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Beginning this week, we’re sharing stories from HGEA members who experienced the devastations of the Maui wildfires first-hand.
Marianne Wheeler, principal of Kula Elementary School and Unit 6 member, recounted the chaos that erupted in her small upcountry community after fires ravaged pasture lands and left the water system contaminated. Residents had to rely on mobile water tanks to go about their normal day-to-day necessities. When Oprah Winfrey reached out to Wheeler to ask how she could support the school, Wheeler told the television host their students were in need of hand wipes and bottled water — and Winfrey came through.
“It was amazing how our community came together. It was overwhelming the amount of help that we had,” Wheeler said.
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Following the devastating wildfires that ravaged Lahaina and Kula, the board of directors for the Hawaii Government Employees Association approved the use of $100,000 in relief funds to go to members who were directly impacted.
Affected members last week began receiving the funds, which amount to $500 for active and retired members and $250 for associate members. The relief program is in addition to support from our affiliate unions. Both the Hawaii State AFL-CIO’s Employees Lifeline Program and AFSCME’s Fallen Heroes Fund have distributed $250 gift cards to affected union members.
“Many of our members have lost their homes, cars and their way of life,” said Randy Perreira, executive director of HGEA. “Our members are the lifeblood of our union, and we want them to know we stand with them as they recover from this tragedy.”
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Hoomaikai to our union brothers and sisters at Waiakea Intermediate School for reaching 100% membership at their worksite. Mahalo for your hard work engaging with your fellow coworkers to build the union. We’re stronger together!
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Please do not reply to this email as we are not able to respond to messages sent to this address.
For a complete list of member discounts or for more HGEA news, visit www.hgea.org.
If you have specific inquiries, contact your local HGEA office or the HGEA Member Service Center at
(808) 543-0000 or service@hgea.org.
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HGEA News
Hawaii Government Employees Association
888 Mililani Street, Suite 401
Honolulu, HI 96813
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