Camp Imua left in COLD STORAGE

By LEE IMADA, News Editor

WAILUKU – A camp for Maui children with special needs and disabilities was saved – or at least the food was – by some last-minute help from two Maui businesses.

Two days before a refrigeration truck was to be delivered to Camp Maluhia for the 31st Camp Imua, event organizers learned that the vehicle had broken down and was unavailable, said Robin Pilus, development director of Imua Family Services, which puts on the camp.

The refrigeration truck was pivotal to the camp to keep all of the food fresh for the weeklong camp that ran from June 11 to 15. Several days before the start of the camp, the kitchen crew begins stocking up on food, to allay the need to make extra trips to town and back.

“We started calling anybody who could offer a solution,” said Pilus. “Seafood and liquor places, we called everyone we could think of.”

At first, there was no luck. Then Toni Rojas, an Imua board member, suggested calling Steve Smith at VIP Foodservice. Smith referred them to Buzz Fernandez at Matson Navigation Co., who offered a refrigeration container.

Matson was glad to help, said Fernandez, explaining that the company donates refrigeration and dry containers to local charitable organizations without charge. What was really fortunate for Imua was the availability of a mechanical generator because of the lack of an appropriate electrical hookup, he said.

“The big part was the MG, or mechanical generator,” said Fernandez, the Maui district manager. “We usually don’t have them available. Luckily enough we had one. What was good about this is, it came together in a day or two.”

Having secured the container from Matson, Smith and VIP offered to truck the refrigeration container to and from Camp Maluhia – at no charge.

“It saved the day,” said Pilus. “There was a lot of cheering and hollering.”

“It’s such a gift, such an amazing gift,” she added.

With the refrigeration container in place, the camp went off without a major hitch. There were 50 campers, children with special needs including Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism disorders and spina bifida. They were supervised by more than 120 volunteers.

Camp Manager Laurna Malkovich organized assorted activities from singing, dancing, an old-time ice cream social and animal-assisted therapy by Piiholo Stables, which brought horses to Camp Maluhia. Off-site activities included kayaking and swimming, helicopter rides with Sunshine Helicopters and a trip to the Maui Ocean Center.

The children, who were assigned two trained volunteers each, experienced “an opportunity to gain self-confidence and personal growth by being successful in the activities and opportunities,” said a news release about the event.

“Camp Imua is always a wonderful, fun and memorable experience for everyone involved,” according to Malkovich, who has been volunteering for the camp for many years. “Relationships and bonds are formed between people that are long-lasting and just indescribable.”

The camp was free to the youths but costs Imua Family Services about $40,000. The funds are raised through donations of time, money, goods and services.

“Camp Imua is aloha-enacted,” said Malkovich.

Imua Family Services, located in the J. Walter Cameron Center, supports and advocates for children with special needs and their families and serves more than 2,100 people in the community. For more information, call Pilus at 244-7467, ext. 110.

Lee Imada can be reached at leeimada@mauinews.com.