While most Canyon Lake residents were hunkered during Hurricane Hilary, a couple of dozen residents and guests gathered at the East Port Park Activities Room to enjoy finger food, listen to stories about the Maui wildfires from those who experienced it, and donate to help those impacted by the wildfires.
Members Michelle and Bob Burns, co-chairs of Sunday’s club event, recently returned from Maui where they witnessed the devastation firsthand. The Burns shared stories of their interactions with people on the island during and after the fires that destroyed historic downtown Lahaina.
“The hardest stories to hear were about the children who lost everything, their homes, members of their families, and all of their belongings and toys,” Commodore Ron Wilbur said. “For these kids, a toy was a comfort to them, something that could distract them from the pain and hardship they and their families were facing.”
Sunday’s fundraiser provided participants with five vetted opportunities for donating. The Burns have started a GoFundMe page and are flying back to Maui to provide on-the-ground relief for as many people as they can.
Bob is a retired Delta Airlines captain who flew passengers to Maui for many years, He and Michelle have an affinity for the people of Maui and spend as much time as they can on the island. With his benefits from the airline, Bob can fly free, so the couple is loading suitcases with toys, clothing, small items, and cash and heading back to Maui.
“Some people working in the hotels are at their jobs, but many locals are out of work,” Bob said. “Many of the locals are staying in the hotels because their home was destroyed in the fires. They escaped with the clothes they were wearing and with family members, although some even lost family.”
“The children are the ones that make you cry, to see them lost and looking for any comfort,” Michelle said. “You just want to pick them up and hold them. The small toy cars that we are bringing don’t seem like much, but to a young child, it makes the pain a little less because they have something, just something, that they can hold in their hand that feels a little bit like home. We were nearby as one seven-year-old told his mother, ‘Mommy, I just want to go home and play with my toys.’ Everything they had was gone.”
Michelle added, “With those things and the clothes and cash that Bob and I bring to them, we can play a small part, but for some, it represents the caring of people they don’t know and will probably never meet. It’s hard emotionally for us, but we do what we can because to not do anything is to ignore the terror, heartache, and loss that as people we can’t ignore. We have to do something, and we are.”
The Yacht Club will be holding a Hawaiian Luau, Cruise, and Maui Fundraiser event on Sunday, August 27, at 4 p.m. at the Holiday Harbor Guest Docks. The Burns will be back from Maui to share fresh accounts of what is happening on the island and what is most immediately needed.
The Yacht Club is also donating 100 percent of its proceeds from all new 2023 memberships from August 14 through September to Maui relief organizations.
The Canyon Lake Yacht Club was established in 1990 as a social and philanthropic club within the Canyon Lake constellation of sanctioned clubs and organizations. The purpose of the 250-member club is to provide fun and recreation centered around activities on the lake. The club formed as a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation this year. For more information about the Yacht Club, visit www.canyonlakeyachtclub.com.
