Members and friends of the Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset and staff members from Ka Hale A Ke Ola Resource Center in Lahaina are shown with some of the 70-plus Christmas gifts. These gifts were selected and purchased for each of the children residing at the facility. PHOTO BY TAYLOR SCHULZ.

LAHAINA — On the Wednesday before Christmas, members and friends of the Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset delivered over 70 gifts for keiki at Ka Hale A Ke Ola Resource Center in Lahaina.

Project Chair/Past President Joanne Laird worked with Children’s Services Coordinator Misty Bannister to secure the name, age and gender for 45 people ages four months to 24 years old.

Personal gifts valued at $50 each were purchased for each child. Accepting the gifts was Bannister and Ka Hale A Ke Ola staff members Edna Kama and Clarence Alo.

Along with the gifts from the members of the Lahaina Sunset Rotary, extra toys and gifts were delivered from 5A Rent-a-Space for additional children. 5A Rent-a-Space also provided 24 backpacks with school-age children’ individual gifts placed inside the backpacks.

Bannister said, “We are so grateful for the kind and very generous friends we have at the Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset. They really went above and beyond to fulfill the wishes of the keiki at our Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless shelter in Lahaina. I feel blessed with the gift of meeting these amazing people and connecting them with our precious keiki. Generous members and friends of this club have certainly blessed our youth and their families, and they most definitely have blessed us with such a beautiful friendship. We are forever grateful.”

The Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset meets at 5:30 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at the Royal Ocean Terrace Restaurant at the Royal Lahaina Resort. Guests are welcome to attend meetings.

A special “Friendraiser” event will be held for the public on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023.

Contact Membership Chair Jim Fahnestock at mauijimf@gmail.com for information and to attend this special informational event.