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Malama Your Mam

Monday, June 2nd, 2025

Malama Your Mam

By Jack Kiyonaga, Editor

Mother’s Day this year featured a special “Malama Your Mama” fundraiser for Molokai’s Aka’ula School students. Held annually, the fundraiser goes to support financial aid for student tuition. Aka’ula is the only private school on Molokai, serving 25 students from 5th to 12th grade.

This year’s event, held at the Molokai Community Health Center, played host to more than 200 residents. With good food, live and silent auctions, a lei stand and music by Amy Hanaiali’i Gilliom, Malama Your Mama was a big hit.

“It was one of those times when everything comes together,” said Aka’ula School Head of School Dara Lukonen.…

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Kapa Curious Scholarship

Thursday, May 22nd, 2025

Community Contributed
By Keo Hanapi-Hirata

“Without our kupuna we would have forgotten our culture, without our ‘opio there will be no one to perpetuate our culture” a humble reminder from the creator, artist, and business owner of Kapa Curious, Kekai Daunhauer along with her ‘aina kupuna ‘Ohana o Ahupua’a o Ahaino.

On May 8, Molokai High School held their annual scholarship ceremony of which Kapa Curious and ‘Ohana Hanapi annually participates to award scholarships to our Molokai ‘opio that are graduating. This year the Kapa Curious scholarship and the Ahaino Scholarship gave six, $500 scholarship awards to graduating Molokai opio.

Keo Hanapi-Hirata along with her daughters, Hina and Kahenawai, presented their ‘Ohana scholarship awards.…

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Surveying Residents About Top Community Needs

Thursday, May 22nd, 2025

Surveying Residents About Top Community Needs

MEO News Release

Maui Economic Opportunity (MEO) is seeking the community’s help in identifying Maui County’s top community needs as the Community Action Agency embarks on a process to develop a three-year plan to tackle those needs.
The survey of the general public and stakeholders is an initial step as MEO creates a Community Action Plan for 2027-30.
The Community Needs Assessment Survey can be found at forms.gle/uq57oVKrHpHcKUvx8. The deadline to receive the surveys is June 25.
MEO was established 60 years ago through the American Opportunity Act, part of President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty. The agency is one of more than a thousand Community Action Agencies across the nation (and four in Hawaii) formed to tackle poverty.…

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Molokai High School 2025 Graduation

Thursday, May 22nd, 2025

Molokai High School News Release

The Class of 2025 will be honored through a traditional ceremony on Friday, May 23 at 4 p.m. in the Molokai High School gymnasium. The community will be invited to join in-person or via livestream online on Akaku, channel 54, the Akaku app called “Maui Stream”, akaku.org, as well as the Maui/Molokai Akaku Facebook pages.

At the gymnasium, the doors will open at 3 p.m. and close at 3:55 p.m. for approximately 15 minutes for the graduate processional. Please be inside and seated prior to 3:55 p.m.

There are no COVID-19 restrictions, however, there are no signs, tubes, balloons, or air horns allowed in the gym.…

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Ka’iwi Solo

Thursday, May 22nd, 2025

Ka’iwi Solo

By Jack Kiyonaga, Editor

On Saturday, May 10, intrepid paddlers from around the world headed to Kepuhi Beach to participate in the 2025 Ka’iwi Solo. The race is a single-man canoe challenge run annually since 2008 by the Paddling Athletes Association. Athletes battle 32 miles across winds, swell and fatigue, proving their skills in the canoe. For Molokai, Ekolu Kalama was the top finisher taking 44th place overall. A young Kahikikala Helm, all of 16, took a solid 77th place as the only other Molokai representative in the race. Tahiti’s Kevin Ceran-Jerusalemy won the race with a time of 3:26:57.

The next races will be the Molokai Challenge on May 25 followed by the Molokai Holokai on July 18 and 19.…

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Honoring St. Damien’s Legacy

Thursday, May 22nd, 2025

Honoring St. Damien’s Legacy

By Jack Kiyonaga, Editor

On May 10, 1873, Damien De Veuster, better known as St. Damien, arrived at Kalawao to minister to those suffering from Hansen’s disease. He would serve in the exiled settlement until he succumbed to Hansen’s disease himself in 1889. To honor his arrival on Molokai, May 10 is the feast day of St. Damien in the Catholic Church, and a day on which his legacy of charity is remembered. Last week on Molokai, one man continued this celebration of St. Damien with a unique project.

The plan, explained Mark Jechura who is organizing the Tree of Hope Tour project, was to begin a pilgrimage of relics of St.…

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Scholarships Support Molokai Students

Thursday, May 22nd, 2025

Scholarships Support Molokai Students

By Jack Kiyonaga, Editor

Every year, a conglomeration of Molokai businesses, nonprofits, alumni and more present the graduating class from Molokai High School (MHS) with scholarships to encourage their post-high school aspirations.

“This support empowers these deserving students to pursue their dreams without financial barriers,” explained MHS Principal Katina Soares to family and friends gathered at the MHS library on May 8. “These exceptional recipients excel academically, but also embody the spirit of determination and service.”

This year, 19 different awards were given out to 24 MHS seniors, totally over $88,000 in scholarship money. Awards were given out for a range of skills and future plans from nursing to early childhood education to workforce trades.…

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Seeking Next Editor of The Molokai Dispatch

Thursday, May 15th, 2025

The Molokai Dispatch is a weekly, locally-owned newspaper that’s been in print for 40 years. We’re seeking a new editor to lead community-centered journalism and guide the paper’s content. This person would ideally already be a Molokai resident, with a commitment to amplifying local voices, fostering the island’s cultural legacy, upholding the highest standards of journalism, and ability to separate personal viewpoints from the professional responsibilities to provide inclusive and trustworthy news coverage of Molokai’s issues and events. We’re looking for someone with a love for Molokai and passion for storytelling and community journalism. 

Join The Molokai Dispatch ‘ohana in our mission to keep Molokai’s stories alive and make a positive community impact through responsible journalism, adding to a strong legacy of preserving our island’s history for future generations. …

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Mahiki Lankford 

Thursday, May 15th, 2025

Mahiki Lankford 

Mahiki Lankford was born in Ho’olehua, Molokai. She is preceded in death by her husband Adolphus Lankford, parents William and Annie Kaiahua Aki, and siblings.

She is survived by her children Lu Ann Mahiki (Kenneth), Donna, Kuulei, Micheal (Ronnette), Yvonne, Kaanohi, and Mahikili’ili’i, 26 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren.

We will celebrate her homecoming luau Friday, June 20, at 4:30 p.m. at the Maunaloa Recreation Center.  …

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May is Wildfire Preparedness Month

Thursday, May 15th, 2025

Community Contributed
By Erin Peyton, HWMO Community Wildfire Ambassador

Choosing to work together to prepare rather than repair preserves precious resources.

There are simple things you can do to protect your homes from ember intrusion. Clearing ignitable materials such as dry leaves in the zero to five foot area from your home is one example.

Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization (HWMO) has partnered with Molokai Public Library during the month of May to provide information on what you can do to be prepared. We invite you to visit the library for more ways to protect your homes – just look for the little red house.…

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