Music For Maui is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the victims of the recent wildfires in Hawaii. This fundraiser was created by Sydney Malone (10) of the Orange County School of Arts. Sydney is a live music performer and singer, and she plays her ukulele at local venues such as restaurants and malls.
On Aug. 8, 2023, wildfires began spreading throughout Maui, causing harm to nearby cities, wildlife, and most prominently, the city of Lahaina. This left the thousands of residents in Maui in ruins, with many losing their homes and possessions and barely making it out of the fires alive.
This project was started to help those who were affected by the fires and to spread awareness. Sydney and a couple of her musician friends decided to perform gigs to raise money from donations.
Their initial goal was to raise $5,000 which they have now surpassed. They have teamed up with Ross Chun, a former Aliso Viejo council member and a humanitarian who supports non-profits and have now raised their goal to $50,000. They have now raised over $7,000 so far and plan to grow exponentially in the coming months.
Sydney has even teamed up with the Red Cross and the Maui Strong fund, hoping to receive extra support. Additionally, there are many student volunteers most from OCSA and ANHS who have been helping along the way including Evan Brusky (11), Kasey Chau (11), Emma Avnaim (10), Kate Avnaim (10), and Jayzelle Jahanzeb (11).
Sydney states, “These student volunteers have been the heart of this project and I owe our success to their hard work and support.”
Sydney says that their goal of $50,000 is amazing, but it goes much further than money; she hopes by raising awareness, it will encourage and motivate additional action.
Sydney comments, “The devastation in Maui is so much more than even $50,000 can make a dent into, so by reaching as many people as possible, we can ensure that this wildfire isn’t forgotten as so many other tragedies are.”
So far Sydney and her student volunteers have been performing pop-up gigs at various events such as Tony Pepperonis in Aliso Viejo and the Kaleidoscope Mall in Mission Viejo. They are planning their final concert which will take place on Feb. 4, 2024 at SOKA University.
Ross Chun has also been able to connect Sydney and her team with SOKA University to further spread the awareness. The SOKA University staff team, particularly Renee Bodie, the general manager of Soka, has been particularly dedicated and generous, showing their hard work and adaptability.
They have been kind enough to offer Sydney their prestigious concert hall for her final show. It will be a two hour and 30 minute show featuring Sydney, her friends and Le Polynesia. They hope to fill over 1,000 seats greatly helping them reach their goal.
Sydney has her sights set on reaching the $50,000 goal and her friends, family and strangers motivating her to continue.
Sydney comments, “Although I know that this won’t solve the problems in Maui, I’m aspiring to make as large of a difference as I can, doing what I can, which is performing.”
