has raised almost $90,000 for local causes. The organization has grown to more than 300 women.
For more information, visit 100womenwhocaremaui.org. For more information about Malama, visit malamafamilyrecovery.org.