Permanent Site Almost Within Reach for Namahana School

Anonymous Donor Presents Decisive Matching Gift Challenge to the Community

PRESS RELEASE, MAY 16, 2023: An anonymous donor has made a pivotal matching gift to Namahana School to help it obtain a permanent campus in Kīlauea Town. The gift, which matches subsequent donations dollar for dollar up to $420,000, is also an invitation to the entire community to support the initiative.

Earlier this month, Namahana School announced its plans to pursue the 11.3-acre property for $2.4 million, which includes the cost of financing.  The sale hinges on whether the school can raise $1.08 million in cash by June 9.  Namahana School had previously planned to occupy eight acres at Wai Koa Plantation through a renewable land license, but when the Kīlauea Town property was offered, Namahana’s leadership recognized multiple advantages to owning its campus outright and acted quickly to mobilize resources.

“This generous gift truly took our breath away,” said Melanie Parker, executive director of Namahana Education Foundation, the nonprofit organization that manages fundraising for the school. “We are tremendously grateful to this donor for making their own generosity a rallying cry for the community by literally doubling the impact of other donors.” If fully matched by June 9, the school will be able to confirm the purchase.  Namahana Education Foundation will continue to fundraise to cover the full sale price and avoid resorting to more costly financing. 

“We know the challenges faced by north shore families, having to send their children to middle and high schools quite far from their homes. The idea of the charter school is something that we had hoped would one day be a reality, and wanted to help in any way possible,” said the donor couple, who have been part-time residents of Kauaʻi’s North Shore for many years and more recently full-time residents.  “When we read in the Garden Island newspaper of the opportunity for Namahana school to purchase the property in Kīlauea Town, we contacted the Namahana Education Foundation.  Our gift, with its matching aspect, we hope will inspire others.”

Gary Smith, a longtime Kīlauea resident and supporter of the school, said, “Generosity and cooperation are at the heart of what kept our ʻohana close-knit for generations. Today, we need a school like Namahana to keep our community committed to its values more than ever. I hope that everyone who cares about the future of the North Shore takes a cue from this act of selfless generosity and pitches in to help secure a permanent home for Namahana School.”