Maui volunteer and retired physical therapist Jim Kahler works with camp attendee Elvin Alvarado.

KAHULUI – On Saturday, Nov. 9, Somos Ohana Nicaragua will host a fundraising luncheon and silent auction at Cary and Eddie’s Hideaway (located behind First Hawaiian Bank on the beach) between 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

The event is planned to raise money for the next secondary school that the local nonprofit is building in rural northwestern Nicaragua.

Nicaraguan crafts will be on sale, and the public can bid on items ranging from a night at Kaanapali Beach Hotel and original artwork to Maui Ocean Center and Sugar Cane Train passes and restaurant deals. Angel y Sus Compaeros will play Latin music starting at noon.

Tickets for the event are $15. Attendees may order from five menu options, including vegetarian, at any time between 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Desserts will be available.

Somos Ohana Nicaragua’s name means “We Are Family-Nicaragua.” The all-volunteer organization has worked in the municipality of Villanueva, Department of Chinandega, as a nonprofit since 2006 and as community volunteers since 1999.

Among the many projects completed by the group are several homes for extremely poor families, five schools and two water systems.

They have donated cows and many bicycles, funded scholarships and transportation for students and cancer patients, brought in physical and speech therapists, and run a two-week day camp for youth with special needs for the past two years.

For information, or to volunteer, go to www.somosohananicaragua.org.

Tickets for the event are available from Charlotte or Dan Flavin (call 572-9898) or at the door.