Yacht Club raises funds for Maui Fire Relief

In the midst of the rain from a tropical storm, the faithful gathered at the Eastport Activities Room to eat finger food, listen to stories straight from Maui and donate to help those impacted by the wildfires. The Hawaiian-themed cruise was postponed due to the weather, but the group remained focused on raising funds for Maui Relief.

The fundraiser was open to all Canyon Lake residents and drew a couple dozen people, both Yacht Club members and non-member residents.

The event provided cash and donations, but more are needed. The Yacht Club will be holding another fundraiser during its rescheduled Hawaiian Luau, Cruise and Maui Fundraiser Sunday at 4:00 p.m. at the Holiday Harbor Guest Docks.

Michelle and Bob Burns address the gathering at Sunday’s Canyon Lake Yacht Club Maui fundraiser. The Burns are off again to Maui with the donations and money given at the event. They return in time for Sunday’s rescheduled Hawaiian Cruise and Party which will raise additional funds for the Maui Relief effort. Photo provided by Ron Wilbur

Bob and Michelle Burns, co-chairs of Sunday’s Yacht Club event, just returned from Maui where they spent the past week. The Canyon Lake couple could see the village burn from their hotel windows and witnessed the devastation as they drove past Lahaina to the airport.

The couple shared heart-wrenching stories of their interactions with people on the island during and after the fires that destroyed historic downtown Lahaina. The hardest stories to hear were about the children who lost everything, including their homes, members of their families, all of their belongings and their toys. For these kids, a toy was a comfort to them, something that could distract them from the pain and hardship they and their families were facing.

Bob and Michelle headed back to Maui on Tuesday.

“Bob and Michelle just flew there this morning with suitcases and cash,” Yacht Club Commodore Ron Wilbur said. “After our fundraiser Sunday, several people went to Bob and Michelle’s’ home last night as they were packing to go to Maui. The Yacht Club members brought filled suitcases and bags of toys and clothing. Michelle told me in a call this week from Maui that they are meeting more affected Lahaina residents through their local friends, and the need is great. We are doing everything we can, because we can’t sit by and see this terrible plight and turn a blind eye.”

Sunday’s fundraiser provided participants with five vetted opportunities for donating. The Burns have started a GoFundMe page and are off to Maui to provide on-the-ground relief for as many people as they can.

Bob is a retired Delta Airlines captain who flew passengers to Maui for many years. He and his wife Michelle have a special affinity for the people of Maui and spend as much time as they can on the island. With his benefits from the airline, Bob can fly free, so the couple is loading suitcases with toys, clothing and small items, as well as bringing cash for instant help.

“Some people working in the hotels are at their jobs, but many locals are out of work,” Bob said. “Many of the locals are staying in the hotels because their home was destroyed in the fires. They escaped with the clothes they were wearing and with family members, although some even lost family.”

“It was heartbreaking,” Michelle said. “The children are the ones who make you cry as you see them lost and looking for any comfort. You just want to pick them up and hold them. The small toy cars that we are bringing don’t seem like much, but to a young child it makes the pain a little less because they have something, just something, that they can hold in their hand that feels a little bit like home. We were nearby as one 7-year old told his mother, ‘Mommy, I just want to go home and play with my toys.’ Everything they had was gone.

“With those things and the clothes and cash that Bob and I bring to them, we can play a small part, but for some it represents the caring of people they don’t know and will probably never meet. It’s hard emotionally for us, but we do what we can because to not do anything is to ignore the terror, heartache and loss that as people we can’t ignore. We have to do something, and we are.”

Sunday’s cruise event was scheduled for Sunday, but was postponed because of the weather. It will take place Sunday and although the event, which had been planned since the first of the year, will be a Hawaiian-style party, the focus will be on raising more funds for the relief effort in Maui.

The party, which is open to all of Canyon Lake, including non-members of the club, will start out at the Holiday Harbor Guest Docks. There is no fee for joining in on the event. Everyone is encouraged to wear Hawaiian clothes, bring appetizers to share and their own beverages. Those with boats can bring their boat. The club will attempt to secure rides in member boats for those who show up without a boat.

After about an hour of socializing on the docks, the cruise will begin and will lead to the boats tying up for more socializing.

Hawaiian music will waft through the air, people will party, but intertwined in the evening’s events will be a somber mood because of the tragic loss of the historic community of Lahaina. Bob and Michelle will be back from Maui to share fresh accounts of what is happening on the island and what is most immediately needed.

The Canyon Lake Yacht Club is also donating 100% of the proceeds from all new 2023 memberships from August 14 through September to Maui relief organizations.

Ron is hoping other clubs and organizations in Canyon Lake will get involved in the relief effort. The city and Canyon Lake POA are promoting fundraising as well.

“This is such an important story and we hope that it stirs more clubs and organizations in the area to do something, anything to help out,” Ron said. “So many of us have been to Maui and the historic town of Lahaina many times. We’ve experienced the beautiful spirit of aloha and Ohana, and then we come back to our lives here and feel grateful we got to visit that other ‘bit of paradise.’ The charm of the island and the gracious way locals greet and welcome visitors is a lesson for us all.”

Ron also mentioned how it is incumbent on those who have been treated so kindly during visits to the island to not judge, but to give without hesitation.

“If we just sit at home and ‘tsk tsk’ about this tragedy,” he said. “Or if we engage in the American tradition of finger-pointing and doing nothing except griping, we will have abandoned the people who welcomed us unconditionally, when they’re in their time of greatest need.”

The Canyon Lake Yacht Club is doing what it can, Ron said.

“We’re just a small club of 250 people, but we’re doing what we can,” he said. “We may not raise tens of thousands of dollars, but I’m confident that every dollar we do raise will help. I challenge every club in Canyon Lake to step up and do something because every ‘something’ can make a difference for someone.”