Creating CHANGE For All... And For Always Hope for the Future for Some Maui Graduates “Many students have unemployed parents, or family members who are at risk for being unemployed,” said Louise Dantes, a student at Maui High School, about the current coronavirus pandemic. This year, the Charles & Mitch Ota Foundation will provide grants to all AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) seniors at Maui high schools who will attend college in the fall. The grants will help to defray education costs for families experiencing financial hardships due to COVID-19. This is in addition to the annual college scholarships awarded by the Ota Foundation to select AVID students. “The grant gives me great reassurance that the future is bright, even if we are currently experiencing a challenging time,” said Dantes. “I can’t express enough how grateful I am.” Throughout their lives, the Foundation’s creators, Mitch and her husband Charles, anonymously provided opportunities and funding for AVID students to travel to O‘ahu to visit college campuses – for some, it was their first time on an airplane. The AVID program is designed to help prepare Maui high schoolers for college. Mitch often expressed how much she cared about Maui teenagers. “She felt this group had tremendous potential and motivation, but they needed a stronger vision of the world, of what is possible out there,” said Jim Seki, Board Chair & President of the Charles & Mitch Ota Foundation. “She especially wanted students who may be overlooked to realize that with hard work they can achieve more than they ever imagined.” “When many of these students were freshmen, they only dreamed about life outside of Maui, and didn’t think college was even an option for them. By the time they were seniors, all that changed,” Seki said. “My secretary would just cry when she read their ‘thank you’ letters.” Both Mitch and Charles have passed, but their efforts can be seen through the students who return to Maui, ready to use their education to benefit the community. As Seki points out, “The students often ask where the money came from and why someone would do this for us. They’re so grateful for the gesture, and eventually understand that we all have an obligation to pay the generosity forward.” DID YOU KNOW The Hawai‘i Community Foundation partners with private foundations by handling administrative tasks and distributing funds on their behalf. This allows the private foundation representatives to focus on their charitable goals, and turn their generosity into meaningful impact for Hawai‘i. To support our communities during the COVID-19 Pandemic, visit
HawaiiCommunityFoundation.org/coronavirus.