Volunteers pose for a photo after spending Saturday clearing firebreaks and beautifying the Lahainaluna High School campus. Photo courtesy Maui United Way

In an effort organized by Maui United Way, 70 volunteers — many graduates of the school — joined local organizations and community leaders to clear nine acres of dry brush above Lahainaluna High School.

Maui United Way brought the volunteers together on Saturday with partners from Hawaiian Electric, Maui Land & Pineapple Company, Lahaina Excavation and Maui Emergency Management Agency to launch the Lahainaluna Firebreak Initiative.

The initiative is designed to help protect the high school and Princess Nāhiʻenaʻena Elementary, Lahaina Intermediate as well as the nearby homes along Lahainaluna Road.

“We have a responsibility to this ʻāina to protect it from disaster events, and we’re taking that very seriously,” said Amos Lonokailua-Hewett, Maui Emergency Management Administrator, in a news release. “The firebreak initiative was created and led by Maui people, for Maui people.”

According to Maui United Way, the school’s campus needed a critical buffer against wildfires, and many different community partners all came together to contribute their time, supplies and money to support the work.

Maui Land and Pineapple also helped to create an emergency access road above Lahainaluna. The workday was also supported by donations from Service Rentals, Mālama Maui Nui and Home Depot, with refreshments donated by Tropic Water and meals provided by Nagasako’s.

This aerial view shows the firefighter access road created by Maui Land & Pineapple Co. Photo Courtesy Maui United Way

“The outpouring of support from our community partners and volunteers shows the strength of our community,” Maui United Way Interim CEO Jeeyun Lee said. “Great things can happen when we all work together to solve problems and meet needs.”

Lee added that as a West Maui resident, she knows firsthand how important it is to provide families and students with peace of mind.

Much of the groundwork for the project was led by Lahainaluna alumni.

For example, Kainoa Casco, the vice president of land productivity and asset management at MLP and a Lahainaluna graduate, managed the creation of a firebreak road so the Maui Fire Department has direct access to better protect the school in case of an emergency.

“This campus raised us,” Casco said. “Standing alongside fellow alumni who are my co-workers today is a full-circle moment. Big mahalo to our MLP team in particular, Danny Kauvaka and Palani Wright who led these efforts on the ground. We are grateful for the opportunity to support Lahainaluna, protect this ‘āina, and serve the community that shaped us.”

In the weeks leading up to the community workday, Keoni Moore, also an LHS graduate and the founder of Lahaina Excavation, mowed down dry grass with his crew to create a barrier farther above the school’s campus for additional protection.

“As a Lahainaluna alumnus whose little brother is still a student here, the safety of this campus is very personal to me,” said Moore. “Helping to prepare the grounds and seeing our community; neighbors, alumni and family come together to protect the school is something I’ll never forget.”

Maui Land & Pineapple Co. team members and Lahainaluna High School alumni Palani Wright (left) and Danny Kauvaka (right) check in with LHS Facilities Manager BJ Alvarez (center left) and Lahainaluna Athletics Director Jonathan Conrad while clearing an access road behind Lahainaluna High School for firefighters to use while combating wildfire. Photo courtesy Maui United Way