Kai Pelayo was named MEO’s Volunteer of the Year. Photo courtesy MEO

Wildfire survivor and advocate Kai Pelayo and the Stupski Foundation, which gifted Maui Economic Opportunity $450,000 for early childhood programs, were named the Volunteer and Benefactor of the Year, respectively, at MEO’s annual volunteer luncheon on Friday.

According to the organization, about 75 government, business and nonprofit leaders, MEO staff and volunteers filled the MEO classroom in Wailuku for the event that honors the Volunteer of the Year and the Benefactor of the Year.

Pelayo, who is a former MEO board president and a current member, has spent more than 40 years engaging in community service activities, working to expand economic opportunities, improve the lives of residents and more recently, to assist in the recovery of Lahaina.

He has used his position and connections as Community Affairs Manager for Bayer to garner donations — including to MEO’s wildfire recovery programs — participated in community planning and rebuilding efforts and raised hopes and spirits among kupuna living in the community where he grew up.

He and his wife escaped the flames and smoke on Aug. 8, 2023, by fleeing his home in the Villages of Lealii in Wahikuli. Pelayo considers himself fortunate because his family was safe and his home survived, suffering some roof damage.

“I’m glad that later in my life, I’ve been able to do a bit of good,” he said at the gathering. “It changes things. When you need to help people it’s not a question; you understand.”

The other nominees for Volunteer of the Year were Geraldine Gendusa, Maile Gonsalves and Christopher Richards.

Volunteers of the Year nominees pose for a photo with government leaders and MEO staff. Shown are (from left) MEO CEO Debbie Cabebe, Council members Gabe Johnson and Kauanoe Batangan, Volunteer of the Year nominees Geraldine Gendusa and Maile Gonsalves, Benefactor of the Year representative Sulma Gandhi of the Stupski Foundation, Volunteer of the Year Kai Pelayo, council member Yuki Lei Sugimura, and MEO Executive Director Maggie Batangan. Photo courtesy MEO

Gendusa assists at Spanish-speaking consulate visits hosted by MEO. Gonsalves is a grandmother who volunteers her time at her grandchild’s Head Start site, and Richards is the owner of Hot Island Glass and introduced Youth Services middle and high schoolers to glass blowing.

MEO said the Stupski Foundation grant came at a critical moment last April as rising costs and threats to funding of Kahi Kamali`i Early Childhood Center and Head Start preschools weighed heavily on the nonprofit.

The grant funded programs for children prenatal to age 5 and their parents and caregivers and offered flexibility to support shortfalls at Kahi Kamali`i and unmet needs at Head Start sites on Maui and Molokai.

The Stupski Foundation, which has distributed more than $373 million, offers grants to programs supporting food justice, post-secondary success, early brain development and serious illness care. The San Francisco-based foundation recently expanded its scope to include assisting children up to 5 years old, which made MEO eligible for grants.

Sulma Gandhi accepted the award for the foundation and honored volunteers in the room.

“You are the ones who recognize that service to others is one of the highest callings,” she said. “Volunteerism is a bond that lifts communities higher and holds communities together.”

In the past year, 308 MEO volunteers performed 2,785 volunteer hours, saving MEO approximately $91,000, MEO CEO Debbie Cabebe noted. Among those volunteers in attendance were retired Judge Rhonda Loo, who offered the keynote speech, and David Fraser and Raymond Cabebe, who played music for the event.

Sulma Gandhi accepted the Benefactor of the Year Award for the Stupski Foundation. Photo courtesy MEO