In an inspiring act of island-to-island support, residents of Hawaiʻi Island laced up their running shoes for the “Run for Maui 5K” on August 26 — a fun run/walk held at HPAʻs Upper Campus dedicated to raising funds for families in Maui affected by the recent wildfires.
Caroline Betlach ’24, a senior captain for the HPA girls cross country team, conceived and spearheaded the event, driven by her determination to bring about significant change.
“I had been seeing news about the fires everywhere and in my heart, I felt like we had to do something,” Betlatch said. “There are kids my age who aren’t going to school right now. And they’re not getting to play sports or do the things they love. So if there’s anything that we could do to help, we wanted to share our love and mana with them.”
With limited time to plan and promote — the swift collaboration of her peers, HPA faculty, staff, and the broader community was instrumental in bringing the event to life. Remarkably, on the day of the event, more than 300 participants gathered for the run/walk, many accompanied by their furry four-legged companions, ready to get moving for a noble cause.
“I was absolutely astonished, I was not expecting that many people to show up,” Betlach said. “I think the biggest moment where I kind of realized how many people truly came was at the starting line. I’ve seen state cross country starting lines where you have around 200 people. And here it was way more than that. My grandparents were there, there were young kids and even a baby in a stroller. It was incredible. I was actually going to run the race, but I decided not to just because I was enjoying being around our community and seeing everyone assemble for our neighbors in Lāhainā.”
The ambiance buzzed with enthusiasm, optimism, and a strong sense of community. As runners navigated the course, the air was filled with uplifting cheers and motivating shouts. Betlach was elated with the event’s success.
“Tears started coming down my face just before the start because I was so, so grateful,” she said. “I want to thank everyone who showed up and spread the word. And for all of the amazing faculty members that helped pursue this idea on such a short timeline.”
In all, the event raised more than $6,000 for Maui families in need. The money was donated to the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation.