Question: Some Maui fire victims are raising money through GoFundMe. How quickly are these donations distributed to the victims?
Answer: “Our team at GoFundMe is working around the clock to support the Maui community following the devastating wildfires. Our top priority is to balance speed and safety in order to ensure funds arrive as quickly as possible into the hands of those in need. Once a beneficiary sets up their banking information, transfers typically take two to five business days to arrive,” Alex White, a company spokesperson, said in an email to Kokua Line.
How long it takes to set up banking information varies, especially with spotty communication and internet access in the immediate aftermath of the Aug. 8 fires and the fact that the fires may have destroyed documents some beneficiaries need to finalize their accounts. In such cases a GoFundMe employee may contact a fundraiser organizer and/or beneficiary for additional information, which could extend the withdrawal time. Beneficiaries having trouble setting up withdrawals can find tips on GoFundMe’s website, at 808ne.ws/gfmbt.
In many cases, fundraising campaigns were set up for fire victims by loved ones outside Maui, beyond the document destruction and telecommunications disruptions of the fire zone.
GoFundMe has a list of verified campaigns for Maui wildfire victims at www. gofundme.com/c/act/wildfire-relief/maui.
To answer another reader’s question, GoFundMe is a for-profit crowdfunding platform. It doesn’t charge anything to start or manage a fundraising campaign, but it does deduct a transaction fee from each donation. The campaign’s beneficiary receives all funds raised, minus the transaction fees, according GoFundMe’s website.
Q: What is Megabon?
A: It’s a bon dance and Japanese cultural festival that’s expected to attract about 2,000 people to Aloha Stadium on Saturday, according to the city, which has extended the operating hours of the Skyline rail transit system in response. Megabon is scheduled to be held in the stadium’s Lower Halawa parking lot from 5 to 9 p.m. After the event, trains will depart the Halawa/Aloha Stadium Skyline station westbound as late as 9:55 p.m., the city said in a news release. For more information, go to www.megabonhawaii.com.
Kupuna call
AARP Hawaii is sponsoring a telephone town hall Saturday at 9 a.m. to talk about Maui wildfire relief and recovery efforts. Participants will hear from U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda and Diane Peters-Nguyen, chief executive officer of the Hawaii Red Cross and the Pacific Islands Region, according to an AARP news release. “There will also be information on how to plan and prepare to survive future disasters,” it said. You don’t have to be an AARP member to join the call, or be directly affected by the Maui wildfires. It’s important for kupuna on all islands to prepare for disasters, including wildfires.
“A Telephone Town Hall works like a call-in radio program, except that it is held over the telephone instead of broadcast on radio. People who have participated in other AARP Hawaii telephone forums will receive a phone call on Saturday asking if they want to join the call when the program begins at 9 a.m. People interested in participating can call 1-833-305-0175 at 9 a.m. on Saturday to dial in to the town hall or watch a Facebook Live simulcast on the @aarphawaii Facebook page,” the news release said.
Kokua Line has heard from senior citizens who say the Maui wildfires have left them feeling vulnerable and scared, as it’s become clear that many kupuna had little to no warning of the firestorm and had to save themselves — or die trying. Although the AARP town hall won’t cover all the tough questions these readers have raised, the forum promises to be a good start toward getting older Hawaii residents engaged in personal planning and community activities that could someday save their lives.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
