• Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii Island (VASH) Donates Masks to First Responders

    June 26, 2020
    Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii Island (VASH) Donates Masks to First Responders

    [Hawaii Island, June, 2020] – With a $2,700 grant from Hawaii Tourism Authority, VASH Hawaii Island has made and distributed 500 masks across the island to police officers and 160 to other non-profits.  All masks were created with specs provided by Kaiser Permanente and made by volunteer seamstresses around the island. The organization spent over 550 hours sewing and delivering these masks to the community. Volunteer seamstresses include Garrett Hennings,
    Kristina Lilleeng, Patti Millington, Deborah Stern, Dede Sutherland, and Beckie Marshall. VASH also made and delivered over 160 for other non-profit organizations including, Full Life-Empowering People with Disabilities, Special Olympics-West Hawaii, and The Children’s Justice Center-Kailua-Kona.
     
    “We are proud to support our community partners during this difficult time,” said Rachelle Hennings, Executive Director for VASH, Hawaii Island. “We feel it’s important to help our first responders as they risk their lives every day to help the visitors and residents of Hawaii Island.”
           

    About VASH Hawaii Island
    Our Mission is to share the Aloha Spirit with visitors affected by adversity.
    Even though vacations are supposed to be happy times, sometimes unfortunate events happen.
    When far from home, visitors often do not have access to their own support systems and resources.
    VASH assistance is designed to help visitors cope with and recover from a variety of unfortunate
    situations, i.e. lost documents, crime, medical emergencies or even death of a loved one.  
    VASH receives referrals from the Hawai`i County Police Department, local hospitals, airport security
    and others.  We evaluate each situation individually and offer appropriate support services.
    VASH Hawai`i Island is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
    We are funded in part by Hawaii Tourism Authority, County of Hawai`i and community donations.
    Tax deductible donations and in-kind gifts are always welcome.
    Mahalo for your support!