Last August, a series of wildfires broke out on the Hawaiian island of Maui that caused widespread damage, killed at least 97 people, displaced thousands, and led to a state of emergency for the entire state. In the town of Lahaina alone, the Pacific Disaster Center and Federal Emergency Management Agency estimated that over 2,200 buildings were destroyed, including many historic landmarks. The fires caused $5.5 billion in damages.

The Mercy Home community was saddened by these events and organized a fundraising and educational effort to engage our coworkers and young people to learn more about the fires and how all of us can help.

“We wanted to make sure that we were putting some educational material out there for the kids,” Mercy Home’s Director of Spiritual Development Marc Velasquez said. “[We hoped] to get programs to talk a little bit about what was happening [and hopefully] encourage people to give money to the relief effort.”

In addition to encouraging programs to discuss the disaster, posters were also hung throughout our facilities that compared the size and scope of destruction in Maui to that of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Using maps, these posters showed that the Maui fire was three times the size of the Chicago Fire. The posters also featured interactive before-and-after photos of the destruction caused in Maui and a QR code that coworkers could use to donate to Catholic Charities of Maui to support their disaster relief efforts. 

“We wanted to create some space for some empathy, and hopefully the information that we gave people will help,” Velasquez said.

This wasn’t the first time Mercy Home has jumped into action to support those affected by other disasters. A recent example is when our kids and coworkers raised over $500 for those affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria earlier this year. Similar efforts over the years generated support for victims of other natural disasters across the U.S. and around the world. By supporting others in times of crisis, our young people practice compassion and come to understand that they can make a difference in the lives of others.

“We want to do our part to help those who are in need [and show our kids there are things] we can do no matter where they are in the world,” Velasquez said.

And while fundraising is important, we also make sure that there is always an educational aspect to relief activities. This helps satisfy our kids’ natural curiosity about the event, while giving them the opportunity to learn about other cultures. The educational programming around our relief programs helps young people understand their connectedness to others around the globe and broadens their perspectives.

“Learning about others always helps expand one’s worldview,” Velasquez said. “We all play a part in each other’s lives.”

We are thankful to our coworkers who are so dedicated to teaching our children ways they can make a difference to people in need no matter how far away!